Michelle Slatalla is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

and

humorist A humorist (American) or humourist (British spelling) is an intellectual who uses humor, or wit, in writing or public speaking, but is not an artist who seeks only to elicit laughs. Humorists are distinct from comedians, who are show business e ...

. Currently, she writes a monthly column for the ''

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'' about

interior design Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. An interior designer is someone who plans, researches, coordina ...

. Previously, she was a columnist for ''

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'', ''

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'' magazine, ''

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'', and a reporter for ''

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''. In 2012 she created the outdoor design

blog A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order ...

Gardenista Gardenista is an outdoor spaces and garden design website operated by Remodelista LLC. It was founded in 2011 by Julie Carlson and Michelle Slatalla initially as a section of Remodelista, and then as a separate entity in 2012. The company is based ...

, and was the

editor in chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of the site for seven years. She has written several books, including ''Gardenista: The Definitive Guide to Stylish Outdoor Spaces'' and ''The Town on Beaver Creek: The Story of a Lost Kentucky Community''. Slatalla launched Gardenista in 2012 as an offshoot of the remodeling blog

Remodelista Remodelista is an interior design and lifestyle website operated by Remodelista LLC. It was founded in 2007 by the current editor-in-chief Julie Carlson along with Francesca Connolly, Janet Hall, and Sarah Lonsdale. The company is based in New Yor ...

, ten years after meeting Remodelista founding editor Julie Carlson through a mutual friend. ''

'' magazine named Gardenista to its list of the year's "25 Best Blogs" in 2012.

Early life and education

Slatalla was born in

Elmhurst, Illinois Elmhurst is a city mostly in DuPage County and overlapping into Cook County in the U.S. state of Illinois, and a western suburb of Chicago. As of 2021, the city has an estimated population of 47,260. History Members of the Potawatomi Native A ...

, a suburb of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. She has three younger brothers. She graduated from

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

in 1984 with a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and English, and later attended

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, from which she graduated in 1985 with an Master's degree in Literature.

Career

After graduating from Columbia University in 1985, Slatalla was hired as a reporter for ''

''. Throughout the following decade, she co-wrote several works of fiction primarily focused on the internet with her husband Josh Quittner, including ''Mother's Day: A Novel of Suspense'', ''Flame War: A Cyberthriller'', ''Masters of Deception'' (about the eponymous New York-based hackers the

Masters of Deception Masters of Deception (MOD) was a New York City, New York–based group of hackers, most widely known in media for their exploits of telephone company infrastructure and later prosecution. Origin of Masters of Deception MOD's initial members ...

), ''Shoofly Pie to Die'', and ''Speeding the Net: The Inside Story of Netscape and How It Challenged Microsoft''. In 1998, she was hired as a humor columnist by ''The New York Times'' to cover the internet. Her work largely explored the intersection of technology and her home life through a comedic lens. Slatalla's column was initially called "User's Guide," and was then retitled "Online Shopper" from October 1999 through May 2007. It was then briefly renamed "Cyberfamilias" until October 2008, when it was retitled, "Wife/Mother/Worker/Spy." Slatalla's column had a large fan base as well as select critics, including gossip blog ''

Gawker ''Gawker'' is an American blog founded by Nick Denton and Elizabeth Spiers and based in New York City focusing on celebrities and the media industry. According to SimilarWeb, the site had over 23 million visits per month as of 2015. Founded in ...

'', which criticized Slatalla's humorous approach to detailing personal family interactions. Slatalla has also contributed as a columnist to ''

'' magazine and ''

.'' In 2006, she wrote ''The Town on Beaver Creek: The Story of a Lost Kentucky Community'', a humorous narrative about Martin, a century-old eastern Kentucky town that was bulldozed in 2004 for a federal flood-relief project, where her ancestors previously lived.

Gardenista

Slatalla launched

with Julie Carlson in 2012 as an offshoot of the remodeling blog Remodelista, ten years after meeting Carlson (Remodelista founder and Editor in Chief) through a mutual friend. Gardenista's stated mission is to serve as the definitive guide to stylish outdoor spaces. ''

'' magazine named Gardenista to its list of the year's 25 Best Blogs in 2012. Today, Gardenista has over 5,000 posts, including a section on garden design, DIY guides, garden visits, and reviews of and suggestions for gardening products. Slatalla wrote ''Gardenista: The Definitive Guide to Stylish Outdoor Spaces'', which was published in October 2016. The book features Slatalla's own home garden in

Mill Valley, California Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, California, Marin County, California, United States, located about north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge and from Napa Valley. The population was 14,231 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 ...

, along with twelve other gardens, including that of Manhattan-based designer and antiques dealer John Derian.

Personal life

Slatalla lives in Mill Valley, with her husband Joshua Quittner. They have three children, including Ella Quittner who is also a journalist. Slatalla's Mill Valley home garden is featured in ''Gardenista: The Definitive Guide to Stylish Outdoor Spaces'', including in the first chapter. Slatalla's home garden was photographed for ''The New York Times''.

Books

*''Gardenista: The Definitive Guide to Stylish Outdoor Spaces'' (2016, Artisan Books) *''The Town on Beaver Creek: The Story of a Lost Kentucky Community'' (2006, Random House) *''Speeding the Net: The Inside Story of Netscape and How It Challenged Microsoft'' (1998, Atlantic Monthly Press) *''Shoofly Pie to Die'' by Joshua Quittner and Michelle Slatalla (1992 St Martins Pr) *''Masters of Deception'' by Joshua Quittner and Michelle Slatalla (1999 Library Binding) *''Flame War: A Cyberthriller'' by Joshua Quittner and Michelle Slatalla (1998 Harper Perennial; Reprint edition) *''Mother's Day: A Novel of Suspense'' by Joshua Quittner and Michelle Slatalla (1993 St Martins Pr; 1st ed edition)

References

External links

Gardenista
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slatalla, Michelle The New York Times columnists American women columnists Living people American columnists Newsday people American bloggers Indiana University alumni Columbia University alumni 21st-century American non-fiction writers American women bloggers Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women writers