Elizabeth Searle

Elizabeth Searle is a fiction writer and scriptwriter. She is the author of five books of fiction, the playwright of TONYA & NANCY: THE ROCK OPERA– which has drawn major media coverage and which has been widely performed– and the co-writer of I’LL SHOW YOU MINE, a 2023 feature film from Duplass Brothers Productions.  The film, which stars Poorna Jagannathan (WOLFS)  was released in select theaters and is now widely available on home screens via VOD, AmazonPrime, AppleTV, Peacock and more.  Elizabeth’s rock opera has been produced in Boston, Chicago, LA and at NYMF in NYC, with a CD and concert film. Elizabeth’s novel A FOUR-SIDED BED is in development with two producers as a feature film; Elizabeth’s script for it has won multiple awards. An award-winning short film based on her novel, FOUR-SIDED, has screened at over 20 festivals, most recently in 2024. Elizabeth’s novella CELEBRITIES IN DISGRACE was also produced as a short film screening at multiple festivals. Her novel WE GOT HIM was a finalist for the Midwest Book Award and was released as an AudioBook in 2018. Elizabeth’s previous books include GIRL HELD IN HOME, CELEBRITIES IN DISGRACE, a finalist for the Paterson Fiction Prize; A FOUR-SIDED BED (nominated for an American Library Association Book Award and an Editor’s Choice at Booklist, Amazon and more; a Boston Globe Paperback bestseller) and MY BODY TO YOU, a story collection that won the Iowa Short Fiction Prize (James Salter, judge). Elizabeth has co-edited two pop culture anthologies: SOAP OPERA CONFIDENTIAL, and IDOL TALK. 

Elizabeth’s work has appeared in over a dozen anthologies including DON’T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME (Simon & Schuster) and KNITTING YARNS (Norton). Over thirty of her short stories have been published in magazines such as Ploughshares, AGNI, Redbook, Kenyon Review, and more.  Elizabeth’s rock opera and her 2023 film have both drawn national media attention, including Elizabeth being interviewed on GOOD MORNING AMERICA, CNN, NPR, the AP, and more. 

Elizabeth served for over a decade on the Executive Board of PEN/New England and she is a co-chair of the progressive fundraising group Writers for Blue. She has taught at Stonecoast MFA since the program’s inception. Website: www.elizabethsearle.net