Thoughts of penning an historical narrative can overwhelm. Where to begin? How to research? When to stop researching and start writing?
Join New Orleans Writers Workshop co-founder and developmental editor Allison Alsup (author of Foreign Seed), and book publicity consultant Elisa M. Speranza (author of Triage and The Italian Prisoner) as they share the good, the bad, and the ugly of their journeys writing historical novels. They’ll dive into the most common challenges historical fiction writers face—as well as strategies for overcoming them.
This session is designed for new and experienced writers alike as well as curious fans of historical fiction.
Copies of Allison’s and Elisa’s novels will be available for purchase and signing.
This event is free and open to the community. No RSVP required.
Elisa M. Speranza is the author of two historical novels, Triage (2026) and The Italian Prisoner (2022), a finalist in the Faulkner-Wisdom Creative Writing Competition. She is board chair and an instructor for the nonprofit New Orleans Writers Workshop and has been a featured author at the Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival, the Louisiana Book Festival, Islanders Write, and the Salem LitFest. She is the co-founder of the Washashores Writers Collective on Martha’s Vineyard and writes “The Bricklayer’s Daughter” on Substack. Originally from Boston, Elisa lives in New Orleans and Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts. For more information, please visit: www.elisamariesperanza.com
Allison Alsup is co-founder and Creative Director of the New Orleans Writers Workshop, a locally run non-profit that offers affordable creative writing classes and manuscript coaching. In addition to teaching workshops, Allison works one on one with writers as a developmental editor. Her work has won several writing contests and has appeared, among other places, in the O.Henry Prize Stories and Best Food Writing antholgoies. Her debut novel, Foreign Seed, was released by Keylight Books in June 2024 and was a finalist in the Debut Fiction category of the National Jewish Book Awards as well as an Historical Novel Society newsletter editor's choice.