Associate Editor (1970-2014)

Elizabeth Palmberg is the daughter of one science fiction fan and one Presbyterian elder who is federally licensed to dispense medicinal marijuana (although she would like to point out that he, a glaucoma specialist, only prescribes it in the less than .1% of cases in which it works better than eyedrops). She grew up in St. Louis, MO and Miami, FL, with an older and younger sister, both of whom have waist-length hair.

Her long history of meddling with other people's writing began in her first weeks of college; she escalated from editing the papers of hapless friends to editing (as a tutor) the papers of people she didn't even know. Eventually, she went on to doctoral work in English at Cornell University, where the unsuspecting administration allowed her to teach a first-year writing seminar on "Scary Stories of the Nineteenth Century." While at Cornell, she dwelt in Flapdragon House, whose denizens enticed her into the shadowy underworld that is Lindy Hop. After seven years of "gradual school," she gained three letters to add to her name, and went off to teach for a year each at Kenyon College and Scripps College.

Although Victorian British literature is interesting, it turns out that social justice (particularly relating to economic globalization) is even more interesting. Ways in which people imagine economics kept winding their way into all her courses, including "Love Stories of the Nineteenth Century" and "The Clichés From Space: Gender and Science Fiction." In 2002, the Lord smote her upside of the head and instructed her to go seek a career working for a progressive Christian nonprofit.

She's found a home at Sojourners, first as an intern ("editorial assistant"), and now as an assistant editor. She's enthusiastic about (in descending order) Jesus, Sojourners' switch to monthly publication, and bittersweet chocolate.

Elizabeth Palmberg died peacefully in her sleep at her home in Washington, D.C., on the morning of June 23, 2014. Per her wishes, memorial donations in her name may be made to any of the following: Christ House (1717 Columbia Rd NW, Washington, DC 20009); St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church (1525 Newton Street NW, Washington, DC 20010); Sojourners Internship Program (PO Box 70730, Washington, DC 20024-0730) .

Posts By This Author

'Dirty Wars,' 21st-Century Style

by Elizabeth Palmberg 07-01-2003
Latin American churches tackle 'free' trade.

Table Talk

by Elizabeth Palmberg 05-01-2003
A Discussion Guide for May-June 2003 Sojourners

USF: The Common Good

by Elizabeth Palmberg 05-01-2003
Exploring social change on the stage, street, and classroom.

Berea College: 'We Are the Source of Hope'

by Elizabeth Palmberg 05-01-2003
Local culture meets global issues.

Connections

by Elizabeth Palmberg 05-01-2003

To submit a non-commercial notice for "Connections," e-mail manuscripts@ sojo.net (with "Connections" in the subject line), or write to "Connections," Sojourners, 2401 15th St.

Seeing Green

by Elizabeth Palmberg 05-01-2003
Why the penal system isn't colorblind.

Straddling the Border

by Elizabeth Palmberg 03-01-2003

BorderLinks, a binational organization educating people about the realities of the U.S.-Mexico border, has always been good at getting personal without thinking small.

Connections

by Elizabeth Palmberg 03-01-2003

Employment Opportunities

Man Overboard

by Elizabeth Palmberg 03-01-2003

One of the many and fruitful exaggerations in Yann Martel's Life of Pi is the assertion, made by a minor character, that Pi's story will "make you believe in God."

Table Talk

by Elizabeth Palmberg 03-01-2003
A Discussion Guide for March-April 2003 Sojourners

We Didn't Quit

by Elizabeth Palmberg 03-01-2003

Philip Berrigan, 79, the first American Catholic priest jailed for political dissent, according to one biographer, died on December 6, 2002, in Baltimore, Maryland.

Table Talk

by Elizabeth Palmberg 01-01-2003
A Discussion Guide for January-February 2003 Sojourners

Connections

by Elizabeth Palmberg 01-01-2003

Employment Opportunities