Lucy Jane Bledsoe (born February 1, 1957, in Portland, Oregon[1][2]) is an American novelist who often writes about the intersection of family, wilderness and survival.
[2][3] She was inspired to write professionally by her high school Language Arts teacher,[2] and has cited among her influences James Baldwin, Willa Cather, Adrienne Rich, and Barbara Kingsolver.
[1][4] In 1995, Bledsoe published Sweat: Stories and a Novella, which helped her garner her first Lambda Literary Award finalist title.
[14] Bledsoe's 2002 children's book Hoop Girlz, about a ten-year-old girl who loves playing basketball but doesn't make the school team, was selected as one of Booklist 's Top 10 Sports Books for Youth of the year and featured among Core Collection: Sports Fiction for Girls.
[4] Bledsoe's autobiographical young adult novel, No Stopping Us Now,[16] which is about love, basketball, and activism, was published in April 2022.