Ellen Litman (born 1973) is an American novelist. She received the Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' Award in 2006.[" Jaffe Awards." Miami, Florida: The Miami Herald, September 19, 2006, p. 100 (subscription required).]["Women of Excellence," in " Friedman lauded for humor." Cincinnati, Ohio: The Cincinnati Enquirer, September 15, 2006, p. 45 (subscription required).][" Emerging female authors honoured." Victoria, British Columbia, Canada: Times Colonist, September 14, 2006, p. 48 (subscription required).]
Formative years
Born in
Moscow, Russia, Litman emigrated with her parents in 1992 to
Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. She was educated at the University of Pittsburgh and earned a B.S. in Information Science.
[Reyn, Irina. " Fall fiction begins with 'Last Chicken.'" Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 11, 2007, p. 49 (subscription required).][Lee, Don. " Tender portrayal of immigrants' uneasy existence." Boston, Massachusetts: The Boston Globe, December 23, 2007, p. 73 (subscription required).][" Lots of offerings, before and during fest." Madison, Wisconsin: The Capital Times, September 20, 2007, p. 19 (subscription required).]
For six years she worked as a software developer in Baltimore, Maryland and Boston, Massachusetts.
Literary career
During the fall of 1998, Litman began to formally study writing. She earned her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing in 2004 from Syracuse University. That same year, Litman was also chosen by the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing for one of its six fellowships, which ran between August and May in Madison, Wisconsin of that year. One of three fiction writers selected, she received a $25,000 stipend to support her writing.
["Entree," in " Writers, it's not too late for 24-hour contest." Madison, Wisconsin: The Capital Times, September 24, 2004, p. 7 (subscription required).]["Lots of offerings, before and during fest," The Capital Times, September 2007, p. 19.]
In September 2006, newspapers reported that Litman was one of six emerging writers to receive the Rona Jaffe Foundation's Writers' Award, a $15,000 prize which is given annually to "women writers who demonstrate excellence and promise in the early stages of their careers."["Jaffe Awards," in The Miami Herald, September 19, 2006, p. 100.]["Women of Excellence," in "Friedman lauded for humor," The Cincinnati Enquirer, September 15, 2006, p. 45.]
As of 2023, Litman is an associate professor and associate director of the Creative Writing Program at the University of Connecticut.[" Ellen Litman" (profile with photo). Storrs, Connecticut: University of Connecticut, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Department of English, retrieved online March 4, 2023.][Reyn, "Fall fiction begins with 'Last Chicken,'" Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 11, 2007.]
Works
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The Last Chicken in America: A Novel in Stories, (New York: W.W. Norton, 2007)
[Newton, Maud, Mysteries of Pittsburgh, New York Times]
-
Mannequin Girl: A Novel, (W. W. Norton & Company, 2014)
[Olidort, Shoshana, Review: Mannequin Girl by Ellen Litman , Chicago Tribune]
Sources
Contemporary Authors Online. The Gale Group, 2007. PEN (Permanent Entry Number): 0000162696.
External links
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Ellen Litman (official author's page), Penguin Random House.
