M. E. Issak
Screenwriting
Claremont, CA
M. E. Issak (she/her) is a multidisciplinary writer currently based in southern California, whose work explores themes of displacement, belonging, and connection to the natural world. She worked as a camera assistant (IATSE Local 600) in New York City for two decades before moving west to live and work on organic farms. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing and writes nonfiction, poetry, screenplays, and graphic narrative. Her work has been supported by scholarships and fellowships from the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, PEN America Emerging Voices, and the Lambda Literary Writers Retreat, among others. Her TV pilot was a Semi Finalist for a 2025 Stowe Story Labs Narrative Fellowship and her creative nonfiction was shortlisted for the 2025 DISQUIET Literary Prize in Nonfiction. When not at her desk, she can be found exploring the outdoors or teaching undergrads about climate change and environmental justice.