We will greatly miss Professor Suzanne Paola’s presence here in the English Department. A woman of many talents, she writes in a wide range of forms—poetry, creative nonfiction, fiction, and hybrid work—and her work has been internationally recognized for its originality, merit, and impact, especially in the field of disability literature. Her latest book, The Terrible Unlikelihood of our Being Here, interweaves explorations of spiritualism, mental illness, and physics with what one reviewer dubbed “her deeply, stylistically recognizable authorial voice, replete with iconoclastic brilliance and compassion.” Her other books include the “kinetic” novel Entangled Objects: A Novel in Quantum Parts; Make Me a Mother: A Memoir; and A Mind Apart: Travels in A Neurodiverse World. She has had her short-form work appear in media such as the Huffington Post, Ms., the New York Times, The Hill, and many other others. Her scholarship received Western’s coveted Paul J. Olscamp Research Award, a recognition of a Western faculty member’s “impressive record of achievement in scholarship and research during their time at Western.”
Professor Paola also co-wrote, with colleague Brenda Miller, the iconic textbook Tell it Slant: Creating, Refining, and Publishing Creative Nonfiction. The first textbook in the field (in 2002) to combine readings, instructions, and writing exercises, Tell it Slant has now become the foundational instructional text in creative nonfiction. Her passion for creative writing pedagogy shines through this book as well as in the courses she taught. A popular teacher known for her facilitation of deep discussions, exciting writing assignments, and keen feedback on student work, Professor Paola taught a wide range of courses, from introductory creative writing classes to graduate seminars on topics such as “The Prosody of Prose,” as well as many literature courses, such as Women and Literature.
A beloved teacher for over 26 years at Western, she mentored hundreds of students to success in their writing and careers. She also transformed the Bellingham Review under her editorship, widening its scope to include international work and the voices of marginalized communities. She also contributed in so many ways behind the scenes, serving on innumerable department and university committees, providing astute leadership and unwavering support for her colleagues. She cannot be replaced, and we wish her all the best in her future chapters!
