Joy Passanante

College of Letters, Arts & Social Sciences
Department of English
Senior Instructor
Associate Director of Creative Writing

Home Town
St. Louis , Missouri

With UI Since
1977

Office: Brink Hall 203
Phone: 208-885-7128
Email: joy@uidaho.edu
Mailing Address:
English Department - University of Idaho
P.O. Box 441102
Moscow, Idaho 83844-1102

M.A.T., English, emphasis in poetry and teaching poetry, Cornell University, 1971
A.B., English, Washington University (in St. Louis), 1969
Sarah Lawrence College, literature and creative writing, 1965-67

Joy Passanante studied creative writing and literature at Sarah Lawrence College and later at Washington University in St. Louis. After receiving her master’s degree, she taught grades 9 through 12 in upstate New York for three years before joining the UI faculty.

She has taught nearly 20 different courses for the English department, including literature, expository and professional writing, and creative writing in three genres. She is the Associate Director of Creative Writing. Her work at the University of Idaho has also included public relations writing, editing, script writing, and faculty and staff communications training.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

The Art of Absence (stories) Lost Horse Press, 2004
My Mother's Lovers (novel) University of Nevada Press, 2002
Sinning in Italy (poetry) Limberlost Press, 1999

RECENT ESSAYS

“Secrets of the Dream House,” Ascent (Winter 2009): 18-39.
“Winking at Lucky Lindy,” in Borne on Air: Essays by Idaho Writers, ed. Mary Clearman Blew and Phil Druker (Eastern Washington University Press, 2009).
“Visitations,” Shenandoah 57.3 (2007): 6-17.
“Annabel Before the War: Only What I See,” The Georgia Review (Summer 2007): 305-324.
“Using the Retrospective Lens.” Write Now, ed. Sherry Ellis (New York: Tarcher Books, 2006).
“My Red Dress Voice.” Kiss Tomorrow Hello: Notes from the Midlife Underground, ed. Claire Davis and Kim Barnes (New York: Doubleday, 2006): 60-70.

AWARDS & HONORS

Writing awards:

Shenandoah’s Thomas H. Carter Prize
Magazine Association of the Southeast’s Gold Award for Best Profile (for “Annabel Before the War,” published in The Georgia Review)
Special Mention (for “Visitations”) in the 2009 Pushcart Prize anthology
Idaho Humanities Council Research Fellowship
Finalist for Ben Franklin Awards for short fiction
Honorable Mention for Independent Publisher Book Awards
Finalist for ForeWord Magazine Best Literary Fiction (short stories category) Award

Selected teaching awards:

University of Idaho Teaching Excellence Award
Alumni Awards for Teaching Excellence
International Professor of the Year Award, Finalist, Alpha Phi Foundation
Outstanding Faculty Award, UI Interfraternity Council