Contemporary Literature, 1970 to Present
Lee Blessing (1949– )
Playwright whose works include Eleemosynary (1986), A Walk in the Woods (1987),
Down the Road (1989), and Cobb (2000).
Jane Chambers (1937–1983)
Lesbian playwright, novelist, poet, and television writer. Her plays include A Little
Snow (1974), My Blue Heaven (1981), Kudzu (1981), and The Quintessential Image
(1983).
Tom Cole (1933–2009)
Playwright, screenwriter, and educator. Among his plays are An End to Chivalry
(1965), Fighting Bob (1979), and About Time (1990).
Mart Crowley (1935– )
Playwright and television executive. His plays include Remote Asylum (1970), A
Breeze from the Gulf (1975), Avec Schmaltz (1984), and The Men from the Boys
(2002), the sequel to The Boys in the Band (1968).
Nilo Cruz (1960– )
Cuban-born playwright, who, at age ten, immigrated with his family to the Little
Havana section of Miami. He won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for his play Anna in
the Tropics. His other plays include Dancing on Her Knees (1994), A Park in Our
House (1995), and Beauty of the Father (2006).
Nicholas Dante (1942–1991)
Playwright who wrote the book with James Kirkwood Jr. for the musical A Chorus
Line (1975).
Steven Dietz (1958– )
Playwright and educator. His plays include God ’s Country (1988), Halcyon Days
(1991), Private Eyes (1996), and Shooting Star (2008).
Margaret Edson (1961– )
Playwright and kindergarten teacher in Atlanta. Her first work, Wit (1995), won
the 1999 Pulitzer Prize in drama.
Eve Ensler (1953– )
Playwright, performer, author, feminist, and activist. Her plays include Necessary
Targets (1996), The Good Body (2005), and The Treatment (2006).
Harvey Fierstein (1954 – )
Playwright, actor, and gay activist. His stage pieces include Safe Sex (1987) and
the libretto for Legs Diamond (1988). He memorably appeared as Baltimore
housewife Edna Turnblad in the Broadway musical Hairspray (2002).
Karen Finley (1956– )
Controversial visual and performance artist and writer whose recordings and the-
atrical pieces have often been labeled “obscene.” Her solo performances include
The Constant State of Desire (1987), We Keep Our Victims Ready (1989), A Certain
Level of Denial (1992). She also put out the album The Truth Is Hard to Swallow
(1998) and the DVD Karen Finley Live (2004).