International Women’s Day
March is Women’s History Month, and International Women’s Day is March 8. As I did last year and in 2023, let’s commemorate this day with 10 more Greek-American women authors.
Let’s hear it for the WOMEN!
Meet these talented Greek-American women authors and check out their work.
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Loukia Borrell
Born in Toledo, OH to Greek-Cypriot parents, Loukia now calls Virginia home. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English/Journalism from Elon University. Loukia has written for newspapers and city magazines in Florida and Virginia. She began writing poetry as a way to deal with the deaths of several loved ones. Her poetry has been published in multiple literary journals in the U.S. and UK.
She’s the author of independently three published novels that make up the ‘Aphrodite Trilogy. The stories draw on her Cypriot heritage and the events surrounding the Cyprus Invasion in 1974. Delicate Secrets: Book 1 (2014), Raping Aphrodite: Book 2 (2011), The Worlds Between Us: Book 3 (2017)
Nancy Econome
Nancy holds a Master’s degree in Cinema from San Francisco State and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of California at Davis. She’s worked as a reporter, as creative services director for a winery, and written screenplays.
For her debut historical novel, The Classic Grill – A Tale of Greek Gods and Immigrant Heroes (Kafeneon Productions, 2020), the Northern California-based Greek-American draws upon her own family lore. Her immigrant family owned a restaurant called The Classic Grill in Vallejo, CA. Here, she pays homage to them, their community, and the immigrant struggle. Watch for a new novel coming soon.
Kassandra Flamouri
This Pennsylvania-based author is a graduate of the Sunderman Conservatory at Gettysburg College. Her short stories have appeared in multiple online and print literary journals. Some early short fiction was published under the pen name, Tamara Linden.
She’s the author of two novels and two short story collections, which “feature strong girls and women whose strength isn’t rooted in violence.” Her teen/young adult novels in the ‘Kinsgadren series’ are The Fox and the Flame: Book 1 (Willow Root Books, a division of Lykaena LLC, 2024), The Chalice and the Crown: Book 2 (Willow Root Books, a Division of Lykaena LLC, 2024). Her first short story collection is The Fruit of Our Thorns (independently published, 2019). Kassandra’s second, The Roots Of Our Magic: 6 Stories Inspired By The Folklore Of Greece (independently published, 2019). It’s a Greek-English bilingual collection of short stories inspired by the history, mythology, and folklore of Greece.
Diane Helentjaris
Born in Dayton, OH, Diane earned a BA cum laude in Interdisciplinary Humanities from Michigan State University. She studied science in Montreal at McGill University before returning to Michigan to earn her MD. Diane also holds a Master’s in Public Health with an emphasis on health policy and administration from University of Michigan. She is a prolific writer, and has published short stories and poetry.
Her historical novel, The Indenture of Ivy O’Neill (Alkira Publishing, 2022), follows the story of a young Irish girl whose idyllic childhood ends in disaster in 1690, when a series of events lead her on a voyage to America against her wishes. She’ll have to summon her strength and courage to survive.
Her biography, I Ain’t Afraid: The World of Lulu Bell Parr, Wild West Cowgirl (Alkira Publishing, 2024), tells the story of the Wild West queen of the cowgirls, who was a celebrity in day, but little known in modern times. Diane’s working on a new novel. Stay tuned.
Henriette Lazaridis
Henriette is a multiple published essayist and was a founding editor of The Drum Literary Magazine. Henriette earned degrees in English literature from Middlebury College; University of Pennsylvania; and Oxford University, where she was a Rhodes Scholar. She’s taught English at Harvard University and currently teaches at GrubStreet in Boston. Henriette runs the Krouna Writing Workshop in Greece. She’s also the co-founder of Galiot Press.
Henriette is also the author of there novels, including Terra Nova (Pegasus Books, 2022) and The Clover House (Ballantine Books, 2013). Her most recent novel, Last Days in Plaka (Pegasus Books, 2024), follows a young Greek-American woman who moves to Athens to connect with her roots. There, she befriends an elderly woman who shares stories of hers—and Athens’—glorious past. The young woman gets caught up in these stories and ultimately puts her own life in danger. It’s a study of contrasts—Athens in classic and modern wonder, of truth and lies, of young and old.
Alethea Kontis
Born in Vermont, this New York Times Bestselling Author currently resides on the Space Coast of Florida. She writes award-winning young adult fairy tales. Alethea also narrates stories for multiple award-winning online magazines. She also contributes book reviews to NPR, and does freelance work for Writing the Other.
Her independently published books include ‘The Woodcutter Sisters’ series (2024), ‘The Nocturne Falls Universe’ series (2017), ‘The Trix’ series (2015), and many more.
Lauren Markham
The California-based fiction writer, essayist, and journalist’s work typically covers youth, migration, the environment and her home state of California. She’s reported from locations across the globe. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including QR (where she is a contributing editor), Harper’s, The New York Times Magazine, The Guardian, and The New York Review of Books.
She is the author of the multi-award-winning The Far Away Brothers: Two Young Migrants and the Making of an American Life (Crown, 2017). Her latest book, A Map of Future Ruins: On Borders and Belonging (Riverhead, 2024) and Immemorial (Transit, 2025), is said to be part memoir, part philosophical speculation on myth throughout history”. It also includes reporting about refugees on the island of Lesbos.
Aggeliki Pelekidis
A New York-native, Aggeliki earned an MA and Ph.D in English with a creative writing emphasis from Binghamton University (BU). While she previously worked in PR, she’s currently the Associate Director of First-Year Writing at BU.
Angie’s collection of short stories, Patrimonium, won the Distinguished Dissertation Award in Creative Writing. One of her stories was the first-prize winner of the New Ohio Review’s fiction contest. Her writing has appeared in The Michigan Quarterly Review, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Confrontation, and many other literary journals.
Her debut novel, Unlucky Mel (Three Hills, 2024), follows PhD student Melody Hollings. All she wants is to finalize her dissertation and line up the perfect academic job for the fall. But everything seems to be working against her, including the people she counts on most. She fights back, but her quest for retribution could cost her everything.
Lauren Spieller
A California native, this author and literary agent is now based in New York. Lauren writes young adult & teen novels. Her debut novel is She’s the Worst (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2019).
Her latest, Your Destination is on the Left (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition, 2018), follows Greek-American Dessa Rhodes, a teen nomad who dreams of settling down and going to art school. But when she doesn’t get into college, she has to figure out: what do you do after you fail? And deal with her growing feelings for her male traveling companion.
Angelyn Christy Voss
This Chicago native received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Elementary Education, with an English minor from Oregon State University and Western Oregon University, respectively. She has taught English Language Learners, Reading, and Kindergarten. Angelyn has also studied art at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She’s completed continuing art education at various universities and community colleges and has attended many workshops. Angelyn has has published articles in The Quarterly Journal of the Illinois State Genealogical Society, and more. She now calls Oregon home
Her debut novel, Stand a Little Out of My Sun (Nature’s Light Press, 2020), Angelyn draws on her experiences growing up in a Greek immigrant family on Chicago’s Southeast side. Set in the 1950s, cultures and generations collide in a story of love, betrayal, loss, community, redemption, and the true meaning of family.
International Women’s Day Honoring Greek-American Women Authors
Hope you enjoy diving into the work of these fabulous Greek-American women authors. There are many more talented Greek women authors and other great books to explore. For more author and book recommendations, email me.
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Read more:
My Greek Books: Top 10 Reads of 2024
My Greek Books—January 2025 Reads
