Priscilla Gilman

Priscilla Gilman is the author of The Anti-Romantic Child: A Memoir of Unexpected Joy (Harper), a beautiful exploration of one woman’s expectations and hopes for her children, her family, and herself, and of the ways in which we are all capable of reimagining our lives and finding joy in the most unexpected circumstances. The Anti-Romantic Child was one of five nominees for a Books for a Better Life Award for Best First Book. It was an NPR Morning Edition Must-Read, Slate‘s Book of the Week, selected as one the Best Books of 2011 by the Leonard Lopate Show, and chosen as a Best Book of 2011 by The Chicago Tribune. The Anti-Romantic Child was excerpted in Newsweek magazine and featured on the cover of its international edition in April 2011.Priscilla grew up in New York City and graduated from Yale summa cum laude and phi beta kappa, with exceptional distinction in the English major. She went on to earn her masters and Ph.D. in English and American literature at Yale, and spent two years as an assistant professor of English at Yale and four years as an assistant professor of English at Vassar College before leaving academia in 2006. From 2006-2011, she worked as a literary agent at Janklow & Nesbit Associates, representing a wide range of literary fiction, inspirational memoir, wellness, and psychology/education books. During these years, she also taught poetry appreciation to inmates in a restorative justice program and to New York City public school students, and spoke at numerous early childhood and education conferences and events.Gilman writes regularly for publications including the Daily Beast, the New York Times, and the Huffington Post. A prize-winning teacher and with a background in the performing arts, Gilman is a captivating speaker whose warmth, dynamism, and accessibility make her highly sought-after by diverse audiences. She speaks frequently at schools, conferences, and organizations about parenting, education, and the arts, and is a Scholar/Facilitator for the New York Council for the Humanities. She lives in New York City with her family, which now includes her new husband and step-daughter.