| Elsa Walsh | |
| Alma Mater: | University of California, Berkeley |
| Occupation: | Journalist, author |
| Notable Works: | Divided Lives: The Public and Private Struggles of 3 Accomplished Women |
| Children: | 1 |
Elsa Walsh is an American journalist and author. In 1989 she was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and she released her book Divided Lives: The Public and Private Struggles of 3 Accomplished Women in 1995. Walsh has worked for both The Washington Post and The New Yorker.
Elsa Walsh grew up in an Irish-Catholic family with five siblings.[1] She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and began her career as a journalist in 1980.
Walsh has worked as a staff reporter for The Washington Post.[2] In 1989 she and her fellow reporter Benjamin Weiser were finalists for the Pulitzer prize for their 1988 "series about how court secrecy procedures have created a system of private justice within the public courts," according to the prize committee.[3] The four-article series investigated the role of judges in hiding important safety information from the public through approving confidentiality agreements and sealing court records.[4] In 1995 she published her book Divided Lives: The Public and Private Struggles of 3 Accomplished Women, in which she interviewed three women regarding their "experiences juggling marriage and a career". The women interviewed for the book were 60 Minutes reporter Meredith Vieira, orchestra conductor Rachael Worby, and breast surgeon Alison Estabrook; Walsh also interviewed members of the women's families as well as their work peers. She later became a staff writer for The New Yorker,[5] [6] where her work included political reporting in the US[7] as well as profiles on figures such as Saudi Prince Bandar,[8] Ted Kennedy, Tipper Gore,[9] and Harry Reid.[10] She has also appeared on political talk shows such as Hardball with Chris Matthews.[11] Walsh is also an editor on the books of Bob Woodward, her husband.[12]
Walsh is married to The Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward. The two met at the Post, and wed in 1989.[13] The two of them were featured in the 2020 book What Makes a Marriage Last: 40 Celebrated Couples Share with Us the Secrets to a Happy Life by Phil Donahue and Marlo Thomas.[14] Walsh has also appeared on the television series Barefoot Contessa, as a guide to host Ina Garten on a trip to Washington DC.[15] Walsh has one daughter with Woodward, Diana, and a stepdaughter, Tali.[16]