Bio
Photo by Suz Redfearn
Diana Parsell is a journalist, author and public speaker in the Washington, D.C., area. Her journalism and other nonfiction writing has focused heavily on education, medical research, history, cultural topics and women’s lives.
In a 40-year editorial career she worked for a wide range of publications, websites and nonprofits, including National Geographic, The Washington Post and several science organizations in Washington and Southeast Asia.
Living and working in Indonesia led to her first book, through an 1897 travelogue on Java. Diana’s authoritative biography of its little-known author, Eliza Scidmore: The Trailblazing Journalist Behind Washington’s Cherry Trees, was published in 2023 by Oxford University Press. The book was featured by NBC’s “Today Show and The Wall Street Journal, as well as many podcasts and other media in the U.S. and Japan. Diana’s received prizes for the book from Biographers International and the Society of Midland Authors.
In an outgrowth of her book research, Diana shares her love of the Library of Congress with the public as a volunteer docent. She lives with her husband in Falls Church, Va.
See a sample of Diana’s articles and other writing.
Read an Author Q&A with Diana about her new book
(for Oxford University Press, use code AAFLYG6 for 30% discount)