Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman

Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman (born 1981) is an American author. Her novel Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in Autobiography in 2019. She is also an associate professor of English at Northern Kentucky University.

Growing up in West Virginia, Hindman played the violin throughout elementary, middle, and high school. She was encouraged to apply to Columbia University for Middle Eastern studies although her parents were unable to afford full tuition. By her senior year, she was in desperate need of money to pay her tuition and applied as a professional violinist in The Composer’s Ensemble. She spent four years pretending to play the violin while a soundtrack drowned out her music until she became addicted to cocaine and was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. After getting psychological help, she was hired as an admissions secretary at Columbia and earned her MFA in creative nonfiction writing.

Hindman accepted a position as an associate professor of English at Northern Kentucky University where she then published her novel Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir. Her memoir was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in Autobiography in 2019.

Early life Hindman was born and raised in West Virginia to a doctor and social worker. Although she aspired to play the violin at the age of five, her parents were unable to provide her with one due to the lack of teachers available. Her parents eventually bought her one for her eighth birthday and drove several hours across Virginia for her lessons.

Education During her high school years, her boyfriend at the time convinced her to study at a college in the Northeast. Although her parents were unable to afford full tuition, she moved to New York and attended Columbia University. Hindman later revealed that her boyfriend was abusive in an essay titled Advanced Placement, which received a Reader’s Choice Award. Originally enrolled in their music program, she switched to Middle Eastern studies which landed her on a study-abroad program in Egypt during 9/11. By her senior year, she needed money to pay her tuition after already donated her eggs and trying “all sorts of terrible jobs." She applied for a job as a professional violinist at The Composer’s Ensemble and was surprised when they hired her. During her second year in the writing program, she applied for teaching fellowships and began to work towards becoming a professor. Her dissertation earned her the Toulouse Dissertation Fellowship and a position as an assistant professor of English at New Mexico Highlands University. She was eventually promoted to associate professor of English in 2019 and received the Northern Kentucky University's Excellence in Research Award. That same year, she published her debut novel Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir which focused on her experience in The Composer’s Ensemble. It was named a finalist for the 2019 National Book Critics Circle Award in Autobiography and named a one of Amazon's Best Books of 2019.