About Me

Hi, I'm Natali Petricic.

I'm a Croatian-American writer, teacher, and lifelong lover of stories. My fiction has appeared in Joyland, Santa Monica Review, The Common, and other literary journals. My novella, Leaf Boats, is included in the Running Wild Novella Anthology. I was honored to be a PEN America Emerging Voices Fellow.

Storytelling has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. In first grade, I published my first short story in a class anthology. It was about our classroom chick and the chaos that unfolded after the students left for the day. I've been making up stories ever since.

I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and now live in Southern California with my husband and son. Before becoming a teacher, I worked in educational and theater marketing.

Many of my stories are inspired by family, identity, and place. As the daughter of Croatian immigrants, I feel connected to Croatia and have visited ten times. I love exploring new places, lingering in cafés with a notebook, and spending an evening at the theater.

When I'm not writing or teaching, you can usually find me hunting down the perfect almond croissant, celebrating life's small moments with a slice of cake, or dreaming up my next story.