Diana Pabst Parsell, a graduate of Marietta High School (1970) and Marietta College (1974), will be back in her hometown for a guest appearance and book signing at Teri Ann’s, 290 Front St., during downtown Marietta’s March 7 First Friday event from 5-9 p.m. (Photo provided)

Diana Pabst Parsell, a graduate of Marietta High School (1970) and Marietta College (1974), will be back in her hometown for a guest appearance and book signing at Teri Ann’s, 290 Front St., during downtown Marietta’s March 7 First Friday event from 5-9 p.m.

“We’re excited to host Diana Parsell for a book signing. As a local author from our very own town, it’s a privilege to support her and celebrate her latest work in the place she calls home. We invite the community to join us for this extra special First Friday event,” said Teri Ann Zide Brockett, owner of Teri Ann’s.

Parsell is the author of an acclaimed biography describing the life and globetrotting travels of 19th-century journalist Eliza Scidmore, who left a major legacy in Washington, D.C., as the visionary and chief champion of efforts to plant Japanese cherry trees along the Potomac.

The book, “Eliza Scidmore: The Trailblazing Journalist Behind Washington’s Cherry Trees” (Oxford University Press, 2023), has been featured by NBC’s “Today” Show, Wall Street Journal, Japanese TV, National Geographic and other media. A Japanese documentary on Scidmore is now in the works. The book was named a finalist for the 2024 biography award of the Society of Midland Authors, representing writers from 12 states in the Midwest.

Scidmore was born on the American frontier just before the Civil War and rose from modest beginnings to become one of the most highly accomplished women of her day. At a time when few Americans traveled much beyond their own backyards, she took to the road writing about little-known places. Her works included popular guidebooks on Alaska, Japan, Java, China and India, and hundreds of articles for leading magazines and newspapers.

Parsell is the author of an acclaimed biography describing the life and globetrotting travels of 19th-century journalist Eliza Scidmore, who left a major legacy in Washington, D.C., as the visionary and chief champion of efforts to plant Japanese cherry trees along the Potomac. (Photo provided)

Like a female “Forrest Gump,” Scidmore was an eyewitness to many important events of her era and rubbed elbows with famous people, from John Muir and Alexander Graham Bell to American presidents and high-ranking Japanese officials. Among her achievements, she became National Geographic’s first female board member and photographer, and advocated for wilderness preservation with Muir and others in the early U.S. conservation movement.

Scidmore grew enchanted by cherry blossoms while living on and off in Japan for four decades. Her obsessive quest to transplant their beauty to America helped shape the modern landscape of downtown Washington, D.C. Today, 1.5 million people flock to the nation’s capital every spring to see its now-iconic cherry trees in bloom.

Parsell is a writer, editor and former journalist, and author. In a 40-year editorial career, she worked for a wide range of publications and science organizations in Washington and Southeast Asia, including National Geographic, The Washington Post, the National Institutes of Health and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Besides a B.A. degree from Marietta College, she has master’s degrees from the University of Missouri and Johns Hopkins University. Visit her website at www.dianaparsell.com.

Available in hardback or Amazon Kindle. Available through major booksellers including Bookshop.org, Politics & Prose in D.C., Barnes & Noble, Amazon. Order directly from Oxford’s website using the promotion code AAFLYG6 to receive a 30% discount. See buying options at https://dianaparsell.com/books/eliza-scidmore/.