Louisa Warren Hall (born June 24, 1982 in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

) is an American

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

and

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

. She has a

Ph.D A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

from

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

, where she has taught literature and creative writing.

Education and early life

Hall grew up outside Philadelphia in the suburb of Haverford. She attended

Episcopal Academy The Episcopal Academy, founded in 1785, is a private, co-educational school for grades Pre-K through 12 based in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. Prior to 2008, the main campus was located in Merion Station and the satellite campus was located in D ...

, where she played squash. She was also involved in the community service program, the choir, and played the violin. Hall attended

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

, and graduated in 2004, earning a BA in English. Her master's thesis concerned the poetry of

Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry of William Word ...

. Hall is one of several members of the Harvard women's squash team to have later gone on to write professionally. Others include

Galt Niederhoffer Galt Niederhoffer (born October 2, 1976) is an American producer, director and novelist. She has produced over thirty feature films. Her movie credits as a producer include: '' Infinitely Polar Bear'' (2013); ''Robot & Frank'' (2012), winner of t ...

and

Ivy Pochoda Ivy Claire Pochoda (born January 22, 1977) is an American novelist and former professional squash player. Pochoda grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where she attended Saint Ann's School. She currently lives in Los Angeles. Education Pochoda holds ...

. She completed her PhD in English in 2013, at the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

, where she subsequently taught.

Career

Writing

Hall's first novel, ''The Carriage House'', was published in 2013 by

Scribner Scribner may refer to: Media * Charles Scribner's Sons, also known as Scribner or Scribner's, New York City publisher * ''Scribner's Magazine'', pictorial published from 1887–1939 by Charles Scribner's Sons, then merged with the ''Commentator ...

in the United States and by

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

in the UK. It garnered comparisons to John Cheever and Richard Yates. The novel is an adaptation of Jane Austen's 1818 novel ''

Persuasion Persuasion or persuasion arts is an umbrella term for Social influence, influence. Persuasion can influence a person's Belief, beliefs, Attitude (psychology), attitudes, Intention, intentions, Motivation, motivations, or Behavior, behaviours. ...

''. However, the novel does not borrow its entire structure from Austen, and it is set outside Philadelphia. Her second novel, '' Speak'', was published in 2015 and addresses the complex relationship between humans and machines. The novel was well received. NPR said of ''Speak'' that "it almost seems like an understatement to call it a masterpiece." ''Speak'' garnered comparisons to Margaret Atwood and David Mitchell. Hall is also a poet. Her poems have appeared in journals such as ''

The New Republic ''The New Republic'' is an American magazine of commentary on politics, contemporary culture, and the arts. Founded in 1914 by several leaders of the progressive movement, it attempted to find a balance between "a liberalism centered in hum ...

'' and the ''

Southwest Review The ''Southwest Review'' is a literary journal published quarterly, based on the Southern Methodist University campus in Dallas, Texas. It is the third oldest literary quarterly in the United States. The current editor-in-chief is Greg Browndervi ...

''. Hall's third novel, ''Trinity'', has been shortlisted for the 2019

Dylan Thomas Prize The Dylan Thomas Prize is a leading prize for young writers presented annually. The prize, named in honour of the Welsh writer and poet Dylan Thomas, brings international prestige and a remuneration of £30,000 (~$46,000). It is open to published w ...

Squash

Between 2004 and 2007 Hall played

squash Squash may refer to: Sports * Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets * Squash (professional wrestling), an extremely one-sided match in professional wrestling * Squash tennis, a game similar to squash but pla ...

professionally. During her collegiate career, Louisa was Ivy League Rookie of the Year, Ivy League Player of the Year, four year First Team All American and Four year All Ivy. She also won a

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

gold medal.

Bibliography

* ''The Carriage House'' (2013) * ''Speak'' (2015) * ''Trinity'' (2018) * Reproduction (2023)

References

External links

Hall's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Louisa 1982 births Living people Poets from Philadelphia Novelists from Philadelphia Harvard Crimson women's squash players American female squash players 21st-century American novelists American women novelists 21st-century American women writers Episcopal Academy alumni Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in squash Squash players at the 2003 Pan American Games Harvard College alumni Medalists at the 2003 Pan American Games