Cris Mazza
Encyclopedia
Cris Mazza is an American
novelist, short story and non-fiction writer.
, she earned her BA and MA at San Diego State University
and her MFA in writing at Brooklyn College
. She has published nine novels, four collections of short stories, and a collection of essays. She is widely anthologized as an example of post-feminist, formalist, or contemporary experimental fiction. Her work often deals with second and third-wave feminist concerns as well as frank sexuality.
Along with Jeffrey DeShell, she coined the term "chick lit" for the edited anthology Chick Lit Postfeminist Fiction (1995) and the follow-up anthology Chick Lit 2: No Chick Vics (1996). While originally meant to be ironic, the term was co-opted to define a very different sort of work.
Mazza directs the Program for Writers at the University of Illinois at Chicago
.
She won the PEN / Nelson Algren Award for her novel "How to Leave a Country."
In addition, Cris Mazza received an &NOW award in 2009 for her story “Trickle-Down Timeline,” published in The &NOW Awards: The Best Innovative Writing in 2009. Mazza has also participated in the biennial &NOW festival.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novelist, short story and non-fiction writer.
Biography
A native of Southern CaliforniaSouthern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
, she earned her BA and MA at San Diego State University
San Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
and her MFA in writing at Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College is a senior college of the City University of New York, located in Brooklyn, New York, United States.Established in 1930 by the New York City Board of Higher Education, the College had its beginnings as the Downtown Brooklyn branches of Hunter College and the City College of New...
. She has published nine novels, four collections of short stories, and a collection of essays. She is widely anthologized as an example of post-feminist, formalist, or contemporary experimental fiction. Her work often deals with second and third-wave feminist concerns as well as frank sexuality.
Along with Jeffrey DeShell, she coined the term "chick lit" for the edited anthology Chick Lit Postfeminist Fiction (1995) and the follow-up anthology Chick Lit 2: No Chick Vics (1996). While originally meant to be ironic, the term was co-opted to define a very different sort of work.
Mazza directs the Program for Writers at the University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois at Chicago
The University of Illinois at Chicago, or UIC, is a state-funded public research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, near the Chicago Loop...
.
She won the PEN / Nelson Algren Award for her novel "How to Leave a Country."
In addition, Cris Mazza received an &NOW award in 2009 for her story “Trickle-Down Timeline,” published in The &NOW Awards: The Best Innovative Writing in 2009. Mazza has also participated in the biennial &NOW festival.
Works
- How to Leave a Country: a novel (1992)
- Dog People: a novel (1997)
- Indigenous: Growing up Californian (City LightsCity LightsCity Lights is a 1931 American silent film and romantic comedy-drama written by, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin. It also has the leads Virginia Cherrill and Harry Myers. Although "talking" pictures were on the rise since 1928, City Lights was immediately popular. Today, it is thought of...
, 2003) - Homeland (Red Hen Press, 2004)
- Disability (FC2, 2005)
- Many Ways to Get It, Many Ways to Say It (Chiasmus Press, 2005)
- Waterbaby (Soft Skull Press, 2007)
- Various Men who Knew us as Girls (Emergency Press, 2011)