Elena Pinnen

Elena Pinnen was born in Rome, Italy, and is a PhD candidate in Italian contemporary literature and medicine at the University of Cambridge. She recently moved to San Francisco, where she teaches Italian at an international school. She loves the ocean and California, and her poetry explores waves, surfing, and the legacies of colonialism. Her latest bilingual collection, On a Breaking Wave and Other Natural Catastrophes (2024), earned her the Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. She is currently working on a new book and exploring the intersection of literature and science.