Elana Michelson is a native New Yorker now living in the Hudson Valley, where she writes, reads, and gardens, and she obsesses with her wife, Penny, about the voracious groundhogs and volunteers with local social justice organizations. After thirty-five years as a professor, she has put down a beloved career of academic writing (and student papers) in favor of writing murder mysteries. She earned a PhD in English from Columbia University, but she gained her knowledge of the life and times of Part of the Solution by … well, having been there.
As Elana says, the challenge of falling in love with a woman for the first time in one’s 40s is that one is likely to end up married to somebody’s mother- Charlie and Sophie’s mother, in this case. Elana’s beloved stepchildren now have children of their own, and she is learning her way around grandparenting. There were stories, playdates, and meltdowns that she missed the first time around. Her wife, Penny, is a photographer, author, and educator currently working in environmental activism.
Elana was lucky enough to be born into a family of social activists, one of a long line of proudly Jewish fighters for peace and justice. Hers was a home in which “Let my people go,” most memorably sung. by the great Paul Robeson, was both a political and a religious imperative. She grew up in the civil rights and peace movements, claimed feminism as a birthright, and has, in recent years, worked hard as an advocate for immigrants. Elana sees a deep connection between her family background and the work she currently does. “My grandfather,” she says, “was met at Ellis Island by what was then called the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. I can never go back and repay the people who helped Grandpa Saul make his way in a new country. I can only pay it forward. HIAS now says, `We used to help refugees because they were Jewish; now we help refugees because we are Jewish.’ I know exactly what they mean.”
Elana studied the Victorian novel and medieval literature in graduate school, but her initial job at Empire State College, State University of New York, was to help adult college students translate their experiential learning into college credits. What first seemed like an important but largely practical leg up for busy adults soon became a fascinating question of theories of knowledge and politics. Who judges whose knowledge? On what basis? In whose interest? At whose expense? Elana went on to become an internationally recognized author and speaker on the importance of recognizing the knowledge of people whose know-how was undervalued—women, workers, people of color, and people of the Global South. Her work as a workshop leader and consultant brought her to the UK, the Middle East, and, most importantly, South Africa, where the recognition of the skills of Black workers denied formal education under apartheid was central to the creation of a new democracy. But Elana’s love of medieval literature never left her. In her award-winning Gender, Experience, and Knowledge: Alisoun’s Daughters, she brought Chaucer’s Wife of Bath into dialogue with 20th and 21st-century theories of knowledge and power.
As a professor, Elana was expected to be the expert in the room. Her love of ceramics stems in part from not having to be the expert. Ceramics has become a vital source of play and delight where she doesn’t have to take herself—or her work—seriously. The figures she creates combine ceramic forms with found objects. They take shape as wonky self-portraits, queens from the playing card and Tarot decks, and other, largely female figures with attitude and eccentricity to spare.
Elana believes that independent bookstores are fundamental to a healthy democracy. Please order your copy of Part of the Solution from your local independent bookstore or the publisher.
Join Elana Michelson at exclusive book signings, readings, and interactive sessions. Connect with the author and explore the world of PART OF THE SOLUTION in person or online.
June, 2025
Book Launch Celebration: PART OF THE SOLUTION
We can’t wait to dive into PART OF THE SOLUTION! The intriguing premise and Elana’s unique voice have me eagerly awaiting its release.
Get behind-the-scenes insights, updates, and personal stories from Elana Michelson as she prepares for the release of Part of the Solution
Part of the Solution has been a labor of love—months of writing and countless revisions. But before this mystery novel took form, there were many personal stories, experiences, and inspirations
