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Welcome to my site. I have an alter ego named Susanne Antonetta, who writes most of my prose. If you are looking for S.A.'s work, click on the Prose link. Check out Poetry too, written under my legal name of Suzanne Paola-S.A. does get a swelled head sometimes.
I have published two books of nonfiction, A Mind Apart: Travels in a Neurodiverse World and Body Toxic, and four books of poetry, most recently The Lives of the Saints. My work encompasses the environment, mental health and diversity, spirituality, the sciences,parenting and other subjects. Grants and awards include a New York Times Notable Book, an American Book Award, Oprah's Bookshelf review, Ken Johnson/Nami award for furthering understanding of mental difference, best book of the year listings by Spirituality and Health, Science and Spirit, amazon.com, and Library Journal, a Pushcart, a finalist for poetry's Lenore Marshall Award, and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and other agencies. I also coauthored the nonfiction writing handbook and textbook Tell It Slant with Brenda Miller. The second edition, Tell It Slant: Creating, Refining and Publishing Creative Nonfiction, was published in March of 2012. This new edition includes the text and writing prompts of the first edition, along with new sections on hypertext, blogging, multimedia, a step-by-step guide to publishing both individual essays and books, and much much more. A book website that contains essays, sample syllabi and other materials can be found Here.
I am currently putting the final revisions on a new book on the subject of adoption, Inventing Family, forthcoming from W.W. Norton. I have also published many individual poems, essays and book reviews, as well as anthology pieces, some listed on this website. Some are listed under the link Recent and Forthcoming. Essays and other talks/interviews of mine on the web are available under Links.
I am deeply involved with VIDA, the feminist, grassroots organization representing women in the literary arts. I serve as chair of the Genre Action Committee for nonfiction and co-chair of all the genre action committees. I love to talk about VIDA--write me if you'd like to hear more.
I do many readings, short-term visiting writer stints, and teach at many writer's conferences and festivals. I speak on issues of the environment, adoptive parenting, neurodiversity/disability (a word I always have in air quotes) and have keynoted literary conferences and disabilities and the arts conferences. I also teach environmental and research-based writing courses. If you are interested in reaching me about a visit use the Contact link.
My literary agent is Jill Grinberg; for questions relating to literary representation she can be reached at jill@grinbergliterary.com.
People ask what you do when you're not writing. Are you ever not writing? When my fingers aren't on the keys, they tend to work in the garden, pet our cats and our dog Meeko, or to get some squeezes from my husband and son. I also really love to cook. It's the perfect antidote to the writing life-immediate gratification. You put something nice on the table. No one's mad at you. Everyone loves you.