Andrea Zelinski

Andrea Zelinski is a politics writer in Austin. Before joining Texas Monthly, she was hiking the Appalachian Trail, traveling a ribbon of dirt and stone for 2,193 miles stretching Maine to Georgia. She has written about politics for both the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News. Like Davy Crockett, Andrea came to Texas by way of Tennessee where she wrote about state government for seven years, largely for the Nashville Scene and its sister publications. She won an award from the Association of Alternative News Media for a series on growing pains in Nashville’s schools. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Affairs Reporting from the University of Illinois at Springfield and reported on Illinois government, including the impeachment of then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich for trying to sell President Barack Obama’s Senate seat for the Associated Press. She swears he winked at her after pleading his case to the state Senate. A midwestern native, she lives with her two hairy pups, Vuda and Buster.