Poorna Bell
English journalist and author (born 1980)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Poorna Devi Bell (née Shetty; born 5 December 1980) is an English journalist and author.
5 December 1980
Poorna Bell | |
|---|---|
| Born | Poorna Devi Shetty 5 December 1980 Maidstone, England |
| Alma mater | Queen Mary University of London |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Spouse |
Rob Bell
(m. 2011; died 2015) |
| Website | www |
Early life
Career
Bell began her career in the 2000s as an editor for Asiana, then a commissioning editor for The London Paper and a launch features editor for Grazia India. She was also a contributor to the BBC Asian Network. Bell received a 2007 Women of the Future Award nomination in the Media category.[4] After a stint as senior travel editor at MSN UK, Bell joined HuffPost in 2013,[5] where she served as Executive Editor and Global Lifestyle Head until 2017. She has had columns in Marie Claire[6] and The i Paper.[7]
In the aftermath of her husband Rob's suicide, Bell penned him an open letter in HuffPost followed by a memoir and her debut non-fiction mental health book titled Chase the Rainbow, published in 2017 via Simon & Schuster.[8][9] Bell reunited with Simon & Schuster for a follow-up in 2019 titled In Search of Silence.[10] In Search of Silence was a 2019 Big Book winner, awarded by Hearst UK.[11] Bell won the Rising Star Award at Stylist's inaugural Remarkable Women Awards.[12]
Bell's third non-fiction book Stronger: Changing Everything I Knew About Women's Strength was published in spring 2021 via Bluebird (a Pan Macmillan imprint). The book advocates for "mental strength through fitness".[13][14] Stronger won Sports Performance Book of the Year at the 2022 Sports Book Awards.[15]
As announced in 2021, Century (a Penguin Books UK imprint) acquired the rights to publish Bell's debut fiction novel In Case of Emergency.[16] Her second novel This is Fine followed in 2024, also via Century.[17] Her next non-fiction book She Wanted More will be published by LEAP (a Bonnier Books imprint).[18]
Personal life
In 2011, she married New Zealand science journalist Rob Bell. Her husband died by suicide in May 2015. He had struggled with depression and drug addiction.[19]
Bibliography
Non-fiction
- Chase the Rainbow (2017)
- In Search of Silence (2019)
- Stronger: Changing Everything I Knew About Women's Strength (2021)
- She Wanted More (2026)
Novels
- In Case of Emergency (2022)
- This is Fine (2024)