Evan Guilford-Blake

Evan Guilford-Blake (Fiction, Plays) | Atlanta, GA

Booking Fee:

Negotiable

Will Travel:

Anywhere

Contact:

ejbplaywright_at_yahoo.com

Website:

http://www.amazon.com/Evan-Guilford-Blake/e/B009CC554I/

Evan Guilford-Blake writes prose, plays and poetry for adults and children. His published prose includes the award-winning short story collection American Blues; and the novels Animation, for adults, and The Bluebird Prince for middle-grade students (and their parents). All are available from most e-retailers. His work has also appeared in roughly 70 journals, podcasts and anthologies (among them are Scratch My Belly and I’ll Follow You Anywhere, a collection of stories about rescued dogs; Balloon (No Extra Words, podcast #32); and the essay “Finding the Writer’s Way” (Exit 271, published by the Georgia Writers’ Association), winning 24 awards and two Pushcart Prize nominations. His plays have been performed internationally and won 43 playwriting competitions including the Eamon Keane award, Ireland’s most prestigious prize; and the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival contest, twice. He is the only playwright to have been so honored. Thirty-one of his scripts are published. Evan has also taught playwriting and fiction at several venues, including several writers’ conferences, and at Chicago Dramatists, where he is Distinguished Resident Playwright Emeritus. He and his wife (and inspiration) Roxanna, a healthcare writer and jewelry designer, live in the Atlanta area.

Books

The Bluebird Prince (Rooster&Pig Publishing, 2016). Middle-grade novel. Fiction.
Animation (Deeds Publishing, 2015). Novel. Fiction.
American Blues (Holland House, 2014). Short Stories. Fiction.

Plays

  • Nighthawks (trade edition), neoNUMA Arts, 2009
  • Friends & Relations, Blue Moon Plays, 2012, acting edition
  • The Bluebird Prince, Pioneer Drama Service, 2014, acting edition
  • Telling William Tell, YouthPLAYS, 2011, acting edition
  • The Three Little Pigs and Other Storytelling Tales, Eldridge Plays and Musicals, 2010, acting edition
  • The Happy Prince and Other Storytelling Tales, Eldridge Plays and Musicals, 2010, acting edition
  • Tales from Beatrix Potter, Eldridge Plays and Musicals, 2009, acting edition
  • True Magic, Playscripts, 2009, acting edition
  • The Firebird, Playscripts, 2007, acting edition

Blurbs, Press & Reviews

On American Blues

American Blues is a terrific collection. Evan Guilford-Blake has the rare gift of capturing the reader’s imagination with the very first lines of these stories, and the characters leap off the page with all their griefs and small triumphs. The settings are gritty and grubby, yet Guilford-Blake has infused them with a tenderness that is irresistible. You’ll finish the book wanting more.
—Lynne Sharon Schwartz, National Book Award nominee, author of Disturbances in the Field

American Blues is a rare literary treasure. [It’s] a collection that demands to be read. My heart aches for these characters. [These] stories are beautiful, poignant explorations of time and existence.
—Kayla Greenwell, Blotterature

It’s refreshing to pick up a short story collection that has such purpose. Unlike many single author collections, Guilford-Blake’s tells five separate stories centering on the heart and soul of American Blues… American Blues is a good read for those who love dialogue driven short stories, period pieces, blues moodiness, or new takes on noir.
—Raquel Thorne, cahoodaloodaling

These stories are unflinching and delve into serious themes that affect many lives… What I like about this book is that it captures the unreconstructed, unsuccessful male in all his un-glory, misplaced pride and chipped self-worth. In no way do these tales celebrate ideals or strike up notes of celebration, and in no way does it solicit anyone’s sympathy. I often found myself thinking “how true”, and then: “how backward.”
—Polly Trope, indieberlin

On Animation:

Guilford-Blake juggles Aggie’s trials and self-reflection well, and he skillfully manages to push the reader into cheering Aggie on rather than pitying him. This is backed up by an unfussy, straightforward writing style: there are few literary flourishes or fireworks here. Unsurprisingly for someone with so many plays to his name, Guilford-Blake’s dialogue is realistic and engaging.
—James Holden, Blotterature

This tale is so full of real life it grows on you.

Reading Animation, one gets the sense of watching small, innocuous strands of information link together to form long, significant threads—which then intertwine to create a deeply textured bolt of fabric. Some strands define action; others glimmer with context. And the result is a rich tapestry that the reader witnesses weaving itself slowly before his eyes.
—anonymous Amazon reviewer

On The Bluebird Prince:

I am almost ten, and I think children ages 8 and up will enjoy this fairy tale. I also think adults might enjoy this story. It reminds me of the Harry Potter books. All fairy tales have magical characters and spells. The moral of this story is not to be selfish and to care about others. Overall, this fairy tale was one of the best stories I’ve read.
—Zachary, age 10, reviewing the book on Amazon

Evan Guilford Blake’s delightful tale, The Bluebird Prince, offers a modern-day twist to the timeless fairy-tale themes of love, romance, shapeshifting and adventure. … This lively, lovingly told narrative will charm readers of all ages for years to come.
—Kerry Muir, author of Childsplay

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