Justina Ireland is an American science fiction and fantasy author best known for her young adult fiction. She is the author of the Dread Nation series and has contributed to the Star Wars universe.
Justina Ireland was born and raised in the United States. When she was nineteen, she enlisted in the military and became an Arabic linguistics expert. Ireland later pursued higher education, earning a Bachelor of Arts in History from Armstrong Atlantic State University and an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University. She is currently pursuing a PhD in English Literature.
Justina Ireland began her writing career with Vengeance Bound (2013), followed by Promise of Shadows (2014) and Scream Site (2018). Her novel Dread Nation (2018) takes place in an alternate 19th-century United States, where the Civil War ends due to a zombie outbreak. The story follows Jane McKeene, a biracial teen trained to fight the undead. Nominated for the Andre Norton, Bram Stoker, and Lodestar Awards, this novel won the 2019 Locus Award. Its sequel, Deathless Divide, was published in 2020.
Her middle-grade novel, Ophie's Ghosts (2021), won the Scott O'Dell Award. The book blends historical fiction with supernatural elements, showcasing her skill in addressing complex themes.
In addition to her novels, Ireland has made significant contributions to the Star Wars universe. She is one of the story architects of Star Wars: The High Republic and has written several books in the series, including A Test of Courage (2021), Out of the Shadows (2021), and Mission to Disaster (2022). Her work on Star Wars: Lando's Luck (2018) and Spark of the Resistance (2019) also received positive reviews.
Beyond writing, Ireland is known for her advocacy and activism in the literary community. She was the editor-in-chief of FIYAH Literary Magazine, for which she received the 2018 World Fantasy Award for Non-Professional Work. Ireland is a vocal advocate for diversifying young adult literature and founded Writing in the Margins, an organization that mentors writers from marginalized groups. "We need more stories that reflect the diversity of our world," she has stated in interviews.
Ireland also works for the U.S. Navy as the Director of Logistics and Weapons Systems Support. She teaches creative writing at York College of Pennsylvania, where she serves as an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Communication and Writing.
Justina Ireland lives in York, Pennsylvania, with her family.
Photo credit: www.justinaireland.com
