Elishia is a doctoral candidate at the University of North Texas in Creative Writing. Her primary area of interest is the 20th-century American novel, and her secondary interests are female memoirists and the history of the essay. She often writes about trauma, redemption, and identity. She is currently working on her dissertation, a novel entitled The Muck & Mire, and she plans to graduate in May 2014. Her work also appears in Journey and is forthcoming in Kaleidoscope. Her favorite authors include Margaret Atwood, Joyce Carol Oates, and Richard Wright.