A.J. Jacono is a writer, musician, and mountaineer based in New York. To date, he has completed four novels and founded an online literary journal, The Spotlong Review.

A.J. graduated with degrees in English and French Studies from Wesleyan University, where he won the 2019 Herbert Lee Connelly Prize for nonfiction writing. His work has also been nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

A.J. has published fiction and nonfiction in a wide range of well-regarded literary journals, including Southeast Review, The Offing, upstreet, and Lunch Ticket, among many others. He was also anthologized in The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2023, a collection of the year’s finest mystery, thriller, and suspense short stories. The anthology was published on October 17, 2023 by Mariner Books, an imprint of HarperCollins.

When not writing, A.J. enjoys playing guitar, traveling the world, and attempting to climb the Seven Summits, the highest mountain on each continent. His experiences have brought him to places as close as Connecticut and as far as Bangkok, Thailand.

A.J. is passionate about philanthropy; at thirteen, he founded a nonprofit organization, called T.H.A.I. (Through Healing All Indigent) Children, to fund for the cleft lip and palate surgeries of children around the world. To learn more about the cause, and perhaps to donate, click here.