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
Taking Action
• Write your members of Congress to demand that they not renew the president's "fast track" authority on trade agreements, which ties Congress's hands by allowing it only to approv
The Saints Go Marching
The 18th and 19th century movement to abolish slavery, with its many Christian leaders, has much to teach us.
Where Credit is Due
Noreena Hertz is an economist whose writing is not only clear - its often lively. Hallelujah!
Web Exclusive: Unedited Archbishop Ndungane interview
Uncut Sojourners interview with Desmond Tutu's successor, South African Archbishop Njonkulu Ndungane.
God Wants You to End Global Poverty
An interview with South Africa's Anglican Archbishop Njonkulu Ndungane on Oprah, AIDS, and how Christians are battling international debt.
Teach a Woman to Fish ...
... And everyone eats.' Why women are key to fighting global poverty.
What's right with this picture?
Under IMF's Thumb
Free People: A Christian Response to Global Economics
One of the big lies of the modern age is that economics is uninteresting. In reality, what is boring is the way economists write (Joseph Stiglitz, the Tom Clancy of economic prose, is the one notable exception). In contrast, no one thinks that, say,
A Passion for Peace
Even as atrocities in western Sudan have drawn the world's focus in recent months, there are signs of hope elsewhere in the nation, which has been ravaged by civil war for three or four decades.
Why the Stakes Are So High for Trade Talks
Don't Trade Away the Farm
Rebuffed (for now) in the global arena, the U.S. will pursue a divide-and-conquer strategy.