Animals Strike Curious Poses (Cover image via Sarabande Books)
5. Elena Passarello
Nature often inspires a sense of awe in its human observers. We stand in front of a mountain or next to a river and feel simultaneously small and massive, both deeply connected to something ancient and helplessly lost in front of it all. So, it’s easy to feel solemn or even melancholy when writing about nature. But, there is a significant amount of humor and wit to be found there, too.
Elena Passarello certainly isn’t afraid to be playful. Her 2017 essay collection, Animals Strike Curious Poses, is both insightful and fun. Essentially, it is a kind of modern bestiary, a collection of tales that each focus on one famous animal. And, yes, the title is inspired by a line from Prince’s 1984 song, “When Doves Cry.” See? There’s no reason you can’t have fun with nature.
We might need some of that levity when it comes to exploring the complicated relationship between humans and animals. Often, that relationship is predicated on the fact that humans routinely use animals for their own selfish purposes, if they don’t just eat the beast outright.
In Animals Strike Curious Poses, Passarello presents a timeline of murderous elephants in America that is both funny and concerning. Strange, isn’t it, how elephant crimes were linked to the rise in electricity (thanks, Thomas Edison — sort of) and changing attitudes surrounding capital punishment.
Passarello hasn’t just written a single book, however. Besides being a published author of multiple volumes and essays, she’s also an actor. Passarello has both worked on stage and done voice-over acting. Currently, she’s also an assistant professor of English and creative writing at Oregon State University.