Claudia Allen
Born: 1954 in Michigan
Pen Name: None Connection to Illinois: Allen moved to Chicago in 1979. Biography: Claudia Allen is a prolific contemporary playwright, screenwriter and author. She is particularly known for her novel, play and film ''Hannah Free'', the story of a lifelong lesbian relationship. ''Hannah Free'' premiered at Chicago’s Bailiwick Repertory Theatre in 1992 and became an award-winning feature film in 2009.Allen grew up in the very small town of Clare, Michigan. She moved to Chicago in 1979, and the following year her play ''Freedom Rider'' was staged at the Playwrights' Center. She is a founding member of Chicago's Victory Gardens Theater's Playwrights Ensemble. She has also taught playwriting at the Victory Gardens Theater Training Center and at a number of schools including the University of Chicago and Lake Forest College. Author of more than 30 plays, Allen’s works on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) topics have been widely produced around the country. She has been named ''Best Playwright'' by Chicago Magazine and was a recipient of the ''Chicago Adapt Disability Arts and Culture Award''. Her play anthology ''She’s Always Liked the Girls Best'' was a finalist for an American Library Association Award and a Lammie, and her play ''Unspoken Prayers'' was a finalist for the 2003 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. Allen was inducted into the GLBT Hall of Fame in 2010.
Awards:
Selected Titles
Hannah free / ISBN: 1594931720 OCLC: 613433476 Bella Books, Tallahassee, FL : 2010. Hannah was certain she and Rachel were meant to be together forever. But Hannah was meant to be free. Wherever Hannah went, it was Rachel she came home to. After decades of love, hard choices and painful sacrifices, it's Rachel's turn to go, and Hannah must find a way to say goodbye. |