Stephen Elliott (author)
Encyclopedia
Stephen Elliott is an American
author and activist living in San Francisco who has written and published seven books. He is also the founder of the political action committee
LitPAC
, which holds readings by authors to raise money for progressive
candidates.
. In his adolescence he was made a ward of the court and placed in several group homes. He attended Mather High School and after attended the University of Illinois
and went on to receive his master's degree in cinema studies from Northwestern University
in 1996. He was the Marsh McCall lecturer in Creative Writing at Stanford University
. In 2001 he was awarded the Stegner Fellowship
from Stanford University, given to emerging writers in fiction and poetry.
was edited by Dave Eggers
and co-published by McSweeney's
and MacAdam/Cage
and was released in February 2004. The paperback of Happy Baby was published by Picador in January 2005. His book, My Girlfriend Comes to the City and Beats Me Up (ISBN 1573442550), a collection of S&M
erotica, sometimes referred to as a sexual memoir, was published by Cleis Press
in 2006.
In April 2007, he published an essay about his experiment of not using the Internet for one month, writing: "I could feel my attention span lengthening. I would think about problems until I figured them out."
In 2008, Elliott started The Rumpus, an online cultural commentary site.
His most recent book is a "true-crime memoir" called "The Adderall Diaries" (Graywolf, September 2009, ISBN 1555975380).
Essays and Non-fiction
Short story collections
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author and activist living in San Francisco who has written and published seven books. He is also the founder of the political action committee
Political action committee
In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group, regardless of size, organized to elect political candidates or to advance the outcome of a political issue or legislation. Legally, what constitutes a "PAC" for purposes of regulation is a...
LitPAC
LitPAC
LitPAC is an American Political Action Committee. Its aims are to support Democratic politicians and register voters, through the organization of literary events....
, which holds readings by authors to raise money for progressive
Progressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
candidates.
Background and education
Elliott grew up in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. In his adolescence he was made a ward of the court and placed in several group homes. He attended Mather High School and after attended the University of Illinois
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
and went on to receive his master's degree in cinema studies from Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
in 1996. He was the Marsh McCall lecturer in Creative Writing at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. In 2001 he was awarded the Stegner Fellowship
Stegner Fellowship
The Stegner Fellowship program is a two-year creative writing fellowship at Stanford University. The award is named after American Wallace Stegner , an historian, novelist, short story writer, environmentalist, and Stanford faculty member who founded the university's creative writing program. Ten...
from Stanford University, given to emerging writers in fiction and poetry.
Books and journalism
Elliott went on the campaign trail and wrote a book about the 2004 U.S. presidential race, Looking Forward To It: or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying About It and Love the American Electoral Process (Picador, Oct 2004, ISBN 0312424159). His novel Happy BabyHappy Baby
Happy Baby, is a 2004 novel by Stephen Elliott.-Plot:Theo is addicted to sadomasochism. He insists on being hurt - whether by one he loves or by a professional dominatrix. Theo is a victim of the child welfare system. Told in reverse chronological order, 'Happy Baby' begins when 36-year-old Theo...
was edited by Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He is known for the best-selling memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and for his more recent work as a screenwriter. He is also the co-founder of the literacy project 826 Valencia.-Life:Eggers was born in Boston, Massachusetts,...
and co-published by McSweeney's
McSweeney's
McSweeney's is an American publishing house founded by editor Dave Eggers.Apart from its book list, McSweeney's is responsible for four regular publications: the quarterly literary journal,...
and MacAdam/Cage
MacAdam/Cage
MacAdam/Cage is a small publishing firm located in San Francisco, California. It was founded by David Poindexter in 1998. As of 2003, it published around 30 to 45 titles per year, primarily fiction, short story collections, history, biography, and essays, and had twelve employees...
and was released in February 2004. The paperback of Happy Baby was published by Picador in January 2005. His book, My Girlfriend Comes to the City and Beats Me Up (ISBN 1573442550), a collection of S&M
BDSM
BDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
erotica, sometimes referred to as a sexual memoir, was published by Cleis Press
Cleis Press
Cleis Press is an independent publisher of books in the areas of sexuality, erotica, feminism, gay and lesbian studies, gender studies, fiction, and human rights. The press was founded in 1980 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, later moved to San Francisco, and is now based out of Berkeley, CA...
in 2006.
In April 2007, he published an essay about his experiment of not using the Internet for one month, writing: "I could feel my attention span lengthening. I would think about problems until I figured them out."
In 2008, Elliott started The Rumpus, an online cultural commentary site.
His most recent book is a "true-crime memoir" called "The Adderall Diaries" (Graywolf, September 2009, ISBN 1555975380).
Published works
Novels- Happy BabyHappy BabyHappy Baby, is a 2004 novel by Stephen Elliott.-Plot:Theo is addicted to sadomasochism. He insists on being hurt - whether by one he loves or by a professional dominatrix. Theo is a victim of the child welfare system. Told in reverse chronological order, 'Happy Baby' begins when 36-year-old Theo...
(2004) - What It Means to Love you (2002)
- A Life Without Consequences (2001)
- Jones Inn (1998)
Essays and Non-fiction
- The Adderall Diaries (2009)
- Looking Forward to It (2004)
Short story collections
External links
- The Rumpus
- Official website
- Photo of Stephen Elliott by Lydia Lunch
- Photo of Stephen Elliott
- Nude Awakening - excerpt from My Girlfriend Comes to the City on Salon.comSalon.comSalon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
- Innocence Abroad - story from Nerve.com
- On the Way to Work - story from SmokeLong Quarterly, December 15, 2006
- Interview with LitRave, October, 2006
- Interview with Tao Lin, 2009
- Chicago Tribune Profile
- Review of "The Adderall Diaries in The Las Vegas Weekly"
- Interview with The Days of Yore
- The Masocast Interview
