Jess Blatchley

Jess Blatchley grew up in London in a large bohemian family. She had the misfortune of being recruited into a religious cult in her teens, in which she lived for twenty years. Much of her writing is inspired by her survival of that experience. She now lives in Gloucestershire with her husband, where she also teaches singing, having had a successful career as a jazz singer after her exit from the cult.

Her unpublished memoir, COMPOSED, was long listed for the Bridport Memoir Prize in 2025, ranking with the top twelve international entries. Jess also writes short fiction. Her work was long listed for the Bath Short Story prize in 2025 and shortlisted in 2024 for the Bridport Prize in Flash Fiction. Jess's short stories can be read online in Fictive Dream, WestWord and The Phare literary magazines, as well as the GWN anthology 2025 and Stroud Short Stories Anthology to be released in November 2026.

Jess splits her time between writing, teaching, reading and enjoying family and friends. She also dedicates many hours to supporting others who have exited or are in the process of exiting controlling, cult-like environments. She continues to shine light on the effects of spiritual abuse, in the hope that acknowledgement and responsibility will be taken for the damage it has done in her life and the lives of thousands of others.

Most importantly, she's recently learned to knit and is excited about the arrival of her first grandchild in April 2026.