JPurpera is the author of the true-noir thriller Her Name Is Elaine. Inspired by real events, the novel follows Elaine, a woman in her prime, who witnesses a crime, toppling her life against the shifting industrial landscape of 1969 Buffalo, New York.
The historical narrative weaves together organized crime, generational trauma, and a translation of Sophocles’ Antigone, all set against the gritty reality of life on the edge.
A graduate of the University at Buffalo, JPurpera studied under Robert Creeley, David Landrey, Joan Copjec, and Jonathan Skinner.
A “word archaeologist” with a background in nonprofit writing, JPurpera discovered the art of historical digitization at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. JPurpera’s work is underpinned by meticulous research into FBI files, court documents, interviews, and genealogical records, and is editor and founder of the Fairfield Small Press