Christa Parravani

Christa Parravani is an author and assistant professor in creative non-fiction at West Virginia University.[1] Her first book focuses on the death of her twin sister, Cara.[2] Her second memoir revolves around the limited reproductive options in West Virginia and the flaws in the healthcare system in the state.[3]

Christa Parravani
BornAlbany, New York, U.S.
OccupationWriter, Professor, Photographer
Alma materColumbia University and Rutgers
Period2013–present
GenreMemoir
Notable worksHer: A Memoir (2013) and "Loved and Wanted: A Memoir of Choice, Children, and Womanhood" (2020)
SpouseAnthony Swofford
Website
www.christaparravani.com

Life

Parravani taught at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Greenfield Community College, Westfield State University and Keene State University in Keene, New Hampshire.[4]

Parravani received her Bachelor's Degree from Bard College in 1999, graduating with a focus on literature and photography.[4] She would go on to receive her first MFA in Visual Arts in 2003 from Columbia University. She received her second MFA in Creative Writing from Rutgers University in 2011.[5]

She is married to Anthony Swofford.[6]

Writing

Her first memoir Her was published in 2013.[2][7] Her second memoir Loved and Wanted: A Memoir of Choice, Children, and Womanhood was published by Henry Holt & Company in October 2020.[3][6]

Parravani has appeared in Guernica[7], Catapult, Vogue[8], The Millions[9], Salon[10], The Rumpus, The Daily Beast,[11] The Washington Post,[12] and The Los Angeles Times.[13] She has appeared on NPR[14] and PBS.[15]

Publications

Her: A Memoir. Henry Holt, 2013.

Parravani's first memoir. The book details Parravani's childhood and adolescence with her twin sister Cara. The two were raised by a single mother and managed to work their way into a prestigious liberal arts college. The two entered adulthood as artists and married young. However, Cara died in 2006 after experiencing sexual violence and a subsequent struggle with drug abuse. The memoir follows Parravani in her attempt to heal from the loss of her twin sister.[16]

Loved and Wanted: A Memoir of Choice, Children, and Womanhood. USA: Henry Holt, 2020. UK: Bonnier, 2020.

Parravani's second memoir, focusing on the difficulty of reproductive choice in America. Living and working in Morgantown, West Virginia, Parravani discovered she was pregnant with her third child. Parravani attempted to receive an abortion in West Virginia, but was waylaid by nurses and doctors. When she realized she would need to look outside of the state for reproductive care, it was too late to receive an abortion. Parravani delivered the child, a son named Keats. The rest of the memoir details the limited and inadequate healthcare in the state and the environmental risks that threatened all her children.

Awards
  • Residency Fellowship, Corporation of Yaddo
  • Residency Fellowship, Dora Maar House, Brown Fellows Foundation
  • Residency Fellowship, MacDowell
  • Amazon Spotlight Debut of the month, March 2013
  • Indiebound Next Pick, March 2013
  • Salon Best book of 2013
  • Wall Street Journal best book of 2013
  • Library Journal best book of 2013
  • An Oprah, People, and NPR must read book of 2013
  • Huffington Post best book of the last 5 years for women, 2015
  • Finalist for Books for a Better Life Award, 2013
  • Residency Fellowship, Byrdcliffe Center for the Arts
  • Mortimer Frank Travel Fellowship, Columbia University

Photography

Parravani completed a MFA in photography from Rutgers University and is represented by Foley Gallery in New York.[2]

References
  1. "Christa Parravani". wvu.edu. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  2. "Her by Christa Parravani". The Rumpus. 25 July 2013. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  3. "Loved and Wanted: A Memoir of Choice, Children and Womanhood". publishersweekly.com. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  4. PFARRER, Steve. "Former UMass teacher Christa Parravani pens memoir about tortured ties with late twin". Amherst Bulletin. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  5. "Christa Parravani | Authors". Macmillan. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  6. Sandler, Lauren (10 November 2020). "Unexpectedly Pregnant, a Memoirist Finds Her Choices Limited". The New York Times. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  7. "Her: A Memoir by Christa Parravani". The Washington Post. 31 May 2013.
  8. "Married with Two Kids, and Seeking an Abortion in West Virginia". Vogue. 2020-10-28. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  9. "The Millions: Her: A Memoir by Christa Parravani". Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  10. "Christa Parravani's Articles at Salon.com". www.salon.com. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  11. Swofford, Anthony (2013-03-07). "Without Her Twin: Christa Parravani's Debut Memoir". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  12. Parravani, Christa (2013-03-28). "In my twin sister's rape, there were many victims". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  13. Parravani, Christa (2022-07-13). "Op-Ed: I wanted to end my pregnancy. But antiabortion policies filled me with self-doubt". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  14. "A Twin Carries On Alone In 'Her: A Memoir'". NPR.org. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  15. Christa Parravani, Her | Well Read, retrieved 2023-04-01
  16. "Her". Macmillan. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
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