All posts by Jennifer van der Kwast

Jennifer van der Kwast is an American writer currently (and happily) based in Amsterdam. Her novel, Pounding the Pavement, was published by Doubleday in 2005. Prior to moving to the Netherlands in 2011, Jennifer lived in New York City where she worked for the Harold Ober Literary Agency. The prestigious list of agency clients included the estates of F. Scott Fitzgerald and JD Salinger. One of her primary responsibilities was saying no to people who called to ask if they could adapt Catcher in the Rye into a film. Jennifer's travel articles and personal essays have appeared in New York Magazine, Time Out Amsterdam and most recently in the Washington Post. She used to write extensively about food, but now that she has two children under the age of six, she no longer dares to enter a restaurant.

What Jennifer's students say

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• Jennifer's feedback was super helpful. Very detailed, with lots of interesting points to think about and improve on. I always felt inspired after receiving the feedback.

  

  Tineke

  Student

• Jennifer created a very safe space. In the past, I have never felt at ease with anyone reading my writing, but after the first class, I felt right at home.

  

  Cindy Y

  Student

• Jennifer is an incredible teacher, and her feedback was always incredibly well thought out and valuable. That would be the personal highlight for me, but I really think she did a great job all around and got the group excited and involved every...Read more

  

  Aidan

  Student

• I thought Jennifer was great, very personable, approachable, helpful. She is knowledgeable and her critiques were always spot on.

  

  H. von Hindenburg

  Student

• Jennifer's style was always positive. She did a great job of critiquing everyone's work in a way that never felt negative and she was always clear on what areas worked and what areas could be improved. The relaxed atmosphere of the class allowed...Read more

  

  Michelle D

  Student

• I thought that Jennifer gave really great, concise feedback. I loved listening to her giving feedback, not only on my pieces but with everyone else's too. Jennifer is also really easy to talk with, the discussion flowed throughout the class and it...Read more

  

  Meadhbh Boyle

  Student

• Jennifer is a great teacher. She's really down to earth and quick off the mark. Her comments were well thought through and very compact.

  

  Andrew Hall

  Student