Saturday Morning Writer's Clinic - Forging an Independent Path to Publication

Local author Elisa M. Speranza will discuss the nuts and bolts of the book publishing process, with a special focus on alternative ways of getting your book into the world. She will cover the steps and resources needed to pursue different paths, providing a realistic—yet encouraging—assessment of the publishing landscape, regardless of genre. She will share her own journey and lessons learned from publishing her most recent novel, Triage and her debut novel, The Italian Prisoner.

Elisa M. Speranza is the author of two historical novels, Triage (forthcoming, May 2026) and The Italian Prisoner (2022), a finalist in the Faulkner-Wisdom Creative Writing Competition. Both books were published by her micro press, Burgundy Bend Press. She was a contributor to and co-editor of the Washashores Review, Volume One, published in 2025. Elisa 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