https://alexandramaejones.com/home daily 1.0 2026-03-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe95962c16c6b61cb4b8919/76a7b609-d20b-42a3-ae8d-5c042c492324/twitterbannerNEW.png home - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe95962c16c6b61cb4b8919/1623022455692-OTBJP2YFJQGY20ITCJQQ/websiteheaderbluelake2.JPG home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe95962c16c6b61cb4b8919/b56d0064-96e6-4acc-823c-7769f98dd7ad/IMG_5673.jpg home - “Jones never shies away from brutally honest discussions of sexual topics that were even more taboo in the 2000s when the book is set, capturing in particular the toxicity of biphobia as Dell is confused by her intense desire, earlier for boys and now, for Ivy.” — Kirkus Reviews https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe95962c16c6b61cb4b8919/bc647078-0ee1-49f8-92cd-1aba5340925d/Full+Water+Painting.jpg home - “The unforgettably sardonic voice of 16-year-old Dell is the strength of this book—set in the 2000s—about trauma, identity, and finding a home within yourself.” — Booklist https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe95962c16c6b61cb4b8919/b3e1cf6e-76da-457d-a22b-f96724ea55f4/QOJIbook3D4.jpg home - “This book is a raw, poignant exploration of female teenage sexuality and how societal expectations conflate desire with shame.” — The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe95962c16c6b61cb4b8919/a6566b56-5daa-40b4-ab05-585c3216ac7c/IMG_1727.jpg home - “Through Dell’s tumultuous mental health and equally turbulent relationships, this intensely personal and moving narrative adeptly captures the often nerve-wracking complexity of queer adolescence.” - Publisher’s Weekly https://alexandramaejones.com/about daily 0.75 2026-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe95962c16c6b61cb4b8919/1609132819047-H5SEXABU05P5ALUYWOZC/ME.jpg about - I knew that I wanted to be a writer before I had grown out of Velcro shoes. By the time I made it out of my small town in southern Ontario, I had racked up a body count of around six abandoned novel drafts. I grew up on the outskirts of Zurich, Ontario, with Lake Huron visible from my bedroom window, and when I wasn’t working my way through my latest stab at the great Canadian novel, my childhood was spent climbing trees, reading under my desk at school, and sharpening my nails on the arms of various bullies. As a bisexual misfit, I knew I couldn’t stay in Huron County forever, so I made the terrifying move to the big city to attend the University of Toronto, where I earned a BA in English and Drama. In 2017, I started working on the breaking news desk at the Toronto Star as a Radio Room intern. I spent two years reporting there while also attending grad school, and I received my MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph in 2019. My short fiction has appeared in EVENT, Third Wednesday, FreeFall Magazine, and Prairie Fire, among others. From 2019 to early 2024, I worked as a writer at CTVNews.ca, and then worked at CBC News through 2025. In 2022 and 2024, I taught a YA Creative Writing course through University of Guelph’s OpenEd program. THE QUEEN OF JUNK ISLAND, which came out in May 2022, is my first novel. When I’m not writing, I can often be found working on my latest crochet tapestry. I also paint, sing, knit and occasionally make videos about those things. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe95962c16c6b61cb4b8919/1613010135901-40ASU76ADTUFD3S94CO8/IMG_0281.jpg about - AWARDS AND NOMINATIONS Prairie Fire Fiction Contest - 2020 - First Prize for “Conservation of Matter” 2020 Peter Hinchcliffe Short Fiction Award - longlisted John H. McDonald Awards for Excellence in Student Journalism - 2016 - Winner in the Diversity section for “Pulling Pigtails” Hart House Playwriting Competition - 2016 - Third Place for Six Pieces https://alexandramaejones.com/contact daily 0.75 2024-08-26 https://alexandramaejones.com/fiction daily 0.75 2025-06-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe95962c16c6b61cb4b8919/1609998421805-3J6W1WZ6QBQEYUOJLHFG/IMG_9752.JPG fiction - short fiction https://alexandramaejones.com/the-queen-of-junk-island daily 0.75 2024-02-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe95962c16c6b61cb4b8919/1629915122500-YVGEET3RUOLA629RG4QO/bannerbook.jpg the queen of junk island - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe95962c16c6b61cb4b8919/1612980536832-JE3IEK9VZCBPY3HXUIJP/qojidoodle.png the queen of junk island - Ivy laughed. “God, you’re easy.” I went very still. “What did you say?” “That it’s easy to piss you off,” Ivy said. “Another thing your mom didn’t mention. You cannot take a joke. I wasn’t actually going to shove you in the lake, I was just getting back at you for earlier.” She was standing at the peak of the hill, the lake bright behind her. As we stared at each other, the edges of the thing in the water seemed to stretch out her shoulders, blending with her body until she looked like another part of the landscape. She looked broad enough to be someone else entirely. I could remember Christopher standing in front of me like Ivy was now, except then, he was the one with the camera. I was suddenly very aware of my body. https://alexandramaejones.com/art-and-other-projects daily 0.75 2026-03-11 https://alexandramaejones.com/art-and-other-projects/traffic-jams monthly 0.5 2021-01-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe95962c16c6b61cb4b8919/1610228570609-Y01IU5F0W46NLPO9EZ58/trafficjamsbanner.jpg art and other projects - Traffic Jams https://alexandramaejones.com/art-and-other-projects/pullingpigtails-96ebz monthly 0.5 2021-01-07 https://alexandramaejones.com/art-and-other-projects/artmessjunk monthly 0.5 2026-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe95962c16c6b61cb4b8919/42057ee3-c54a-40fb-905b-88ac9975ecf1/croppedjyn.JPG art and other projects - art.mess.junk https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe95962c16c6b61cb4b8919/29217902-41df-42ab-bba8-beab1a5724e2/croppedredgirl.JPG art and other projects - art.mess.junk https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe95962c16c6b61cb4b8919/0daaf6c3-7db9-4529-a2c6-5a4de68b478c/IMG_4681.JPG art and other projects - art.mess.junk https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe95962c16c6b61cb4b8919/f41ee050-2008-4c31-bdcb-277c8d606f21/IMG_3039.JPG art and other projects - art.mess.junk https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe95962c16c6b61cb4b8919/6d8186f5-800a-49a0-a664-8e84e24036c2/IMG_3047.JPG art and other projects - art.mess.junk https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe95962c16c6b61cb4b8919/1773196755530-DC41RAXJSD6HGWTPK5RG/IMG_6642%2B2.png art and other projects - art.mess.junk https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe95962c16c6b61cb4b8919/0ecda91f-8e56-461e-92df-1b59eba9d6f6/IMG_2607.JPG art and other projects - art.mess.junk https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe95962c16c6b61cb4b8919/1773199526053-N6YXTQV1WD79GU16OZ2L/IMG_4116.jpg art and other projects - art.mess.junk https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe95962c16c6b61cb4b8919/1773245010642-WGO644TVY7BQAVPDOUC3/IMG_6964.png art and other projects - art.mess.junk https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe95962c16c6b61cb4b8919/fdf6a120-5aa4-42bc-bcfa-d834f98c66c5/75284A1B-6A31-411A-AAD6-DF19E4EA3C09.JPG art and other projects - art.mess.junk https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe95962c16c6b61cb4b8919/c563e3d7-5ccf-495e-9e4b-028884690b0e/AMJbusinesscard.png https://alexandramaejones.com/art-and-other-projects/prev-articles-star monthly 0.5 2021-02-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe95962c16c6b61cb4b8919/1609894676360-T29DF4RCQHZNKLW5UMTC/allotment3.jpg art and other projects - Previous Articles - Toronto Star