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Jessica Barnard

Jessica Barnard

Jessica Barnard has lived in Belmont since 2010 with her husband and two children. She is an administrator at Harvard University, a writer, and a Town Meeting member. Her website is jessicaclembarnard.com.

Generations: Finding Confidence in the Face of Aging

January 29, 2026
“What are your concerns about your face?” I’m in Katie O’Brien’s brightly lit office at Renascence Aesthetic Dermatology on Belmont Street. Katie is down-to-earth and welcoming, but I still feel nervous and exposed. I have a lot of concerns about my face,…

Generations: Have Yourself a Messy Little Christmas

December 19, 2025
I categorize past Christmases by their last-minute disasters. There was the one where we all had COVID. The one where it was just me who had COVID. There was the year I could only find the Star Wars cookie cutters, so we…

Generations: What Mom Wants V. What Mom Needs

November 3, 2025
When you’re a mom, it feels natural to put others’ needs first. Of course, you get up every two hours to feed the baby, even though you’re deliriously tired. Naturally, this segues into letting the hungry toddler eat your snack and letting…

Generations: Living to Work or Working to Live

October 2, 2025
This November marks my 20-year anniversary at work. I’m not really sure how this happened. I started out as a part-time employee with a baby at home, and here I am, still doing the same tasks in university administration. Sure, I make…

Generations: Turning Over a New Leaf

June 28, 2025
I want to be a gardener, the type of person who knows the names of plants and can tell if the soil is acidic. Every spring, I start out with high hopes, but by July, I’m fed up and ready to turn…

Generations: Let Them Eat Popcorn!

May 12, 2025
Family dinner. As parents, we were told it was the solution to everything. Our kids required it to grow up well-adjusted and become adventurous eaters. Meaningful conversation would flow freely as we cemented close and lasting bonds over Brussels sprouts and sushi.…

Generations: Learning to Eat the Whole Banana

March 24, 2025
I’m 11 years old, eavesdropping on my mom and my aunt from the backseat. Sometimes, they forget I’m there and say something exciting. Now, though, they’re talking about diets — SlimFast, cabbage soup, the time my aunt ate only carrots until her…

Generations: Writing My Own Happy Ending

February 3, 2025
As I write this, I’m a week away from seeing my first novel, “April in Paris in June,” in print. I’ll come right out and say it’s a romance. I’m proud of the book, but I also know that people make fun…
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