Diana Parsell

After many years as a journalist and science writer, I’m now a debut biographer as the author of Eliza Scidmore: The Trailblazing Journalist Behind Washington’s Cherry Trees. The book has been featured by NBC’s “Today Show” and many other media, and I’ve lectured on the subject at venues as far away as Alaska and Japan.

Grounded in extensive archival research, the book brings to light the long-overlooked story of an extraordinary American woman whose reporting from Alaska to Asia carved new paths to global tourism in the late 19th century and gave Washington its now-iconic flowering cherry trees. The book received prizes from Biographers International and the Society of Midland Authors, along with support from a Mayborn Fellowship in Biography.

Before my swerve into book-writing I held a range of editorial positions at places including National Geographic, The Washington Post, NIH and AAAS, while also contributing to outlets such as Smithsonian, Humanities, The Chronicle of Higher Education and the Washington Independent Review of Books. For a decade I traveled on and off to Southeast Asia as a writer and editorial consultant for several international research centers.

Recognition and honors for my work over the years has included fellowships from Rotary International and the National Association of Science Writers, and a residency at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.

My husband Bruce and I live in Falls Church, Va. Happily, it’s only a subway ride away from the Library of Congress, where I did much of the research for my book and volunteered for many years as a docent for public tours.

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SHORT FORM BIO, FOR SPEAKER INTRODUCTIONS:

Diana Parsell is a former journalist and the author of Eliza Scidmore: The Trailblazing Journalist Behind Washington’s Cherry Trees. The book was featured on NBC’s “Today Show” and won prizes from Biographers International and the Society of Midland Authors. Previously Diana worked for many publications, including National Geographic and The Washington Post, and for several major science organizations in Washington and Southeast Asia. She lives with her husband in Falls Church, Va., which offers easy Metro access to her “happy place” at the Library of Congress.

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Read an Author Q&A with Diana about her book