IVP's women authors are expert practitioners, gifted writers, and leading voices in the most important conversations happening today. On this page, you'll learn more about our women authors and their books. You'll also find articles, videos, and podcasts where you can hear directly from women's voices as they share more about their books and the impact that they are having in the church and the world.
March is when we recognize women authors during Women's History Month. Looking for even more voices to learn from? Discover our authors of color or browse all of IVP's authors. You can also hear from a wide variety of diverse voices on IVP's Every Voice Now podcast.
Elisabeth A. Nesbit Sbanotto (PhD, University of Arkansas) is a consultant, speaker, writer, counselor, and educator. She is assistant professor of counseling at Denver Seminary and the coauthor with Craig Blomberg of Effective Generational Ministry. A licensed professional counselor, she maintains a private practice in Littleton, Colorado.
Trillia J. Newbell is director of community outreach for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. A frequent conference speaker, her writing has appeared in Christianity Today, Desiring God, The Gospel Coalition, and more. Her books include Enjoy, Fear and Faith, United, and God's Very Good Idea. She and her family live near Nashville.
Cherith Fee Nordling (PhD, University of St. Andrews) is
associate professor of theology at Northern Seminary in
Lombard, Illinois. She has also taught at Regent College, Vancouver, as well as Kuyper College, Cornerstone University and Calvin College and Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She is the author of Knowing God by Name.
Carolyn Nystrom, who compiled and edited this devotional, is a freelance writer living in Illinois and has written over seventy books and Bible studies. She is the coauthor (with J. I. Packer) of Praying and Never Beyond Hope.
Hazel Offner worked with students in the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship chapter at the University of Illinois for many years. She has also helped to lead and promote hundreds of Bible study groups in the Champaign-Urbana area.
Kirsten Sonkyo Oh (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is on the faculty of Azusa Pacific University in biblical and religious studies and practical theology.
Janette H. Ok is associate professor of New Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary. She is the author of Constructing Ethnic Identity in 1 Peter (T and T Clark). She is currently writing a commentary on the Letters of John (NICNT, Eerdmans) and To Be and Be Seen, coauthored with Jordan J. Cruz Ryan (Baker Academic).
Abby Olcese is a writer on film, popular culture, and faith. Her work has appeared at Think Christian, Sojourners, Paste, RogerEbert.com, and /Film. She is also the film editor for The Pitch, a website and magazine serving the greater Kansas City, Missouri, area. She lives in Kansas City.
Lindsay Olesberg is the Scripture manager for the Urbana Student Missions Convention. She has overseen the Bible study and exegesis at major evangelical gatherings throughout the world.
Rebecca Florence Osaigbovo is founder and director of Chosen Vessels Ministries, Inc., a nonprofit outreach organization that focuses on leadership training and prison ministry and challenges and inspires women to be agents of change in their families, workplaces and communities. She speaks frequently at churches and conferences. She and her husband live in Detroit, Michigan.
Marcia A. Owen is executive director of the Religious Coalition for a Nonviolent Durham (nonviolentdurham.org), a nonprofit organization actively seeking an end to violence in its community.
Tara M. Owens is senior editor for Conversations Journal. Owens also provides spiritual direction through Anam Cara Ministries and is a part-time instructor for the Benedictine Spiritual Formation Program at Benet Hill Monastery. She lives with her husband, Bryan, and their daughter in Colorado Springs.
Kristen Page (PhD, Purdue University) is Ruth Kraft Strohschein Distinguished Chair and professor of biology at Wheaton College. Her work has appeared in scholarly journals, including The Journal of Wildlife Management, Journal of Parasitology, Journal of Wildlife Diseases, and Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Richella Parham is a writer, speaker, and the author of A Spiritual Formation Primer. She serves as vice-chair on the board of directors at Renovaré, and she is also the worship coordinator at The Gathering Church and a member of the Redbud Writers Guild. Richella lives in Durham, North Carolina, with her husband, Jack.
Jenell Williams Paris (Ph.D., American University) is professor of anthropology at Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania. She has written for such publications as Christianity Today, Books Culture and Christian Scholar's Review. Her books include Birth Control for Christians, Urban Disciples and Introducing Cultural Anthropology: A Christian Perspective.
Flo Paris Oakes is a forming member of the children's band Rain for Roots and has been writing songs for children since 2012. She is the author of a curriculum series for A Rocha called Wild Wonder and the director of children's spiritual formation at St. Mary of Bethany Parish in Nashville, Tennessee.
Taylor Patterson is a licensed professional counselor specializing in trauma, including survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. She has presented at local and national conferences and is published in peer-reviewed journals. She is currently a PhD candidate in Counselor Education and Supervision.
Barbara L. Peacock (DMin, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) is a spiritual director, author, teacher, and preacher. She is the founder of Barbara L. Peacock Ministries, a ministry committed to developing disciples through prayer, spiritual direction, soul care, mentoring, and teaching.
Lucy Peppiatt (PhD, Otago) is the principal of Westminster Theological Centre. Her research interests are Christ and the Spirit, charismatic theology, discipleship, and 1 Corinthians, and her books include Unveiling Paul's Women and Women and Worship in Corinth.
Susan S. Phillips (PhD, University of California, Berkeley) is executive director and professor of sociology and Christianity at New College Berkeley, where she previously served as academic dean. She is a sociologist and trained spiritual director who also serves as supervisor for spiritual directors and consultant for Christian organizations. Drawing insight from the diverse fields of the social sciences, biblical spirituality and practical theology, Phillips has authored books such as the award-winning The Crisis of Care: Affirming and Restoring Caring Practices in the Helping Professions and Candlelight: Illuminating the Art of Spiritual Direction.
In addition to lecturing internationally and leading retreats for churches and organizations, Phillips also teaches at Regent College (Canada), Fuller Theological Seminary and the Diploma in the Art of Spiritual Direction program at San Francisco Theological Seminary. She sits on the editorial boards of Radix and Presence magazines and the journal Reflective Practice. Along with her husband Steve, she has two sons and worships at First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley, where she has served as an elder.
Rebecca Manley Pippert is an internationally known author and speaker who inspires and equips Christians for personal evangelism at conferences and training events around the world. Her books include A Heart for God, Hope Has Its Reasons, Stay Salt, and the Empowered curriculum.
Jennie Poh fell in love with the countryside at a very young age, developing a deep connection to nature and conservation. As an illustrator, she still loves to connect with nature—namely through making her own paintbrushes and textures with leaves, bark, flowers, and anything else she may find while walking outside. She also enjoys using watercolor and inks, which make wonderful splatters and splodges on the page. Jennie lives with her two daughters and a mischievous marmalade cat.
Christine D. Pohl (Ph.D., Emory University) is professor of church in society at Asbury Theological Seminary, Wilmore, Kentucky.
Mary Poplin (Ph.D., University of Texas) is a professor of education at Claremont Graduate University in California, where she has served as director of the teacher education program and dean of the School of Educational Studies.
Poplin conducts research inside urban classrooms and schools that promote both justice and accountability. She teaches courses on pedagogy, history and philosophy of education, as well as Christian principles related to these areas. She is also a frequent speaker at Veritas Forums and for both Protestant and Catholic retreats across the country.
Jenny Booth Potter is a creative producer, storyteller, and co-host of The Next Question, a web series about expanding our imagination for racial justice. She has co-led racial justice trainings across the country for churches and organizations, and is a founding partner of HerSelf Media, an organization that aims to create stories that empower and bring joy to Black women. Jenny and her husband make their home outside of Chicago with their two boys and one wild puppy.
Hear More from Our Women Authors
What good gifts has God given your children? Amy and Rob Dixon, authors of the IVP Kids book "Penny Preaches," help parents and caregivers discern, embrace, and cultivate the vocational giftings of the children in their lives.
In her book "Nobody's Mother," New Testament scholar Sandra Glahn digs deep into evidence about the ancient Greek goddess Artemis of the Ephesians from both biblical and classical sources in order to bring into focus Paul's teaching in 1 Timothy. Read this interview to learn more about her thoughts on scholarship, mentoring, and the role of story in academic writing.