Elaine C Farrugia

Biography

My earliest memories growing up in Manhattan involve my mother reciting over me, each night, a sixteen-verse Maltese prayer.  I believe it's the sound of my mother's voice, and the rhythm of her words in the dark, that first sparked my life-long infatuation with language.  Though I produced both poetry and fiction in college, where I had the great pleasure of working with poets Beth Ann Fennelly and Robin Metz, I focused exclusively on fiction while working toward my M.F.A. at Arizona State University. However, I never abandoned my poetic roots and always attempt to incorporate that aesthetic into my prose.  It was while working under the brilliant direction of Melissa Pritchard, Ron Carlson, and T.M. McNally at Arizona State that I began my novel A Pattern for Virtue, a project that still consumes me. 

Areas

• Fiction and poetry writing
• Personal essay
• Academic writing

Degrees 

•  M.F.A., Fiction, Arizona State University, 2006,
•  B.A., Creative Writing, Knox College, 2001

Publications

• "A July Night on Hida Street..." Puerto Del Sol 37, Summer 2002. 385-387
• "At Auction," Another Chicago Magazine 39, Fall 2001. 74-88

Some Presentations, Awards, and Recognition

• Panelist, Creative Writing in the Composition Classroom, Northeast Modern Language Association, Montreal, April 2010
• Honorable Mention, White Eagle Coffee Store Press Long Story Contest, 2006
• First Place, The Glendon and Kathryn Swarthout Award for Fiction, Arizona State University, 2004
• Winner, Associated Colleges of the Midwest Short Story Competition, 2001
• Phi Beta Kappa, elected 2001
• Associated Writing Programs Intro Journals Project Award for Poetry, 2000