Meet Our Writer—Anna Passante

Where did you go to elementary and high school? I attended Milwaukee Public Schools: East Granville Elementary, Edison and Muir Junior High Schools, and Custer High School.

What is your professional background? I worked for the Milwaukee Public Schools from 1986 until my retirement in 2005. For the majority of the years, I was employed as a Library Media Specialist. Since my retirement I have self-published two books: A God-Given Talent, Peter Brust, Architect and Anarchy in Bay View’s Little Italy.

How/when did you begin writing historical pieces? In April 2007, the Compass published a review of my book, A God-Given Talent, Peter Brust. After that review, Bay View Compass editor Katherine Keller asked me to submit articles for the Historic Bay View column. My first article was published in June 2007, and I have been submitting articles for the column ever since. 

When did you develop your interest in Bay View history? I have always been interested in all areas of history, so when we moved to Bay View in 1972, it was natural for me to be drawn to the history of Bay View.

How do you research your Historical Bay View column topics? I begin researching a topic by looking at the books already published about Bay View, such as books by Bernhard Korn, Paul Gauer, and Arthur Hickman, to find some background information. Then I search the reference sources at the downtown library, including in newspaper articles and reference books. I also seek information from public records housed at the City Hall and the courthouse.

What is most frustrating about historical research? It’s frustrating when one research source says one thing and another source says another. This requires me to find other sources, especially public records, to clarify which source is correct.

Who are your favorite writers? Right now I’m into detective and crime novels by Vince Flynn, Gregg Hurwitz, Charles Todd, and Peter Robinson. (But I’m also a fan of the Twilight series.)

What do you think is the future of “the book”? Do you think it will fade to mostly digital rather than hard copy? Digital has its place, but I think that true lovers of reading will always take a hard copy over digital. Cuddling up with a laptop isn’t the same as cuddling up with a book.

In what libraries-anywhere in the world-would you like to spend a couple weeks or more? The Library of Congress would be a great place to spend time doing research. It is the largest library in the world with millions of pieces of research materials, including the two books I authored.

Which people from Bay View’s past would you like to have known? Pioneers Phillip Pryor, Joel Wilcox, and Elijah Estes would be the people who I’d like to have known. They, as well as their wives, must have faced great hardships in their attempt to farm the land and raise their families in the 1830s and 1840s.

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