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Susanne Antonetta

スザンヌ・アントネッタ

Susanne Antonetta

Aliases: Suzanne Paola
Pen Names: Susanne Antonetta（Pen name used for published creative work）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1956-09-29 （Georgia, United States）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
New Jersey Pine Barrens (raised) → Washington (state), United States (residence)

Career

Occupations
poet, author, editor
Active Years
1986-
Affiliations
Editor-in-Chief, Bellingham Review

Awards

Best American Essays - Notable Essay
1998
Work: "Elizabeth"
Organization: Best American Essays (anthology)
Result: Notable Essay
Brittingham Prize in Poetry
1998
Work: Bardo
Organization: University of Wisconsin Press
Result: Winner
New York Times - Notable Book
2001
Work: Body Toxic: An Environmental Memoir
Organization: The New York Times
Result: Notable Book
Spirituality & Health - Best Book of the Year
2001
Work: Body Toxic: An Environmental Memoir
Organization: Spirituality & Health
Result: Best Book of the Year
Library Journal - Ten Best Science Books of the Year
2001
Work: Body Toxic: An Environmental Memoir
Organization: Library Journal
Result: Selected as one of Ten Best Science Books
American Book Award
2001
Work: Body Toxic: An Environmental Memoir
Organization: Before Columbus Foundation
Result: Winner
NAMI / Ken Johnson Award
2006
Work: A Mind Apart
Organization: NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness)
Result: Winner
Pushcart Prize
2012
Work: Hosts
Organization: Pushcart Press
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Body Toxic: An Environmental Memoir

2001 memoir / environmental literature

A memoir linking the author's childhood in polluted New Jersey to her health problems, weaving family history with accounts of industrial and nuclear contamination.

environmental contaminationbody and healthfamily historymemory
Translations
  • Korean translation (Yeesaw Publishers, 2005)

The Lives of the Saints

2002 poetry

A poetry collection exploring spirituality, relationships, and personal experience through images of saints and everyday events.

spiritualitymemoryrelationships

Bardo

1998 poetry

A poetry collection themed around transitions between life and death. Winner of the Brittingham Prize in Poetry.

death and rebirthliminalityspirituality

Glass

1995 poetry

A poetry collection using motifs of transparency and fragility.

fragilityobservationpersonal memory

Petitioner

1986 poetry

An early poetry collection addressing social and personal themes.

personal historysocial observation

A Mind Apart: Travels in a Neurodiverse World

2005 nonfiction / mental health & neurodiversity

A book of travels and reflections on neurodiversity and mental health. Recipient of the NAMI/Ken Johnson Award.

neurodiversitymental healthindividual and society

Make Me a Mother

2014 creative nonfiction

A creative nonfiction work about motherhood, birth, and family formation.

motherhoodfamilyembodied experience

Tell It Slant: Writing & Shaping Creative Nonfiction (coauthored)

2003 textbook / creative nonfiction craft

A practical textbook on writing, revising, and publishing creative nonfiction, coauthored with Brenda Miller.

craftrevisionpublishing

Bibliography

  • Petitioner (poetry, 1986)
  • Glass (poetry, 1995)
  • Bardo (poetry, 1998)
  • Body Toxic: An Environmental Memoir (memoir, 2001)
  • The Lives of the Saints (poetry, 2002)
  • A Mind Apart: Travels in a Neurodiverse World (nonfiction, 2005)
  • Make Me a Mother (creative nonfiction, 2014)
  • Tell It Slant: Writing & Shaping Creative Nonfiction (coauthored, 2003/2004/2012)

Translations of Works

  • Body Toxic (Korean translation, Yeesaw Publishers, 2005)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
lyrical prosenarratives that blend personal memoir and researchenvironment-focused nonfiction
Recurring Motifs
pollution and environmentillness and the bodyfamily and local historymemory and identity

Health

  • cardiac arrhythmia
    Mentioned in her writing as a health consequence linked to childhood environmental contamination.
  • seizures
    Reported recurrent seizures affecting life and work, discussed in her memoir.
  • severe allergies
    Listed as one of the health issues attributed to environmental factors.
  • infertility (including miscarriage, quadruplet pregnancy)
    Discusses multiple pregnancies and miscarriages and reproductive issues in her memoir.
  • endometriosis
    Described as a chronic health problem affecting daily life.
  • thyroid tumors
    Reported multiple tumors requiring surgery or treatment.
  • bipolar disorder (manic-depression)
    Discusses psychiatric treatment and psychotropic medications; impacted her creative work.

Legacy

Susanne Antonetta (born Suzanne Paola) gained wide recognition for her environmental memoir Body Toxic and has won multiple awards for her poetry. Her work has contributed to public discussion on environmental contamination and mental health, and she has coauthored textbooks on creative nonfiction.

Quotes

  • "The author recounts how she was shaped by a girlhood that was, quite literally, toxic."
    Source: Review by Michael Pollan, The New York Times (2001) (2001)

Trivia

  • Susanne Antonetta is a pen name; her legal name is Suzanne Paola.
  • Body Toxic was named a New York Times Notable Book in 2001.
  • Her poetry collection Bardo won the Brittingham Prize in Poetry.
  • She has served as Editor-in-Chief of the Bellingham Review.