I’m an independent journalist, sensitivity reader, and writing teacher. I write about food, sex, art, and mental health—all ways for me to explore how politics and power shape our experiences of community and care.
I’m currently a content writer producing features for MHz Curationist, a creative commons art history platform. I was previously a contributing writer at Atlas Obscura. My work appears consistently at Dame, and has also been published at The Washington Post, The BBC, Teen Vogue, Time, Bitch, and in a weekly column at Feministing.
My work on gender and sexuality has been cited and anthologized in multiple popular and scholarly outlets, including New York, Mic, Bustle, the Duke Law Journal and several books on consent, feminism, and sexual violence.
I was a 2015-2016 Fulbright fellow in women’s studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, where I completed my master’s in Indian cinema, theater, and visual studies in 2018. My research on Hindi cinema and popular erotica has been published in Critical Collective. I received a BA in 2015 from Harvard University.
I’d love to hear about your project. Get in touch at reinagattuso [at] gmail, or @reinagattuso on Twitter.
Reina Gattuso 
I enjoyed your piece on Joe Frogger’s boozy salty-sweet cookie history in Atlas…and you leaned in nicely to Dr. Jessica B. Harris’s work, yet you never once included her full name for those folks who would not get the reference.
Hey! I just saw this. Thank you for pointing this out. Someone else pointed out the mistake and we corrected it soon after publication. We had moved an earlier mention of Harris in editing to later in the piece, but forgot to also move the full identification. I appreciate you reaching out! Here is the piece with correction: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/joe-froggers-cookies-history
Hi Reina,
I greatly appreciated your article about cultivating figs in Italians-America gardens. I recently moved back from living in Italy for five years, which exposed me to my hands-on love for nature and gardening. This past summer, I planted two fig trees which I recently prepped for winter. I hope to have some delicious figs by next August. Buon Natale and I hope to read more articles on the subject. Best, Sandra
I appreciate it! Thank you for reading and may you have an ample harvest!
Reina
I appreciate your informative and helpful post on what to do with a Nazi flag.
I have a signed Nazi Flag in my possession. My Mom passed it down to me after my Grandfather died. He was ARMY with the CO L 395th INF.
After reading your article I decided to donate the flag to March Air Museum in Riverside, CA.
Thank you
Peter Cortez
Wow! Thanks so much for sharing this. What an incredible story! I’m glad you found a home for the flag where it can keep your grandfather’s memory alive and help others understand history.
Wishing you the best,
Reina