Redlands author Jen Thompson to launch new memoir Oct. 1

REDLANDS, Calif. — Redlands author Jen Thompson will celebrate the release of her new memoir, Wild Pivot: Notes from a Political Life Rewritten, with a community book launch Thursday, Oct. 1.

Thompson will discuss the book in conversation with University of Redlands President Krista Newkirk during the event, presented by A.K. Smiley Public Library and University of Redlands Town & Gown.

Set to be published Sept. 22 by She Writes Press and distributed by Simon & Schuster, Wild Pivot recounts Thompson's journey from a congressional lawyer and Republican political strategist in Washington, D.C., to walking away from a career in politics and reconsidering the identity and beliefs that had shaped her life.

Thompson rose through national politics in her early 30s and managed a nationally watched 2002 U.S. Senate campaign. A near-fatal car accident on the campaign trail became a turning point, prompting her to eventually leave Washington and move to Australia for a visiting professorship at the University of Melbourne.

Told through a series of vignettes, Wild Pivot explores ambition, belonging and the difficulty of changing deeply held beliefs. Thompson writes about the pressure to maintain the successful identity she had built, her growing sense that the life she was living did not reflect what she believed, and the personal and ideological changes that followed her departure from politics.

Thompson now serves as chief of staff at the University of Redlands and writes a Substack newsletter about authenticity, grace and navigating major life transitions.

Following the conversation, Thompson will sign copies of Wild Pivot, which will be available for purchase from The Frugal Frigate. Wine and appetizers will be served.

The free event runs from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, at the Contemporary Club, 173 S. Eureka St. Advance registration is requested. Those interested in attending can register online.