CCU’s ‘Words to Say It’ presents nonfiction writer Elena Passarello
Passarello is an award-winning writer and actor from Charleston, S.C. She studied nonfiction at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Iowa. She has performed in several regional theaters in the East and Midwest, originating roles in the premieres of Christopher Durang's "Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge" and David Turkel's "Wild Signs and Holler."
In 2011 she became the first female winner of the annual "Stella! Shout Out" screaming contest in New Orleans.
Passarello is a recipient of the 2015 Whiting Award in nonfiction. Her first essay collection, "Let Me Clear My Throat," won the gold medal at the 2013 Independent Publisher Awards, and she was a finalist for the 2014 Oregon Book Award. Passarello's latest collection is called "Animals Strike Curious Poses" and will be published this year. Her essays have been published in the Oxford American, Slate, Creative Nonfiction and The Iowa Review.
Passarello currently serves on the board of the NonfictionNow Conference, co-edits the West Virginia University Press' "In Place" series and is a nonfiction editor of the Iron Horse Review. She resides in Corvalis, Ore., and teaches at Oregon State University.
"The Words to Say It" is CCU's visiting writers series, that brings several critically acclaimed authors to campus each year for public presentations of readings. These authors are selected for their literary skill and their commitment to the socially transformative imagination. Previous participants have included Sonya Huber, biographer of Hillary Clinton, and poet Jonathan Fink.
The Johnson Auditorium is in Room 116 of the E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration at 119 Chanticleer Drive E. on the Conway campus. For more information, contact Jason Ockert, English professor and coordinator of creative writing, at 843-349-2531 or email jockert@coastal.edu.