Rachel Greenley is a Pacific Northwest writer published in The New York Times, Orion Magazine, River Teeth, Hobart, Brevity, andThe Baltimore Review, among others, and has been supported by the Prospect Street Writers House. Her essay, “The Atomic Disease,” was selected as Longreads Top 5 Essays of the Week. She has a forthcoming essay in the New England Review.

She earned her MFA from Bennington Writing Seminars and her resulting essay collection, En Route Elsewhere, blends memoir and cultural criticism. She excavates the conflict between the values of her adult life working at Starbucks and Amazon with those of her childhood on a hippie commune; ultimately asking whether one can leave the mainstream cultural, political and economic system. The collection has a strong narrative arc while remaining idea-driven. Think Empathy Exams structurally and Having and Being Had philosophically with a vibe of In the Dream House.

Rachel’s prior manuscript, The Lake Effect, placed third in the Pacific Northwest Writers Association Literary Awards. She recently backpacked 75 miles to raise over $10,000 for abortion access for women living in states where their rights have been restricted. Rachel’s favorite thing to do is take a book on a backpack. Her current favorite three books are: Terry Tempest Williams’ Refuge, Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, and David Graeber’s Bullshit Jobs.

Selected Work

The Atomic Disease – Orion Magazine – Selected as Longreads #1 Essay of the Week, and Best of 2023

Fast Fashion Addiction – The New York Times

Performance in the Workplace – Clotheshorse Podcast

Learning Within The Gray Zone – Clotheshorse Podcast

Confession – River Teeth

Untethered – Hobart

The Cedar – The Baltimore Review

Absence – The Manifest-Station