About the Author

Elisa M. Speranza is a writer and literary citizen. Her 2022 debut novel, The Italian Prisoner, was a finalist in the William Faulkner-William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition. She has been a featured author at the Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival, the Louisiana Book Festival, and the Islanders Write conference on Martha’s Vineyard. She is a co-founder of the Washashores Writers Collective. She serves on the board of the New Orleans Writers Workshop and works through the nonprofit to help fellow writers plan their book marketing and publicity strategies.

The granddaughter of Irish and Italian immigrants, Elisa has been a writer and book nerd all her life. Her first paid job was in the children’s room of her town’s public library. Elisa has thirty-plus years of experience in marketing, public affairs, and strategic communications for organizations ranging from small non-profits to large government agencies and a Fortune 500 company. Elisa has been a board member, teacher, facilitator, consultant, and mentor, specializing in crafting meaningful messages and building strategies to reach target audiences.

Elisa was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, and is an alumna of Boston College and Harvard’s Kennedy School. She lives with her Man, Jon Kardon, in New Orleans and Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard.

Some of the ancestors, left to right: John and Mary Speranza, Fred and Fran Speranza, Ida Power, Elena (Drislane) Joanna (Reardon) and Fred Speranza.