Why subscribe to The Bricklayer’s Daughter?
I’ve long been active on social media, and I’m often on Facebook and Instagram to share information about my literary life and to stay connected with friends and family. But not everyone is on these platforms, and increasingly, they are full of so much junk that people are tuning out. Substack provides a great way to maintain direct contact with folks interested in writing, books, and literary citizenship. It’s free to subscribe, and every new post goes directly to your inbox. You can always access past posts—and join the conversation on the Substack website or app. And you can unsubscribe at any time without hurting my feelings. Thanks for your interest and support. I’ll look forward to staying in touch!
Why I write
I write because I believe a good story, well told, can improve the human condition. I am drawn to characters who’ve been kept in the shadows and deserve their due, especially women.
Who I am
I am a writer. literary citizen, and author of two historical novels, Triage (2026) and The Italian Prisoner (2022), a finalist in the Faulkner-Wisdom Creative Writing Competition. You can read more about them on my website, elisamariesperanza.com.
I’ve long been involved as a student, teacher, and board chair for the nonprofit New Orleans Writers Workshop (NOWW). I’ve been a featured author at the Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival, the Louisiana Book Festival, the Salem (MA) LitFest, and Islanders Write. I’m a co-founder of the Washashores Writers Collective, a vibrant sisterhood of writers connected to the island of Martha’s Vineyard. In 2025, I was co-editor of and a contributor to the anthology Washashores Review, Volume 1. Through NOWW, I offer workshops and one-on-one consulting to help other authors with their book publicity strategies.
Before launching my “encore” literary career, I worked in journalism, local government, politics, and as a global business executive, mostly focused on water and other critical infrastructure. I’m a veteran of nonprofit and company boards, specializing in governance, strategy, and people leadership.
I was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, the proud granddaughter of Irish and Italian immigrants. I’ve been a writer and book nerd all my life. My first paid job was in the children’s room of my town’s public library. An alumna of Boston College and the Harvard Kennedy School, I spent my formative years in and around Boston (go Red Sox) before moving south in 2002. I live with Jon Kardon in two unique and magical places: New Orleans and Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts.
