Editing Francesca Lia Block

{{short description|American writer (born 1963)}}
{{infobox writer <!-- for more information see Template: Infobox writer -->
| name         = Francesca Lia Block
| birth_name   = 
| image        = Francesca Lia Block photographed by Nicolas Sage Photography.jpg
| caption      = 
| birth_date   = {{birth date and age|1962|12|3|mf=y}}
| birth_place  = Los Angeles, California, US
| occupation   = Writer
| language     = English
| nationality  = 
| alma_mater   = [[University of California, Berkeley]]
| period       = 1989–present
| genre        = 
| notableworks = 
| awards       = {{awards |[[Margaret Edwards Award]] |2005}}
| website      = 
| children     = 2<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-ca-jc-francesca-lia-block-20130825-story.html|title=Francesca Lia Block and her post-apocalyptic year|last=Brodesser-Akner|first=Taffy|date=August 22, 2013|website=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=2019-03-08}}</ref>
}}

'''Francesca Lia Block''' (born December 3, 1962) is an American writer of adult and [[young adult fiction|young-adult literature]]. She wrote the ''[[Weetzie Bat]]'' series,<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/23/books/23bloc.html|work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=2012-03-17 |date=2005-05-23 |title=Writing Frankly, Young-Adult Author Pushes Limits|author=Dinitia Smith}}</ref> which she began while a student at [[UC Berkeley]].

==Early life and education==

Block was born in Los Angeles in 1962.  Her mother was a poet and her father was the screenwriter and painter [[Irving Block]].<ref name=Rogers>{{cite news |last=Rogers |first=John |date=December 2, 2005 |title=Weetzie Bat is back, and grown up, as her creator confronts middle age |url=https://www.fosters.com/story/lifestyle/2005/12/02/weetzie-bat-is-back/52584197007/ |work=Foster's Daily Democrat |access-date=September 22, 2023}}</ref> She attended [[North Hollywood High School]]<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Campbell |first=Patricia J.|date=January–February 1993 |title=People are talking about ... Francesca Lia Block |magazine=The Horn Book Magazine}}</ref> and the [[University of California, Berkeley]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Hotaling |first=Debra |date=November 14, 1999 |title=The Scribe of Shangri-La |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-nov-14-tm-33223-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=October 6, 2022}}</ref> and later studied for her MFA from the [[University of California at Riverside]].<ref name=Romanoff>{{cite web |url=https://lithub.com/francesca-lia-block-is-a-lot-more-than-weetzie-bat/ |title=Francesca Lia Block is a Lot More than Weetzie Bat |last=Romanoff |first=Zan |date=May 7, 2018 |website=Literary Hub |access-date=March 19, 2024}}</ref>

==Career==
Block writes both novels and poetry. Her first two books, ''Moon Harvest'' (1978) and ''Season of Green'' (1979), were small-press illustrated poetry collections, now out of print. Since then, she has released several standalone collections of poetry, as well as incorporating poetry and lyrics into many of her novels. She has published over 40 books.<ref name=Romanoff />

Block did not originally start out with an editor, but was published by using her connections. She attributed her success partly to publishers being interested in shorter books.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.loveispop.com/interviews/just-write-an-exclusive-interview-with-francesca-lia-block/|title=JUST WRITE: AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH FRANCESCA LIA BLOCK|website=www.loveispop.com|date=18 August 2016 |language=en-US|access-date=2018-04-23}}</ref>

In 2014, Block was named Writer-in-Residence at [[Pasadena City College]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.francescaliablock.com/about|title=Francesca Lia Block - About|last=Hillary|website=www.francescaliablock.com|language=en-gb|access-date=2018-04-23}}</ref> Block is a member of the [[Authors Guild]], [[Authors League of America]], and the [[Writers Guild of America]].

In 2018, it was confirmed that ''Weetzie Bat'' would be produced as a feature film, with [[Justin Kelly (director)|Justin Kelly]] attached as director. Block wrote the screenplay for the film.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2018/07/anya-taylor-joy-nick-robinson-sasha-lane-weetzie-bat-film-adaptation-1202424824/|title=Anya Taylor-Joy, Nick Robinson & Sasha Lane Star In 'Weetzie Bat' Film Adaptation|last=N'Duka|first=Amanda|date=2018-07-11|work=Deadline|access-date=2018-07-16|language=en-US}}</ref>

Block is known for her use of imagery, especially in describing the city of Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2012/03/francesca-lia-block-takes-mortgage-woes-public.html|work=[[The Los Angeles Times]]|author=Carolyn Kellogg|date=2012-03-12|accessdate=2012-03-17|title=Francesca Lia Block takes her mortgage woes public}}</ref> One ''[[The New York Times Book Review|New York Times Book Review]]'' critic said, "Block writes about the real Los Angeles better than anyone since [[Raymond Chandler]]."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2011/10/25/author-francesca-lia-block-on-occupy-wall-street-meditations-in-the-dark.html|publisher=[[CNBC]]|access-date=2012-03-17|title=Author Francesca Lia Block on Occupy Wall Street: Meditations in the Dark|date=2011-10-25|author=Francesca Lia Block|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927233713/http://www.cnbc.com/id/45016703/Author_Francesca_Lia_Block_on_Occupy_Wall_Street_Meditations_in_the_Dark|archive-date=2013-09-27}}</ref>

==Writing style and genres==
Block sees her books as being in the tradition of [[magical realism]], and she has said that she was heavily influenced by [[Gabriel Garcia Marquez]] and [[Isabel Allende]],<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Williams |first=Wilda |date=August 1, 2005 |title=Q&A: Francesca Lia Block |magazine=Library Journal}}</ref> as well as [[Emily Dickinson]].<ref name=Rogers /> She has been compared to [[S.E. Hinton]] because of themes like sex, death, drugs, and broken homes that occur in her works.<ref name=Rogers /> Many of her books have been categorized as young adult fiction, but Block has also written adult fiction, non-fiction, short stories, and poetry.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Pepper |first=Rachel |date=April 2003 |title=Francesca Lia Block (Notes from Far-Flung Places) |magazine=Curve |publisher=Avalon Media}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Di Marzo |first=Cindy |date=May 18, 1998 |title=Harper Introduces Francesca Lia Block to a Wider Audience |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/19980518/23406-pw-harper-introduces-francesca-lia-block-to-a-wider-audience.html |magazine=Publishers Weekly |access-date=September 17, 2024}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Block has a son and a daughter.<ref name=Rogers /><ref name=Romanoff /> She lives in Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Bolle |first=Sonja |date=July 21, 2008 |title=Francesca Lia Block: staying in the force field of her audience |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20080721/1292-francesca-lia-block.html |magazine=Publishers Weekly |access-date=September 17, 2024}}</ref>

==Awards and nominations==
* 1996: ''Baby Be-Bop'' was nominated for the Lambda Literary Award for Young Adult/Children's Book
* 2001: ''Dangerous Angels'' was inducted into the [[Gaylactic Spectrum Awards]] Hall of Fame
* 2005: [[American Library Association]] (ALA) [[Margaret A. Edwards Award]] for "significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature" for the first five Weetzie Bat books.<ref name="edwards" />
* 2009: ''Weetzie Bat'' won the [[Phoenix Award]] from the [[Children's Literature Association]] as the best English-language children's book that did not win a major award when it was originally published.<ref name="phoenix" />

==Bibliography==

{|
|'''Weetzie Bat, or [[Dangerous Angels]] series'''
#''[[Weetzie Bat]]'' (1989) — winner of the 2009 Phoenix Award<ref name=phoenix/>
#''[[Witch Baby]]'' (1991)
#''[[Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys]]'' (1992)
#''[[Missing Angel Juan]]'' (1993)
#''[[Baby Be-Bop]]'' (1995)
#''[[Necklace of Kisses]]'' (2005)
#''[[Pink Smog]]'' (2012), prequel
|'''Omnibus editions'''<ref name=isfdb/>
* ''Dangerous Angels: The Weetzie Bat Books'', volumes 1–5 (1998)
* ''Beautiful Boys: Two Weetzie Bat Books'', 4–5 (2004)
* ''Goat Girls: Two Weetzie Bat Books'', 2–3  (2004)
|}

;Standalone novels
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
*''Ecstasia'' (1993)
*''The Hanged Man'' (1994)
*''Primavera'' (1994)
*''I Was A Teenage Fairy'' (1998)
*''Violet and Claire'' (1999)
*''The Rose and the Beast'' (2000)
*''[[Echo (Block novel)|Echo]]'' (2001)
*''[[Wasteland (Block novel)|Wasteland]]'' (2003)
*''Ruby'' (2006)
*''Psyche In A Dress'' (2006)
*''Blood Roses'' (2008)
*''Quakeland'' (2008)
*''The Waters and the Wild'' (2009)
*''Pretty Dead'' (2009)
*''The Frenzy''  (2010)
*''House of Dolls'' (2010)
*''The Elementals'' (St. Martin's Press, 2013)
*''Love in the Time of Global Warming'' (2013)
*''Teen Spirit'' (2014)
*''The Island of Excess Love'' (2014)
*''Beyond the Pale Motel'' (2014)
*''My Miserable Life'' (2016), as F.L. Block
*''Lost Children'' (2021), audiobook
{{div col end}}''House Of Hearts'' (Rare Bird Books, 2022)
{|
|'''Collections'''
*''Moon Harvest: Poems'' (1978), poetry
*''Season of Green: Poems'' (1979), poetry
*''Girl Goddess #9: Nine Stories ''(1996), short stories
*''Nymph: Nine Erotic Stories'' (2003), short stories
*''Blood Roses'' (2008), short stories
*''How to (Un)cage a Girl'' (2008), poetry
*''Open Letter to Quiet Light'' (2009), poetry
*''Roses & Bones'' (2010), omnibus of ''Psyche in a Dress'', ''Echo'', and ''The Rose and the Beast''
*''Fairy Tales in Electri-City'' (2011), poetry
* ''Love Magick'' (2012), editor
* ''Dead Girls'' (2019), poetry
|'''Non-fiction and other'''
*''Zine Scene: the do it yourself guide to zines'' (1998)
*''Guarding the Moon: A Mother's First Year'' (2003)
*''Wood Nymph Seeks Centaur: A Mythological Dating Guide'' (2009)
*''Evidence of Angels'' (2009), with photographer [[Suza Scalora]]
*''The Thorn Necklace: Healing Through Writing and the Creative process'' (2018)
|}

==See also==
{{Portal bar |Children's literature |Speculative fiction |Los Angeles }} <!-- delete the word "bar" if there are enough ordinary See also -->

==References==
{{reflist |25em |refs=
<ref name=isfdb>
{{ISFDB name|2946}}. Retrieved 2014-09-04.</ref>
<ref name=phoenix>[http://www.childlitassn.org/images/resources/resources-Children-squo-s_Lit_-_Phoenix_Award_Brochure_2012.pdf "Phoenix Award Brochure 2012"]{{dead link|date=January 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. [[Children's Literature Association]]. Retrieved 2012-12-11.<br>
See also the current homepage [http://www.childlitassn.org/index.php?page=about&family=awards&category=06--Phoenix_Award&display=27 "Phoenix Award"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320175700/http://www.childlitassn.org/index.php?page=about&family=awards&category=06--Phoenix_Award&display=27 |date=2012-03-20 }}.<!-- evidently features the latest winner --></ref>
<ref name=edwards>
[http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklistsawards/bookawards/margaretaedwards/maeprevious/05block "2005 Margaret A. Edwards Award Winner"]. [[Young Adult Library Services Association]] (YALSA). American Library Association (ALA).<br>
&nbsp; [http://www.ala.org/yalsa/edwards-award "Edwards Award"]. YALSA. ALA. Retrieved 2013-10-10.</ref>
}}

==External links==
{{Library resources box|by=yes|online books=no|viaf=85684838|lccn=n79097475}}
*{{official website}}
*{{ISFDB name|id=2946}}
*{{IMDb name|6907562}}
*[https://www.youtube.com/user/Superfilmgirl#grid/user/F9EFAD9B873B5D7B/ Weetzie Bat Screenplay Reading]
*[http://savethefaeriecottage.blogspot.com/2012/03/beautiful-video-of-faerie-cottage.html Save Francesca's Faerie Cottage]
*[http://lccn.loc.gov/n88020519 Francesca Lia Block] at [[Library of Congress]] Authorities — with 38 catalog records

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Block, Francesca Lia}}
[[Category:1962 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century American novelists]]
[[Category:21st-century American novelists]]
[[Category:American children's writers]]
[[Category:American fantasy writers]]
[[Category:American women short story writers]]
[[Category:American women novelists]]
[[Category:Margaret A. Edwards Award winners]]
[[Category:Writers from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:American women children's writers]]
[[Category:American women science fiction and fantasy writers]]
[[Category:20th-century American women writers]]
[[Category:21st-century American women writers]]
[[Category:American women writers of young adult literature]]
[[Category:American writers of young adult literature]]
[[Category:20th-century American short story writers]]
[[Category:21st-century American short story writers]]