Jess Zafarris
Jessica Elizabeth Zafarris[1] (née Farris)[2] is an American writer, podcaster and journalist.
Education
Zafarris graduated from DePaul University with a bachelor's degree in English literature. She attended University of Colorado Boulder where she studied journalism and earned a master's degree.[3]
Career
On February 25, 2020, Zafarris published Once Upon a Word: A Word-Origin Dictionary for Kids, a children's book about etymology.[3] This was followed in 2023 by Words from Hell: Unearthing the Darkest Secrets of English Etymology, which covers vocabulary Zafarris encountered while researching Once Upon a Word which was considered unsuitable for its target audience, including profanity and explicit references to intimate parts.[4] She published Useless Etymology: Offbeat Word Origins for Curious Minds on October 7, 2025.[5][6]
In April 2024, Zafarris established the podcast Words Unravelled with Rob Watts.[7][8]
Personal life
Zafarris married Andrew Zaferis on September 26, 2015, and their married surname is a blend of both of their birth surnames.[2]
Bibliography
- Once Upon a Word: A Word-Origin Dictionary for Kids (2020)
- Words from Hell: Unearthing the Darkest Secrets of English Etymology (2023)
- Useless Etymology: Offbeat Word Origins for Curious Minds (2025)
References
- ↑ Rob Watts; Jess Zafarris (November 5, 2025). "Where do first names come from?". Words Unravelled (Podcast). YouTube. Event occurs at 0:35. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Costumes, elves, and the one ring: An epic fantasy and sci-fi literary adventure wedding". Offbeat Wed. March 15, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2025. Unknown parameter
|orig-date=ignored (help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 Robert Lee Brewer (January 23, 2020). "Jess Zafarris: Author Spotlight". Writer's Digest. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
- ↑ Kate Tuttle (April 18, 2024). "Word nerd Jess Zafarris documents the darker side of language in 'Words from Hell'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
- ↑ Jess Zafarris (September 10, 2025). "Useless Etymology (the Book!) Hits Shelves Oct. 7". Useless Etymology. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
- ↑ Joe Hernandez (October 22, 2025). "The not-so-spooky origins of 'ghost' — and why the word still haunts our language". NPR. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
- ↑ Emma Dibdin (September 28, 2024). "5 Podcasts for Word Nerds". The New York Times. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
- ↑ Ayana Archie (September 3, 2025). "So um, why do we say 'um' so much?". NPR. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
External links
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