Sarah Jane Vowell(born December 27, 1969)[2]is an American historian,[3]author, journalist, essayist,social commentatorand actress. She has written seven nonfiction books onAmerican historyand culture. Vowell was a contributing editor for the radio programThis American LifeonPublic Radio Internationalfrom 1996 to 2008, where she produced commentaries and documentaries. She was the voice ofViolet Parrin the 2004 animated filmThe Incrediblesand its2018 sequel.
Sarah Vowell | |
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 Vowell in August 2007 | |
| Born | Sarah Jane Vowell December 27, 1969 Muskogee, Oklahoma,U.S. |
| Education | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1987–present |
Early life and education
editSarah Vowell was born inMuskogee, Oklahomaon December 27, 1969. Her family moved toBozeman, Montanawhen she was eleven.[4]She has afraternal twinsister, Amy. Vowell graduated fromBozeman High School.[5]She earned aB.A.fromMontana State Universityin 1993 in Modern Languages and Literature,[6]and anM.A.in Art History from theSchool of the Art Institute of Chicagoin 1999.[7]
Career
editWriting
editVowell's articles have been published inThe Village Voice,Esquire,Spin Magazine,The New York Times,The Los Angeles Times,SF Weekly,andThe Washington Post.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14]She has been a regular contributor to the online magazineSalon.com,[15]and was one of the original contributors toMcSweeney's,participating in many of thequarterly's readings and shows.
Vowell's first book,Radio On: A Listener's Diary(1997), which featured her year-long diary of listening to the radio in 1995, caught the attention ofThis American LifehostIra Glass,and it led to Vowell becoming a frequent contributor to the show.[citation needed]Thereafter, segments on the show became the subjects for many of her subsequent published essays.[citation needed]Vowell's first essay collection wasTake the Cannoli(2000), which was followed byThe Partly Cloudy Patriot(2002).
In 2005, Vowell served as a guest columnist forThe New York Timesduring several weeks in July, briefly filling in forMaureen Dowd.[16]She again served as a guest columnist in February 2006.[17]Her bookAssassination Vacation(2005) describes a road trip to tourist sites devoted to the murders of presidentsAbraham Lincoln,James A. GarfieldandWilliam McKinley.[18]Vowell's book,The Wordy Shipmates(2008), analyzes the settlement of theNew England Puritansin America and their contributions to American history.[19]Also in 2008, Vowell's essay aboutMontanaappeared in the bookState by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America.
Vowell wroteUnfamiliar Fishes(2011), which discusses theOverthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaiiand theNewlands Resolution.[20][21]In April 2011, the book became aNew York Times Bestseller.[22]In her Los Angeles Times review, Susan Salter Reynolds wrote that Vowell's "cleverness is gorgeously American: She collects facts and stores them like a nervous chipmunk, digesting them only for the sake of argument."[20]Allegra Goodman,writing inThe Washington Post,describes the work as "a big gulp of a book, printed as an extended essay... Lacking section or chapter breaks, Vowell's quirky history lurches from one anecdote to the next. These are often entertaining, but in the aggregate they begin to sound the same...", adding that "Vowell tells a good tale" with "shrewd observations", but that "the narrative wears thin where casual turns cute and cute threatens to turn glib."[21]
Her most recent book isLafayette in the Somewhat United States(2015), an account of theMarquis de Lafayette,a French aristocrat who becameGeorge Washington's trusted officer and friend, and afterward an American celebrity.[23][24]In a review forThe New York Times,Charles P. Piercewrote, "Vowell wanders through the history of theAmerican Revolutionand its immediate aftermath, using Lafayette's involvement in the war as a map, and bringing us all along in her perambulations… and doing it with a wink. "[23]NPRreviewer Colin Dwyer wrote, "It's awfully refreshing to see Vowell bring our founders down from their lofty pedestals. In her telling, they're just men again, not the gods we've long since made of them."[24]
Public appearances and lectures
edit
Vowell has appeared on television shows includingNightline,The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,[25]The Colbert Report,Jimmy Kimmel Live!,Late Show with David Letterman,andLate Night with Conan O'Brien.[26][better source needed]
In April 2006, Vowell served as the keynote speaker at the 27th Annual Kentucky Women Writers Conference.[27]In August and September 2006, she toured the United States as part of theRevenge of the Book Eatersnational tour, which benefited the children's literacy centers826NYC,826CHI,826 Valencia,826LA,826 Michigan, and826 Seattle.[citation needed]
Vowell provided commentary inRobert Wuhl’s 2005Assume the Position with Mr. WuhlHBO specials.[28]
Voice and acting work
editVowell provided the voice ofViolet Parr,a shy teenager, in the 2004Pixaranimated filmThe Incredibles,and returned to her role for the film's sequel,Incredibles 2,in 2018.[29][30]She voiced the character in related video games, and forDisney on Icepresentations.[31][32]DirectorBrad Birdheard Vowell onThis American Life,"Guns",[33](in which she and her father fire a homemade cannon) and determined that Vowell’s voice fit the character.[34]Pixar made a test animation for Violet using audio from that sequence, which was included on the DVD ofThe Incredibles.[35]Vowell wrote and was featured in a documentary included on the same DVD, entitled "Vowellett—An Essay by Sarah Vowell", in which she reflects on the difference between being an author of history books on assassinated presidents and voicing the superhero Violet, and on what the role meant to her nephew.
Vowell featured prominently in the 2002 documentary about the alternative rock bandThey Might Be Giants,entitledGigantic: A Tale of Two Johns,and she appeared with band membersJohn LinnellandJohn Flansburghin the DVD commentary for the movie.[36]She provided commentary for the April 2006 episode "Murder at the Fair: The Assassination of President McKinley," one of ten in theHistory Channelminiseries10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America.[37]
In September 2006, Vowell appeared as a minor character in the ABC dramaSix Degrees.[38]She appeared in an episode of HBO'sBored to Death,as an interviewer in a bar, and in 2010, appeared briefly in the filmPlease Give,as a shopper.[39][40]Vowell appeared onThe Daily Showas a Senior Historical Context Correspondent.[41]
Personal life
editVowell writes that she has a small amount ofCherokee Nationancestry (about 1/8 on her mother's side and 1/16 on her father's side). She is not a citizen of the Cherokee Nation or any other tribe. She retraced the path of the forced removal of the Cherokee from thesoutheastern United Statesto Oklahoma, known as theTrail of Tears,with her twin sister Amy. In 1998,This American Lifechronicled her story, devoting the entire hour to her work.[42] Vowell spent many vacations with her sister and nephew visiting historical sites. As a child she attended church three times a week and seldom travelled.
She has described herself as a “culturally Christian atheist”.[43]
Vowell lives inManhattan,New York. She is on the advisory board of826NYC,a nonprofit tutoring and writing center for students aged 6–18 inBrooklyn.[44]
Selected published works
edit- 1997—Radio On: A Listener's Diary,ISBN0-312-18301-1.
- 2000—Take the Cannoli: Stories From the New World,ISBN0-7432-0540-5.
- 2002—The Partly Cloudy Patriot,ISBN0-7432-4380-3.
- 2005—Assassination Vacation,ISBN0-7432-6003-1.
- 2008—The Wordy Shipmates,ISBN1-59448-999-8.
- 2011—Unfamiliar Fishes,ISBN1-59448-787-1.
- 2015—Lafayette in the Somewhat United States,ISBN1-59463-174-3.
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | End of the Line | Diner Waitress | Uncredited |
| 1999 | Man in the Sand | Herself | Documentary |
| 2002 | Gigantic | Herself | |
| 2004 | The Incredibles | Violet Parr | Voice |
| 2010 | Please Give | Shopper | |
| 2011 | Hit So Hard | Herself | Documentary |
| 2013 | A.C.O.D. | Lorraine | |
| 2018 | Incredibles 2 | Violet Parr | Voice |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–2007 | Six Degrees | Edie | 2 episodes |
| 2006 | The Colbert Report | Herself | 1 episode |
| 2009 | Bored to Death | Journalist | |
| 2010 | Lafayette: The Lost Hero | Herself | Documentary |
| 2011 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Special guest | |
| 2011, 2013, 2015 | The Daily Show with Jon Stewart | ||
| 2011 | Last Call with Carson Daly | ||
| The Tavis Smiley Show | |||
| 2015 | Conan | ||
| 2016 | Well Read V | ||
| 2018 | The Who Was? Show | Episode: “George Washington & Marco Polo” |
Video games
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | The Incredibles | Violet Parr | |
| 2004 | The Incredibles: When Danger Calls | ||
| 2012 | Kinect Rush: A Disney-Pixar Adventure | ||
| 2013 | Disney Infinity | Credited as Sara Vowell | |
| 2014 | Disney Infinity 2.0 | ||
| 2015 | Disney Infinity 3.0 | ||
| 2018 | Lego The Incredibles |
Short film
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Vowellet – An Essay by Sarah Vowell | Herself, writer, archive footage | Included as a bonus feature toThe Incredibleson home media; details Vowell's voice work during the film while also writingAssassination Vacationand how herThis American Lifewriting/narration earned her the role of Violet. |
Theme parks
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Incredicoaster | Violet Parr | Voice |
References
edit- ^"Sarah Vowell Visits SAIC as Distinguished Alumni Lecturer"(Press release). Chicago:School of the Art Institute of Chicago.RetrievedJuly 29,2020.
- ^"Vowell, Sarah 1969– | Encyclopedia.com".www.encyclopedia.com.
- ^"Our country may be divided, but we shouldn't beat ourselves up about it, author Sarah Vowell says".www.newsobserver.com.
- ^Vowell, Sarah (April 3, 2001).Take the Cannoli.Simon & Schuster.ISBN978-0743205405.
- ^"Vowell's constant".
- ^Schmidt, Carol (April 30, 2010)."Vowell's constant".Montana State University.RetrievedJuly 3,2015.
- ^"Sarah Vowell Visits SAIC as Distinguished Alumni Lecturer".School of the Art Institute of Chicago.RetrievedJuly 29,2020.
- ^"Sarah Vowell | Authors | The Village Voice".www.villagevoice.com.RetrievedJuly 29,2020.
- ^VOWELL, SARAH."How to Get Ketchup Out of a Bottle | Esquire | NOVEMBER 2000".Esquire | The Complete Archive.RetrievedJuly 29,2020.
- ^"Wilco, Summerteeth (Reprise) SPIN".www.spin.com.RetrievedJuly 29,2020.
- ^Vowell, Sarah (May 17, 2020)."Opinion | How Democrats Win in My Red State (and They Do Win)".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedJuly 29,2020.
- ^Vowell, Sarah (January 10, 1999)."The Incredible Vanishing Act of an American Icon".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedJuly 29,2020.
- ^Vowell, Sarah (August 28, 1996)."Suspicious Minds".SF Weekly.RetrievedJuly 29,2020.
- ^Sarah Vowell.https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/interactive/2024/sarah-vowell-national-archives-digitization-records-smartphones/?itid=co_opicymi_1 The EqualizerThe Washington Post, October 8, 2024.
- ^"Sarah Vowell".Salon.com.RetrievedJuly 3,2015.
- ^Vowell, Sarah (July 23, 2005)."Lock and Load".The New York Times.RetrievedJuly 29,2020.
- ^"Sarah Vowell, Guest Columnist".The New York Times.February 3, 2006.RetrievedJuly 29,2020.
- ^Woodward, Richard B. (May 15, 2005)."'Assassination Vacation' by Sarah Vowell ".The New York Times.RetrievedJuly 29,2020.
- ^Heffernan, Virginia (November 28, 2008)."Mayflower Power".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedJuly 29,2020.
- ^abSalter Reynolds, Susan (March 26, 2011)."Book review: 'Unfamiliar Fishes' by Sarah Vowell: The 'Partly Cloudy Patriot' author takes on American imperialism and exceptionalism".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedSeptember 21,2011.
- ^abGoodman, Allegra (April 1, 2011)."Sarah Vowell's 'Unfamiliar Fishes,' a quirky history of Hawaii".The Washington Post.RetrievedFebruary 19,2020.
- ^"Hardcover Nonfiction Books - Best Sellers".The New York Times.April 10, 2011.RetrievedJuly 29,2020.
- ^abPierce, Charles P. (November 17, 2015)."Sarah Vowell's 'Lafayette in the Somewhat United States'".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.RetrievedFebruary 7,2016.
- ^abDwyer, Colin (October 21, 2015)."'Somewhat United' Brings Lafayette Down From His Pedestal ".NPR.org.RetrievedFebruary 7,2016.
- ^North, Anna (October 6, 2009)."Sarah Vowell, Jon Stewart, And The Freedom of the Bowl Haircut".Jezebel.RetrievedJuly 3,2015.
- ^"Barnes & Noble Biography: Meet the writers - Sarah Vowell".Steven Barclay Agency.Archived fromthe originalon October 22, 2012.
- ^"Women Writers Conference Announces Creative Nonfiction Contest".University of Kentucky.October 11, 2005. Archived fromthe originalon February 20, 2012.
- ^Sandomir, Richard (April 1, 2006)."Robert Wuhl Is a Teacher on HBO's 'Assume the Position With Mr. Wuhl'".The New York Times.RetrievedJuly 29,2020.
- ^Celestino, Mike (June 11, 2018)."INTERVIEW: Acclaimed author and" Incredibles 2 "star Sarah Vowell on superheroes, Disney, and America".Inside The Magic.RetrievedApril 6,2020.
- ^Ching, Albert (July 14, 2017)."D23 Expo: Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios—The Upcoming Films".CBR.com.RetrievedJuly 14,2017.
- ^[email protected] 219.852.4329, MOLLY WOULFE (January 24, 2006)."Disney on Ice unmasks 'Incredibles' ice show".nwitimes.com.RetrievedJuly 29,2020.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^"Sarah Vowell".IMDb.RetrievedJuly 29,2020.
- ^Litman, Juliet (June 14, 2018)."The Making of Violet Parr in 'The Incredibles'".The Ringer.RetrievedJuly 29,2020.
- ^Glass, Ira (host, exec. prod.), Vowell, Sarah (guest writer/presenter) et al. (October 24, 1997).This American Life["Guns" (episode 81)] (archived audio). Chicago, IL: Chicago Public Media. Event occurs at unknown time.RetrievedJuly 3,2015.
- ^"The Incredibles DVD Review".www.dvdizzy.com.RetrievedJuly 29,2020.
- ^"Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns)".DVD Talk.RetrievedJuly 29,2020.
- ^"Ten Days That Unexpectedly Changed America" Murder at the Fair: The Assassination of President McKinley (TV Episode 2006) - IMDb,retrievedJuly 29,2020
- ^Six Degrees (TV Series 2006–2008) - IMDb,retrievedJuly 29,2020
- ^Bored to Death (TV Series 2009–2011) - IMDb,retrievedJuly 29,2020
- ^Please Give (2010) - IMDb,retrievedJuly 29,2020
- ^"Sarah Vowell comes back to WBEZ".WBEZ Chicago.March 9, 2012.RetrievedJuly 29,2020.
- ^"107: Trail of Tears".This American Life.July 3, 1998.RetrievedJuly 3,2015.
- ^Vowell, Sarah (January 21, 2008)."Sarah Vowell - Freedom from Religion Foundation".The New York Times.
- ^"826NYC About".826nyc.org.RetrievedJuly 29,2020.
External links
edit| External audio | |
|---|---|
 Consonant Vowells:Sarah Vowell onThis American LifeandHearing Voices | |
| How A French Teenager Helped Save Us From 'The Fatal Tendency Of Disunion',John O'Brien, KUOW, November 12, 2015 |
- Sarah Vowell author page
- Sarah Vowell page atThis American Life
- Steven Barclay Agency, Sarah Vowell page
- Sarah VowellatIMDb
- Gilmer, Marcus (October 21, 2008)."Interview: Sarah Vowell".Chicagoist.Archived fromthe originalon June 8, 2010.
- AppearancesonC-SPAN