Dorf, Fran
Fran Dorf’s acclaimed, internationally published novels include A Reasonable Madness (1990/91), Flight (1992/93), and Saving Elijah (2000), which was inspired by the tragic death of Fran’s son, Michael, in 1994. A starred “Publisher’s Weekly” review called Saving Elijah “a stunning novel that crackles with suspense, dark humor and provocative questions…and meditates with honesty and insight on the nature of parental love and responsibility.” Part ghost story, part family drama, part thriller, Saving Elijah was praised by the “Washington Post” for its “tough-minded interrogative approach to grief.” That “interrogative approach” comes in the form of a wise talking, spectral literary device who personifies all the terrible questions bereaved mothers ask themselves, and makes Saving Elijah more than anything an extended metaphor for the psychological process of grief.
Fran holds a BS in journalism and an MA in psychology. She writes poetry, essays, articles, and a screenplay or two, and conducts “write to heal” workshops that use fictional exercises and techniques, some arising out of themes developed in Saving Elijah, to help people identify, claim, give voice to, and integrate the complex, difficult emotions surrounding grief, loss, and/or trauma. In October, 2008, Fran will present a paper on the process and consequences of turning her own grief into fiction at the Wellness and Writing Connections Conference in Atlanta.
In 1999, Fran and her husband Bob established Jumpstart, an educational program for toddlers with special needs, in memory of Michael. An experienced public speaker and active philanthropist, Fran blogs as THE BRUISED MUSE on “life, grief, and everything in between (books, film, art, writing, psychology, culture, human rights, politics, media, poetry, spirituality, etc)” at www.frandorf.com.
