Elana K. Arnold

Adjunct Professor

Part-Time Faculty

Biography

Elana K. Arnold is the critically acclaimed and award-winning author of over thirty books, including National Book Award finalist WHAT GIRLS ARE MADE OF, Printz Honor winner DAMSEL, National Jewish Book Award winner and Sydney Taylor Book Award winner THE BLOOD YEARS, and global read-aloud A BOY CALLED BAT and its sequels. She lives in Long Beach, California.

Expertise

  • Writing for children and teens
  • Narrative fiction
  • Contemporary literary studies

Research Areas

  • Writing for young adults
  • Writing for children
  • Fairytale and fantasy
  • Speculative fiction
  • Literary fiction 

Education

  • UC Davis, MA in English/Creative Writing, 1998
  • UC Irvine, BA in Comparative Literature, 1996

Prior Experience

  • Adjunct Faculty in MFAC, Hamline University (2018-2024)
  • Adjunct Faculty in English, UC Davis (2014-2016)
  • Full-time Faculty in English, Oregon State University (2008-2009)

Awards & Distinctions

  • Winner, National Jewish Book Award, 2024
  • Boston-Horn Book Award Honor,  2024
  • Printz Honor Winner, 2018
  • National Book Award Finalist, 2017
  • Winner, Sydney Taylor Book Award, 2004

Selected Publications

  • Holloway
  • The Blood Years
  • A Boy Called BAT
  • Damsel
  • What Girls are Made Of