Jenny is a poet and anthologist. Her books include Summer (2003), These Days (2000) and Miss New Zealand: Selected Poems (1997). She co-edited a collection of love poetry My Heart Goes Swimming (1996) and co-edited, with Gregory O’Brien and Mark Williams, An Anthology of New Zealand Poetry in English which won the 1997 Montana NZ Book Award for Poetry. Jenny was the 2002 Meridian Energy Katherine Mansfield Fellow and New Zealand's Te Mata Poet Laureate 2005-2007. The Rocky Shore won the Poetry Category of the 2009 Montana NZ Book Awards. Her new book of poetry is The Hill of Wool (2011).

See also: Jenny Bornholdts New Zealand Book Council profile.