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Congratulations! You have found one of the many Anu Partanens out there in the world (mainly in Finland).
I am the Anu Partanen who has been a journalist based in New York City and Helsinki, Finland for more than two decades. I am the author of The Nordic Theory of Everything, published by HarperCollins. The book debunks some of the most common myths about Nordic societies and discusses what the United States might be able to borrow from aspects of Nordic success in the twenty-first century, in order to help restore the American dream. I have also written for example for The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and The Atlantic. In 2009 I worked at Fortune Magazine as a visiting reporter through the Innovation Journalism Fellowship at Stanford University. Currently I work as staff writer at the Finnish journalism start-up Uusi Juttu, backed by the Danish independent journalism outfit Zetland.
I am a U.S. citizen, but I am originally from Finland, and I have written all sorts of articles for all sorts of magazines and newspapers in both Finnish and English. I've covered education, health care, economy, politics, technology, business, culture, and the arts.
I have also appeared frequently on TV and radio, including appearances on CNN, CNBC, Public Radio International, and various local outlets. I've been a regular on-air commentator for the BBC World Service, and currently I appear on live television programs of the Finnish National Broadcasting Company (YLE), including the current-affairs debate show Jälkiviisaat.
My past responsibilities in Finland include working as a staff writer for Helsingin Sanomat, one of the largest daily subscription newspapers in the Nordic region (I held posts at the national news section, the Sunday pages, and the monthly magazine); serving as the managing editor of a monthly general-interest magazine called Image; discussing news trends and current affairs on a live television program called Pressiklubi (Press Club); and teaching magazine writing at Tampere University in Tampere, Finland. I have also written regular columns published in the aforementioned Helsingin Sanomat and Image, the magazine Suomen Kuvalehti, as well as the The Finnish Journal of Foreign Affairs Ulkopolitiikka.
In addition to my career in journalism, I have worked as director at the global affairs consultancy Nordic West Office, senior adviser at the Nordic communications agency Miltton, and a science communicator at the University of Helsinki. I have a master’s degree in social sciences and I have studied for a year both in France and Australia. I am married to the American writer Trevor Corson. If I'm the Anu Partanen you are looking for, please make yourself at home.
Unfortunately, I am none of the Anu Partanens who have: translated foreign literature into Finnish; worked at the Etelä-Saimaa newspaper; taken part in the Pirkanmaa Writing Competition; been involved in the Arto Paasilinna Society (dedicated to a lively Finnish novelist); worked as the secretary of the Väinö Linna Society (dedicated to a distinguished Finnish novelist); owned a cruise ship called Kristina Katarina; competed in the Suuri seikkailu (The Great Adventure) reality TV series; posted cool stuff on Pinterest; or spent time in Ireland in 1996. If you are trying to find one of these Anu Partanens, I must with regret advise you to move along.
In any case, have a great day!
—Anu
Author & homepage photos: Kristiina Wilson