ELIZABETH DWYER
Storyteller
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Latest News
With her queer romcom feature When Ani Met Jo Met Chris, Elizabeth was selected as one of two Stowe Story Lab Launch Fellows, alongside drama writer Ahmed Qaid.
The Solo Show, Reimagined
Opinionated Slut by Elizabeth Dwyer
A unique play connecting the dots between casual, everyday sexism and intimate partner violence. Through a lens of humor, love, and unyielding optimism, one woman dares to celebrate what many seek to silence: the power to define herself.
Performed by a different actor each night at a different venue each weekend, no two shows (or experiences) are the same. Written by Elizabeth Dwyer. Premiered at Duke City Repertory Theatre, Oct. 2022, featuring Elizabeth Dwyer, Amelia Ampuero, Evening Star Barron, and Danielle Robertson; directed by Juli Hendren and Katie Farmin.
For inquiries about producing Opinionated Slut, contact Elizabeth.

NYC Midnight Microfiction
Two of Elizabeth's stories advanced in the NYC Midnight 150-Word and 250-Word Microfiction Challenges, respectively.
Challenge participants are assigned random story genres, along with an action and a word that must be included. Showcasing Elizabeth's versatility as a writer, you can read the two microstories here.
150-Word Challenge
FORREST
My first-date palms had never been sweatier.
Then stunning Brenna offered me the leash, brown eyes shining. “Don’t lose her,” she winked, and I nearly vomited. Hold your literally award-winning Shiba Inu? But what if I break it?
Then it ran. It slipped through my sweaty palms and ran, chasing a Dalmatian while I chased it, thinking I have never been more humiliated.
Then some stoned teenagers spotted me and yelled, “Run Forrest, run!”
So I did. I ran from Brenna’s cries of “Cleopatra! Bad dog! Get back here!” Until my sweaty palms ran me all the way home.
250-Word Challenge
INVITATION
The dragons all disappeared more than 300 years ago. At least that’s what Vae was told by every elder in Kilharia.
Then what was it I saw across the lake, Vae wondered for the umpteenth time, if not a fledgling dragon?
Piling the tangle of crimson curls atop her head, Vae sighed and tried once more to bring the relentless memory into focus.
Under the light of the year’s brightest moons; fat Undra and wee Tigh. The larger orb tinged with gold, the smaller a pale pink. The wind roused her awake. Vae slipped into her silks and stepped outside. Clouds swept in. A sudden, icy chill. A deep rumble. Vae saw it then, on the southern shore, unmistakable: Wings. A puff of smoke. And then, the slightest veil of blue flame-
And then it was gone.
A cold, wet nose nudged Vae out of her reverie. It belonged to Shinu, her family’s oldest Kelpie. Shinu urged Vae back to her task, the shearing scissors gently tugging the animal’s black fluff away from her skin. But instead of a fistful of hair, Vae’s hand pulled on a black ribbon of smoke, unfurling Shinu’s form, spinning the canine into a slight, raven-haired child.
Vae gasped, tumbling off her stool.
“What do you want, darkling?”
“No not I. It’s what you want, curious one. I’m here to offer a pact.”
“What sort of pact?”
“You bring me a human child to feast on, and I’ll show you where the dragons are hiding.”

ABOUT ELIZABETH, WRITER-WISE
As a queer woman and tenacious dramedy devotee, Elizabeth’s writing reflects the world she lives in: a world that is decidely more than straight, cis, and white. A world that is not Comedy or Drama, but happy and sad at the same time. She tells all the love stories, especially when they're gay. Elizabeth champions those once relegated to supporting cast, bringing rich, full, complex lives and identities to center stage and screen.
Elizabeth is here to make some good trouble on the page, and within her creative community she engages in ongoing, evolving, essential dialogue around who gets to tell what kinds of stories and the importance of lifting up historically excluded voices. She considers her writing a superpower, and with great power comes great responsibility. (#spiderman)
Industry readers have described Elizabeth’s writing as “…tonally sharp and atmospheric…” “...hilariously awkward…”, and her personal favorite, "Fifty Shades for thinking people." Elizabeth’s screenwriting accolades include Stowe Story Labs Launch Program Fellow; Top 8 in Issa Rae & Paul Feig's Teen Movie Contest; ISA Fast Track Fellowship and WeScreenplay Diverse Voices Finalist; Table Read My Screenplay Top 10; and AFF Second Rounder.
Billie Starr's Book of Sorries (Audiobook)
WRITTEN BY: DEBORAH E. KENNEDY
NARRATED BY: ELIZABETH DWYER
About This Audiobook
Shimmering with rage and sparkling with subtle humor, Billie Starr's Book of Sorries showcases Edgar Award-nominee Deborah E. Kennedy's singular voice as Jenny, a heroine in the vein of Olive Kitteridge in Crosby, Maine and Miles Roby in Empire Falls, shines a light on the town of Benson, Indiana, where lakes, grudges, and family rifts run deep – but so does a mother’s love.
Sometimes, a woman has to rescue herself.

Top 8 – Issa Rae/Paul Feig Teen Movie Contest
Official Selection - Coverfly Virtual Live Reads
Semifinalist – Creative Screenwriting Unique Voices
Copyright WGA #1704441
When Kendrick Matthews (consummate Black nerd and high school senior) posts a song and dance YouTube video asking Cassidy Jordan (international supermodel) to prom, the invitation goes viral. Still, Kendrick never dreams Cassidy will say yes... or how much it will upend their lives when she does.
A teen romcom for the audiences of today, STARSTRUCK love is queer, multiracial, and inextricably linked to the internet. The script began as one of 2000+ pitches received by ColorCreative and Powderkeg Media's Teen Movie Contest. Advancing through three rounds of development, STARSTRUCK was one of only eight semifinalists selected in the competition.
A modern-day fairytale where a girl is the prince and everyone gets rescued, STARSTRUCK is a story I could’ve used as a lonely queer teen, looking for people like me. It's a movie for my nephews, so they see themselves represented beyond the limited, harmful stereotypes of what it means to be a Black boy in this world. It's a story that tells teenagers from all walks of life that they are vibrant, beautiful, and worthy of love.
Official Selection - Stowe Story Labs Development Grant
Finalist - WeScreenplay - Diverse Voices
Finalist - Stowe Story Labs Fellowship
Second Rounder (Top 15%) - Austin Film Festival
After a harrowing loss, a young Irish Catholic woman and her family adjust to life in 1915 Chicago. Her father’s grief, the call of women’s suffrage, and her closest friend’s unwed pregnancy are the least of Bernadette Daley’s worries when a compelling Black man moves into her home and her heart. A three-part, nine-episode limited series. Copyright WGA #1929336
BYLINES
Storytelling through Journalism
Writing for the UNM Newsroom, the Weekly Alibi, and more, Elizabeth's work covers topics such as racism in healthcare, mindfulness as treatment for substance use disorders, an award-winning teacher/DACA recipient, and various artist profiles. You can see a sampling of her work here.