One of ISA's Top 25 Screenwriters to Watch, 2024!
Written By
Mary Elder
Mary Elder is an author, screenwriter, and novelist. Named one of ISA's Top 25 Screenwriters to Watch in 2024, she is a Hedgebrook Screenwriting Fellow ('18,'21), an Athena Film Festival Screenwriting Lab Fellow ('19) and the recipient of an Alfred P. Sloan award ('19), Mary's latest project, THE GLAMOUR AND THE POISON, is a second rounder for the 2023 Sundance Feature Film Development Program; her biopic, NIGHTINGALE'S BLOOM made the second round in 2020 and 2021. Mary's screenplay, FLOWER GIRL was purchased by Warner Bros. Pictures. She wrote SNOW ANGELS during her tenure as a Disney Fellow. She's currently adapting her Disney Fellowship winning screenplay, DEAD TO THE WORLD, into a novel. Her first novel, BEAUTY TIPS & TRICKS FOR THE APOCALYPSE has advanced to the top 100 in the Launchpad Prose Competition.
Bio
Mary Elder was born in Dublin, New Hampshire. She grew up tapping maple trees, climbing Mount Monadnock, and contra dancing. She attended Cornell University where she graduated magna cum laude. She spent the first decade after college in creative positions in radio, newspapers, magazines, and interactive media. Mary has written numerous screenplays, one novel (in progress), and a television pilot.
Mary spends most of her time in Seattle with her husband, Rod Gleysteen, and their puppy, Quigley. They have two terrific children, one in the Bay Area, and the other just back from University of San Diego.
At 5:30 every morning Mary can be found at her desk, writing.
News and Updates
Storyknife, 2025
I'm excited to announce that I've been added to the waitlist to for a residency at Storyknife, in Homer Alaska during the 2025 season.
Novel Intensive, Curtis Brown Creative, London.
I traveled to London in October to take part in the 4-day Alumni Novel-Writing intensive at Curtis Brown Creative, taught by Lizzie Enfield.
Stand Up Comedy
I thought I'd try it once. But I've been getting up on comedy stages weekly, ever since! It feels great developing my comedy chops with the help of immediate audience feedback.
Romantic Comedy Feature Going out to Producers
After many drafts, PARDON MY FRENCH, my female-led romantic comedy set in the US, France and Spain will be going out to producers this Spring.
