Rachel Snyder Professor Literature
- Degrees
- MFA, Creative Writing, Emerson College
BA English/History, North Central College - Languages Spoken
- English, some Spanish
- Favorite Spot on Campus
- I'll never tell!
- Bio
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Rachel Louise Snyder is the author of the nonfiction books Fugitive Denim: A Moving Story of People and Pants in the Borderless World of Global Trade and No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us, as well as the novel What We’ve Lost is Nothing. No Visible Bruises won the J. Anthony Lukas Work in Progress Award, and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, Silver Gavel Award, Kirkus Award, LA Times Book Award in general nonfiction, and New York Public Library’s Helen Bernstein Award for Excellence in Journalism. It was also named one of the New York Times “Top Ten” books of 2019.
Snyder’s work has appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, the Atlantic, the Washington Post, the New Republic, Redbook, the LA Times, and many others. She holds an MFA in fiction from Emerson College and is one of the country's foremost experts on intimate partner and family violence. A former correspondent for public radio, she has contributed to the shows “This American Life” for which she won an Overseas Press Award, “Marketplace” and “All Things Considered.” Originally from Chicago, she has traveled to more than 55 countries and lived in both London and Phnom Penh, before settling in Washington, DC, where she holds a joint appointment as an Associate Professor of Creative Writing and Journalism at American University.
- See Also
- Prof Snyder's site: www.rachellouisesnyder.com
- Literature Department
- For the Media
- To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.
Teaching
Spring 2024
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LIT-704 Adv Creative Nonfiction Wrkshp
Fall 2024
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LIT-704 Adv Creative Nonfiction Wrkshp
Scholarly, Creative & Professional Activities
Selected Publications
- New York Times Magazine
- National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered
- Public Radio International’s “This American Life”
- American Public Media’s “Marketplace”
- New Republic
- Redbook
- Men’s Journal
- Glamour
- Chicago Tribune
Media Appearances
- Marketplace
- The World
- This American Life
- Chicago Magazine
- Chicago Public Radio
- Los Angeles Times
- Chicago Tribune
- Bloomberg News
- Christian Science Monitor
- Publisher’s Weekly
Honors, Awards, and Fellowships
- Lowell Thomas Award, Overseas Press Club, Best Interpretation of International Affairs
- Society for Professional Journalists, General Excellence
AU Experts
Area of Expertise
Creative writing, literary journalism, culture of globalization
Additional Information
Snyder is an author, journalist, and public radio contributor. Her first book, Fugitive Denim: A Moving Story of People and Pants in the Borderless World of Global Trade, was published by W. W. Norton and came out in paperback in April 2009. The Library Journal called it one of the “best business books” of the year. An excerpt of the book, which ran on the radio show "This American Life," won an overseas press award. Her second book, a novel set in Oak Park, Illinois, What We’ve Lost is Nothing, published in January 2014. Her work has also appeared in numerous magazines and on national public radio. Before settling in Washington, D.C., she lived in London and Cambodia. Snyder is the host of NPR's Latitudes, a radio program that explores innovative solutions to global issues.
For the Media
To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.