Janet Ruth Young's novels about teens dealing with mental illness have received honors from PEN New England, Indie Bound, Borders, the New York Public Library, the American Library Association, and the Canadian Mental Health Association. Her book Things I Shouldn't Think, inspired by her own experience with harm OCD, received a starred review in Publishers Weekly.

An advocate for people with mental illness, Janet has presented talks and workshops to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, the local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and many schools, churches, bookstores, and libraries.

Janet was a co-editor of the literary magazine stet and a founder of Writers' Circle, the writing workshop at the Cambridge Women's Center. She is also a freelance editor and writing coach, specializing in helping would-be authors complete their unfinished projects. Janet lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts, with her husband, the folksinger Tony Hilliard.