Diana Parsell "Eliza Scidmore: The Trailblazing Journalist Behind Washington’s Cherry Trees"

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, Diana Parsell chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about her choices while crafting Eliza Scidmore: The Trailblazing Journalist Behind Washington’s Cherry Trees.

Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode:

• Diana Parsell reveals how a reprinted travelogue led her to the forgotten story of Eliza Scidmore, a pioneering woman behind Washington’s iconic cherry trees.
• Diana discusses Scidmore’s remarkable career as a travel writer, journalist, and early National Geographic board member.
• Parsell reflects on the narrative power of her prologue, “A Grave in Yokohama,” and the decisions behind her book’s compelling structure.
• She describes the challenges of researching a 19th-century woman whose archives were scattered, incomplete or inaccessible.
• How Eliza’s personality, passions and persistence drove the plot of her biography.
• How thematic timelines and scene-building created a vivid, cinematic portrayal of Scidmore’s global travels.
• The literary techniques and authorial choices that shaped the biography’s immersive style and emotional depth.
• Advice to first-time biographers about the balance between historical truth, narrative craft and ethical storytelling.