Jennifer A. G. Layte

Jennifer A. G. Layte was four years old when she first told her mother she wanted to write stories. Since then, she has found both more and less traditional ways to do that. She is the author of two published novels and is the founder of The Pilgrimage—a Jesus-centered online spiritual formation community, created especially to tend to the stories of those who have been hurt by the church or are otherwise struggling in their faith. Jennifer also pastors—to her own surprise—a small historic church in Central Massachusetts.

Jennifer’s training and certification as an Advanced Practice Board Certified Chaplain, a spiritual director, and an ordained pastor have provided her with unique opportunities to work with diverse (on just about every metric) groups of people. The human stories she has carried and the ways she has found of shepherding people through the difficult parts directly influence her writing. Meanwhile, her formal background in literature and theology gives her imaginative ways of retelling the stories of the Bible and of others, encouraging people to live within their own stories better. 

Jennifer and her husband Paul live in New England with their two adorable rescue dogs, an impressive garden, and, to their fascination but not always delight, an astonishing array of wildlife.