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E-FIERCE aka ELISHA MIRANDA

ELISHA MIRANDA is a Puerto Rican that was born and raised in the "Mission" district of San Francisco, California and has been residing in New York City since 1998. In 1991, Elisha graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a dual BA in Ethnic Studies and English. In 1997, she graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where she studied in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning and was the recipient of the prestigious Urban Fellows Award. For over fifteen years, Elisha has been an activist and educator around numerous issues effecting youth and the community.

In 2001, she co-founded Chica Luna Productions to identify, develop and support other women of color seeking to make socially conscious entertainment. Among other projects, Chica Luna launched The F-Word for young women of color ages 16-25 who wish to increase their media literacy and acquire film and radio production skills. Chica Luna has also been the fiscal sponsor of award-winning films such as Viernes Girl, a short film (HBO/NYILFF Award), Mosquita y Mari, A feature film in development (Robeson Fund), and Bragging Rights, A stickball documentary (Latino Public Broadcasting Grant).

In 2003, Elisha earned her MFA in film directing and screenwriting from Columbia University. She directed and produced the short films CORPORATE DAWGZ and BLIND DATE which have screened and garnered awards nationally and internationally. She has also been a part of the production team for award-wining films such as A-ALIKE (Student Academy Award Winner/ HBO) and BAD BEHAVIOR (Cinequest Short Film Winner). In 2004, Elisha was named by Hispanic Magazine as one of the "Emerging Latina Voices in Filmmaking" and Para Mi Magazine's "Latina Visionaries". She directed and co-produced the "original" acclaimed theater show JOSE CAN SPEAK, which was featured in the New York Times. Elisha's essay, "Vieques, Puerto Rico: A Baptism By Fire" based on her short film FOR THE LOVE OF PATRIA was featured in the anthology THE FIRE THIS TIME, edited by Dawn Lundy Martin and Vivian Labaton, Anchor Press 2004.

Currently, she is in development with her feature script OUTSIDE THE WALL about a Puerto Rican graffiti artist struggling to be the next Frida Kahlo as she deals with an abusive girlfriend. OUTSIDE THE WALL has garnered the 2005 Tribeca All Access Award, the 2004 & 2005 NALIP Producers Academy, An Astraea Foundation Grant, 2004 NALIP Writers Lab Winner, a finalist in the Sundance Institute¹s screenwriters¹ lab and was a finalist in the 2006 VOY Picture Lab.

Her debut novel, THE SISTER HOOD: ON THE MIC (the first book in a four part series), about a multi-racial, all female hip-hop crew, is forthcoming from Atria, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Advanced praise for her debut novel has called it the SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS for urban girls of color.

With her good friend and business partner Sofia Quintero (aka Black Artemis), Elisha recently founded Sister Outsider Entertainment (SOE), a multimedia production company with several project in development for television, film and stage. Currently, SOE is writing a pilot television show featuring an all Latina ensemble called SANGRIA STREET for the ³N² a division of Nickelodeon. Elisha¹s essays have appeared in venues such as Urban Latino, The Independent Film & Video Monthly, migente.com and BLU. Elisha is an adjunct professor in film at the City University of New York and serves on the boards of the Robeson Fund for Independent Media at the Funding Exchange and the Latino Educational Media Center. She is represented by literary agent Jennifer Cayea at the Nicholas Ellison Agency.