LAWLER, Jennifer 1965-

PERSONAL: Born 1965; married (divorced); children: one daughter. Education: University of Kansas, Ph.D., 1996.

ADDRESSES: Home and office—P.O. Box 4147, Lawrence, Kansas 66046.

CAREER: Writer. Worked as a martial-arts tournament competitor, judge, and referee, as well as a martial-arts and self-defense instructor. Also worked as a college-level English instructor; cochair of Book Division, National Writers Union.

WRITINGS:

The Martial Arts Encyclopedia, Masters Press (Indianapolis, IN), 1996.

Songs of Life: The Meaning of Country Music, Pogo Press (St. Paul, MN), 1996.

Weight Training for Martial Arts, Turtle Press (Hartford, CT), 1998.

The Curmudgeon's Guide to—Child-free Travel: Exactly How and Precisely Where to Enjoy Idyllic Grownup Getaways, Pilot Books (Greenport, NY), 1998.

Martial Arts for Women: A Practical Guide, Turtle Press (Hartford, CT), 1998.

Coaching Women in the Martial Arts, Masters Press (Lincolnwood, IL), 1999.

The Secrets of Tae Kwon Do: Principles and Techniques for Beginners, Masters Press (Lincolnwood, IL), 1999.

Drug Legalization: A Pro/Con Issue, Enslow (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 1999.

Drug Testing in Schools: A Pro/Con Issue, Enslow (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2000.

Small-Business Ownership for Creative People, Aletheia Publications (Putnam Valley NY), 2000.

Cyberdanger and Internet Safety: A Hot Issue, Enslow (Berkeley Heights, NJ), 2000.

Freestyle Sparring, Human Kinetics (Champaign, IL), 2000.

Tae Kwon Do for Women, Wish (Terre Haute, IN), 2001.

Encyclopedia of Women in the Middle Ages, MacFarland (Jefferson, NC), 2001.

Punch!: Why Women Participate in Violent Sports, Wish (Terre Haute, IN), 2002.

(With Debz Buller) Kickboxing for Women, Wish (Terre Haute, IN), 2002.

Martial Arts for Dummies, Wiley (New York, NY), 2003.

Dojo Wisdom: 100 Simple Ways to Become a Stronger, Calmer, More Courageous Person, Penguin Compass (New York, NY), 2003.

(With Rod Powers) ASVAB for Dummies, Wiley (New York, NY), 2003.

(With Holly Ziegler) Feng Shui Your Workspace for Dummies, Wiley (New York, NY), 2003.

Encyclopedia of the Byzantine Empire, MacFarland (Jefferson, NC), 2004.

Dojo Wisdom for Writers: 100 Simple Ways to Become a More Inspired, Successful, and Fearless Writer, Penguin Compass (New York, NY), 2004.

(With Holly Ziegler) Feng Shui Your Garden for Dummies, Wiley (Hoboken, NJ), 2004.

Dojo Wisdom for Mothers: 100 Simple Ways to Become a Calmer, Happier, More Loving Parent, Penguin Compass (New York, NY), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS: Jennifer Lawler decided to make freelance writing her full-time occupation in 1996 and since then has published numerous articles and written more than twenty books on martial arts and various other topics. In The Curmudgeon's Guide to—Childfree Travel: Exactly How and Precisely Where to Enjoy Idyllic Grownup Getaways the author provides addresses and Web sites for numerous travel resources to be used in planning a vacation without children. She also delves into planning specific types of trips, such as adventure vacations. Drug Testing in Schools: A Pro/Con Issue looks at the history of drug testing and the methods used. She discusses various policies and includes numerous interviews with students, teachers, and parents. Elizabeth Stumpf, writing in School Library Journal, noted the "book would be ideal for debates or reports" by students. Lawler focuses on Internet abuse and scams in Cyberdanger and Internet Safety: A Hot Issue. The author discusses a wide gamut of issues, from privacy loss and hackers to computer addiction and social isolation. Lawler also delves into how readers can protect themselves from various "cyber" dangers. Sandra L. Doggett noted in School Library Journal that "most of the advice is good" but had concerns about misleading information and a lack of discussion about copyright issues.

A martial arts experts with a black belt in tae kwon do, Lawler has written extensively about martial arts and combat, including Punch!: Why Women Participate in Violent Sports. In the book, the author combines her own experience with academic research to discuss women's experiences in tough, aggressive sports such as football, boxing, ice hockey, martial arts, and rugby. Kathy Ruffle, writing in Library Journal, noted that the author also discusses "the history of women in violent sports, media reaction and feminist studies."

In Encyclopedia of Women in the Middle Ages Lawler takes a biographical approach to covering the lives of women in the Middle Ages. As Phyllis Holman Weisbard and Barbarly Korper McConnell pointed out in their Feminist Collections review, the author "combines individual biographies of actual and fictional women (e.g., Guinevere, Grendel's mother, Kriemhild) with topical entries such as 'medicine and health,' 'social class,' 'Inquisition,' 'chivalry,' and 'education.'" The reviewers went on to praise the encyclopedia's "topical and biographical entries, helpful glossary, bibliography, and genealogies." A Booklist contributor also noted that "what sets this volume apart is the juxtaposition of biographical material with information on some of the conditions and circumstances that shaped medieval women's lives."

Lawler is also the author of a series of books on "dojo," including Dojo Wisdom for Writers: 100 Simple Ways to Become a More Inspired, Successful, and Fearless Writer. Dale Raben, writing in Library Journal, called the book a "great source of quick, accessible inspirations." In Encyclopedia of the Byzantine Empire, she turns her attention the ancient and influential Middle Eastern empire that spanned almost 2,000 years. The encyclopedia includes 1,500 entries on people, places, government, society, and numerous other topics. Booklist contributor Ann Welton called the encyclopedia "an excellent starting point for information on an empire that did much to form Eastern Europe."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, March 1, 2002, review of Encyclopedia of Women in the Middle Ages, p. 1178; January 1, 2005, Ann Welton, review of Encyclopedia of the Byzantine Empire, p. 902.

Feminist Collections, winter, 2002, Phyllis Holman Weisbard and Barbarly Korper McConnell, review of Encyclopedia of Women in the Middle Ages, p. 29.

Library Journal, October 1, 1998, Ravi Shenoy, review of The Curmudgeon's Guide to—Child-free Travel: Exactly How and Precisely Where to Enjoy Idyllic Grownup Getaways, p. 124; December, 2001, Kathy Ruffle, review of Punch!: Why Women Participate in Violent Sports, p. 134; September 1, 2004, Dale Raben, review of Dojo Wisdom for Writers: 100 Simple Ways to Become a More Inspired, Successful, and Fearless Writer, p. 164.

School Library Journal, December, 2000, Elizabeth Stumpf, review of Drug Testing in Schools: A Pro/Con Issue, p. 163; January, 2001, Sandra L. Doggett, review of Cyberdanger and Internet Safety: A Hot Issue, p. 148.

ONLINE

AbsoluteWrite.com, http://www.absolutewrite.com/ (June 2, 2005), Jenna Glatzer, interview with Lawler.

Jennifer Lawler Home Page, http://www.jenniferlawler.com (June 2, 2005).