Irina VanPatten

Irina VanPatten is an American Pacific Northwest writer originally from Moldova. Her writing style marries the best of these two worlds as she draws from the rich roots of her culture but bakes her own American literary cake with a blended sense of humor: sharp yet warm; edgy yet tender. She brings her perspective of past life experiences from behind the Iron Curtain, creating a unique blend of East versus West points of view in her writing.

She is the Silver Award winner of the 2022 BookFest with her Mail-Order Family - a charming and heartfelt true love story about two misfits literally two worlds apart, told with humor and never-give-up attitude.

She also writes about serious, timeless subjects in her book Welcome to America, Welcome Home, which is based on multiple interviews with American immigrants of different backgrounds and cultures. Experts, lawyers, professors, activists, refugees, and asylum seekers share their personal stories and reveal the hardships of those who try to assimilate and succeed in America.

Irina is a contributor to a short story collection about love called From Lullaby to Love Songs and Funeral Dirges. Her story “I Love You Russian Style” explores the misconceptions of love in different cultures in a heartwarming, funny way. Her other passion is writing for the English-Romanian language magazine Hora in America, which focuses on stories from her community.