Jennifer A. Holland (1980; Hartford, CT, USA) is a storyteller and social scientist. She is Dutch-American, and has lived in the Netherlands since 2010.
(Photo credit: Karl Giesriegl)
Storyteller
In 2019, I began studying the art of oral storytelling at the Mezrab Storytelling School. I graduated from the MSS Professional Course in January 2023.
In my storytelling, I love to blur the line between truth and fiction. My myths become deeply personal and my personal stories are wrapped in illusion and magic. I enchant and captivate my audiences with a warm, clear and grounded voice, no matter where I meet them: in small, intimate settings, outdoor venues or large lecture halls. I tell all kinds of stories, but my favorites explore relationships: romantic and platonic, family and community, across countries, generations and sometimes even species… blaf blaf!
I perform regularly at the Mezrab (Amsterdam), and have told stories at de Ceuvel (Amsterdam), Tolhuistuin (Amsterdam), Podium Mozaïek (Amsterdam) and the Grand Pillow Society (Groningen).
You can read more about my current and past storytelling projects under the Storytelling tab.
Social Scientist
As a social scientist, I get to tell true stories about the social world using empirical data.
I am an Assistant Professor of Social Science Research Methods in the Department of Public Administration and Sociology at Erasmus University Rotterdam (NL). I conduct research into the social and economic consequences of family change for individuals and societies in the Europe and the United States.
I am an award-winning teacher. I love teaching my students about social demography, how they can find empirical answers to their questions about the social world using social science research methods, and the beauty of statistics. I am most proud when my students tell me that they didn’t think they’d like a statistics course, but they “accidentally did develop a certain love for statistics. lol 🙂” This is my favorite course evaluation, from my student Pauline Wiersema in 2021:
Previously I held an appointment as a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Social Statistics and Demography at the University of Southampton (UK) and I was a postdoctoral researcher at the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute. I have collaborated on research projects at the Stockholm University Demography Unit and the Statistics Norway Research Department.
In 2011, I completed a doctoral dissertation in Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison entitled “Why Do? The meaning of marriage in the Nordic countries.”
Jennifer A. Holland 