Elena Passarello is an American writer, actor, and professor. In 2018, she became the announcer for the PRX variety show and podcast '' Live Wire'' with Luke Burbank.

Career

Originally from

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

, Passarello studied nonfiction at the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

and The Nonfiction Writing Program at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

. Her essays have been published in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', '' Virginia Quarterly Review'', Audubon and ''

Oxford American The ''Oxford American'' is a quarterly magazine that focuses on the American South. First publication The magazine was founded in late 1989 in Oxford, Mississippi, by Marc Smirnoff (born July 11, 1963). The name "Oxford American" is a play on ' ...

.'' She is the recipient of a 2015 Whiting Award in nonfiction. Her first essay collection, ''Let Me Clear My Throat'', was published by

Sarabande The sarabande (from ) is a dance in triple metre, or the music written for such a dance. History The Sarabande evolved from a Spanish dance with Arab influences, danced by a lively double line of couples with castanets. A dance called ''zara ...

in 2012 and received the gold medal for nonfiction at the 2013

Independent Publisher Book Awards The Independent Publisher Book Awards, also styled as the IPPY Awards, are a set of annual literary awards for independently published books. They are the longest-running unaffiliated contest open exclusively to independent presses. The IPPY Aw ...

. Passarello's second collection, ''Animals Strike Curious Poses'' (Sarabande 2017), is a bestiary of famous animals. The book received favorable reviews from ''The New York Times'', ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'', ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is ...

'', and ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

''. It was listed as a New York Times Notable Book of 2017 and in ''The Guardian'' and Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 2017. In May 2018, it received the Oregon Book Award. The book has been translated into German, Italian, Dutch, and Chinese. Her essays have also appeared in several anthologies, including '' The Best American Science and Nature Writing'', ''Pop When the World Falls Apart'', "Dear McSweeney's", ''Cat is Art Spelled Wrong'', and ''Little Boxes: Twelve Writers on Television''. She co-edits the In Place Reading Series for West Virginia University Press and edits nonfiction for ''Iron Horse Literary Review'' at

Texas Tech University Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public university, public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship instit ...

. Passarello also has credits as a performer, having originated roles in plays by David Turkel (''Wild Signs'', ''Holler'') and

Christopher Durang Christopher Ferdinand Durang (January 2, 1949 – April 2, 2024) was an American playwright known for works of outrageous and often absurd comedy. His work was especially popular in the 1980s, though his career seemed to get a second wind in th ...

('' Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge''), as well as several voice-over credits. Passarello was the first woman to win the Stella Screaming Contest in New Orleans in 2011. She is currently an Associate Professor of Creative Writing in the MFA program at

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and a variety of graduate and doctor ...

Corvallis, Oregon Corvallis ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Benton County, Oregon, Benton County in central western Oregon, United States. It is the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton Co ...

Awards

* 2018 Oregon Book Award Winner * 2015 Whiting Award Winner * 2014 Oregon Book Award finalist * 2013 Gold Medal for Nonfiction,

* 2011 Fellowship, Macdowell Colony * 2010 Fellowship, Hambidge Center

Bibliography

* *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Passarello, Elena Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Writers from Charleston, South Carolina American women essayists 21st-century American essayists Oregon State University faculty University of Pittsburgh alumni University of Iowa alumni 21st-century American women writers American women academics