Elizabeth Swados – författare

During a weekend retreat sponsored by two female rabbis the atmosphere in the countrylog cabin evolves from shyness and contempt into a tell-all session among adolescent Jewishgirls from all types of families and backgrounds. Stories and songs transcend stereotypesto fi nd individuality heart and humor and to touch on sensitive issues such as pressure self-esteem the fast pace of this decade and what it means to be a girl - not just a Jewishgirl - in modern society. Meet the loner with the infl atable mattress the rich girl the observantyoung woman with the gay brother the anarchist the all-too-mature teen. and anintriguing mix of other vivid personalities. Songs range from contemporary to pop tunesto upbeat numbers based on religious liturgy all by the author of Runaways The Red Sneaks and other challenging musicals for young casts.

Runaways is a collection of songs dances and spoken word pieces performed by children who have run away from their homes. Initially created from interviews with homeless children and those in orphanages Liz Swados' unique piece weaves songs about personal struggle and the world at large through the eyes of youth in New York City in the '70s. The show blends different musical styles from pop to hip-hop and jazz to reggae while asking why children can't remain children.The licensed version of Runaways reflects the version performed by Encores in 2016.

This "Passover oratorio" by the composer of Runaways is a disarmingly simpleaccount of the birth and life of Moses and of the Exodus done with masksand a clever use of puppetry. This unusual show was originally produced (andlater revived) during Passover at Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare FestivalPublic Theatre.

This "music hall" version of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glasswas a New York Shakespeare Festival production. Swados composed the score adaptedthe book and directed for the stage. Meryl Streep starred as "Alice" at New York's PublicTheatre.Later aired on PBS and titled Alice at the Palace this imaginative rendering of the LewisCarroll classic is performed concert-style on a bare stage the actors in modern rehearsalclothes. Stylistically the music ranges from rock to country/western to calypso as theoutlandish characters of "Wonderland" are reinterpreted in this "story theatre"-type setting.

A “brilliant and layered” novel about a prodigy turned convict turned dog walker in her 40s from the celebrated author of My Depression: A Picture Book (Oprah.com).   A former child prodigy and rich-girl, eighteen-year-old Ester is incarcerated after her kleptomania gets way out of hand. There, she is given the very gentile name Carleen (for her own protection) and for two decades, time is the enemy. When finally let loose onto the streets of New York, Carleen finds a job as a dog walker in Manhattan’s most elite neighborhoods. But despite her remarkable gift for canine communication, Carleen is determined to finally prove that she is a real person. To this end, she tries to reconnect with her estranged—and ferociously Orthodox—daughter.   Amid the strained brunch dates, unsent letters, and the continuing trauma of prison, Carleen begins a slow and halting process of self-discovery. Strikingly funny and self-aware, this belated coming-of-age novel asks the question: How do you restart after crashing your first chance at life?

This intimate journey through long-term depression is by turns tender, funny, poignant, and uplifting. Swados'' charming words and frenzied drawings bring home the experience of severe depression, from the black cloud forming on the horizon to feelings of self-loathing and loss of self-confidence; from contemplating suicide, which Swados describes as wandering off into the Sahara desert (discounting the buzzards and the scorpions), to actively seeking out methods for fighting depression—including psychics, diet, and repression therapy—to experimenting with antidepressants that make you snippy, sleepy, or judgmental. My Depression is an engaging and heartening memoir of an illness that has been stigmatized for too long and on how it is possible to survive, one little challenge at a time, with medication and the occasional tasty, messy slice of pizza; with dancing to a boombox on the street and thanking the mailman for the newest catalogue, then proceeding to read it cover to cover! From the Hardcover edition.