About the author.
Elise Blackwell is the author of three critically hailed novels: Hunger, The Unnatural History of Cypress Parish, and Grub. Her books have been chosen for numerous “best of the year” lists, including the Los Angeles Times, Sydney Morning Herald, and Kirkus. Her short stories and cultural criticism have appeared in Witness, Topic, Seed, Global City Review, Quick Fiction, and elsewhere, and she has given readings at dozens of literary festivals, universities, and bookstores. Her fourth novel, An Unfinished Score, will be published by Unbridled Books in spring 2010.
Elise is from southern Louisiana, though she has lived in many other places. She studied creative writing at Louisiana State and received an MFA from the University of California-Irvine. Before publishing her first novel in 2003, she worked as a bartender, entomology lab grunt, journalist, disc jockey, food critic, grower of exotic fruits, translator, and flap copy writer, among other day jobs. She has taught creative writing at the University of California-Irvine and Boise State, and is currently on the faculty of the University of South Carolina. She lives in Columbia, South Carolina, with her husband, the writer David Bajo, and their daughter, Esme. Her interests include literature, travel, art, music, and running.
If you would like Elise to talk to your book club, appear at your festival, or read at your college, contact the publicity department at Unbridled Books or email Elise directly: eliseblackwell(at)gmail(dot)com.
Elise around the web
South Carolina faculty page
PEN American Center blog
Interview on Grub
Interview on Cypress Parish
Audio interview on Cypress Parish
Interview on Hunger