Allegra Hyde

(she/her/hers)

  • Assistant Professor of Creative Writing

Areas of Study

Education

MFA, Arizona State University, 2015
BA, Williams College, 2010
 

Biography

Allegra Hyde is the author of the story collection The Last Catastrophe, which was an Editors’ Choice selection at The New York Times. Her debut novel Eleutheria was highlighted as a Best Book of 2022 by The New Yorker, shortlisted for the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award, named a finalist for the Ohioana Book Award, and featured on Late Night with Seth Meyers. Her first story collection, Of This New World, won the John Simmons Short Fiction Award.

Hyde’s stories, essays, and humor pieces have appeared in The New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine, BOMB, American Short Fiction, and other venues. Her work has been anthologized in Best American Travel Writing, Best of the Net, and Best Small Fictions. She has received four Pushcart Prizes. Other honors include grants, fellowships, and residencies from MacDowell, VCCA, the Studios at Key West, the Hemingway House and Preserve, the Lucas Artist Residency Program, the Jentel Foundation, the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, the Elizabeth George Foundation, Writing Workshops in Greece, and the U.S. Fulbright Commission.

Before coming to Oberlin, Hyde taught at the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College, the University of Houston, the National University of Singapore, and Arizona State University. She also served two seasons with the AWP Writer to Writer Mentorship Program.

Notes

Allegra Hyde Wins 2024 Individual Excellence Award from Ohio Arts Council

February 20, 2024

Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Allegra Hyde won a 2024 Individual Excellence Award from the Ohio Arts Council. The grant recognizes outstanding accomplishments by artists spanning a variety of disciplines and encourages further creative exploration. Hyde’s award, presented in the Fiction category, will support research and writing for her latest novel, Way Down Deep, which weaves science fiction, historical fiction, and autofiction to reimagine Thornton Wilder’s Our Town.

 

Allegra Hyde Story Received Pushcart Prize

August 30, 2023

Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Allegra Hyde received a Pushcart Prize for her story "The Future is a Click Away." First published in BOMB and then in her speculative collection, The Last Catastrophe, the story imagines a near-future community grappling with the seductive power of a corporate algorithm. Recently, Gabrielle Bellot wrote about "The Future is a Click Away" in an article about AI and literature for LitHub, noting that the story shows how "artificial intelligence is already deeply embedded in our culture, yet all too many of us seem to think of it as something new."

"The Future is a Click Away" will appear in the 2024 edition of The Pushcart Prize anthology.

 

Allegra Hyde Novel Finalist for Book Awards

June 27, 2023

Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Allegra Hyde's novel Eleutheria is a finalist for the 2023 Ohioana Book Award in fiction and a current contender for the Readers' Choice Award.

Allegra Hyde Story Collection Named Editor's Choice

May 17, 2023

Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Allegra Hyde's new story collection, The Last Catastrophe, was named an Editors' Choice selection by The New York Times.

Allegra Hyde Works Published

May 10, 2023

Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Allegra Hyde published an essay on "Exit Strategies" in fiction at LitHub. She also published short fiction titled "Mobilization," about a vast herd of RVs, in the latest issue of Story. In Conjunctions, she published a short story titled "Dear Employee" about a eco-utopian vision for job redistribution. "Dear Employee" will be reprinted in Harper's Magazine this summer.

Allegra Hyde Publishes Third Book

April 26, 2023

Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Allegra Hyde published her third book, the speculative story collection The Last Catastrophe. Comprised of fourteen short stories and a novella, the collection imagines vegan zombies, a herd of RVs, a finishing school in space, and more, to speak to futures rife with disaster. Booklist noted in a starred review that THE LAST CATASTROPHE exposes "the absurdities of trying to survive in a world increasingly warped by climate change, hunger, and capitalist priorities." The Chicago Review of Books called the collection both "funny" and "remarkably hopeful" despite its subject matter.

Read interviews with Hyde about The Last Catastrophe at Electric Literature, Shondaland, The Creative Independent, and also listen to podcasts from the Ohio Center for the Book, Keen on, Austin Liti Limits, among other venues. To read about and listen to a playlist inspired by the collection, check out Largehearted Boy.

Allegra Hyde Novel Longlisted for Award

April 19, 2023

Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Allegra Hyde's debut novel ELEUTHERIA was longlisted for the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award.

Allegra Hyde Short Stories Published

March 22, 2023

Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Allegra Hyde published a short story titled "A Whale Tale" in the Rainbow Issue of The Fairy Tale Review, an issue dedicated to queer contemporary fairy tales. She also published a short story titled "Democracy in America" in The Massachusetts Review that reimagines Alexis de Tocqueville's journey through America through a speculative, near-future lens.

Allegra Hyde Interviewed by "Gulf Coast"

March 1, 2023

Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Allegra Hyde was interviewed by Gulf Coast about her forthcoming story collection The Last Catastrophe.

Allegra Hyde Story Collection Named Most Anticipated Book of 2023

February 1, 2023

Allegra Hyde's forthcoming story collection, The Last Catastrophe, has been named a most anticipated book of 2023 by The Millions and Our Culture. Additionally, Polygon named the collection a most anticipated science fiction and fantasy book, noting that "Allegra Hyde wrote one of 2022’s best novels, Eleutheria, and her second story collection, The Last Catastrophe, contains more optimistic visions of the future... despite the specter of climate change." The Last Catastrophe will launch in March.

Allegra Hyde Publishes Short Story in "The Sun"

January 18, 2023

Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Allegra Hyde published a short story in The Sun. The story, titled "Frights", considers climate change from the perspective of ghosts. It will be included in her forthcoming story collection, The Last Catastrophe.

Allegra Hyde Article Published in "The Millions"

December 21, 2022

Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Allegra Hyde wrote about her "Year in Reading" for The Millions

Allegra Hyde's Novel Named One of "The Best Books of 2022"

November 9, 2022

Assistant Professor Allegra Hyde's novel ELEUTHERIA was named one of "The Best Books of 2022" by The New Yorker.

Allegra Hyde Visited SUNY Fredonia as Guest Speaker

October 12, 2022

Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Allegra Hyde visited SUNY Fredonia as an invited speaker for the Mary Louise White Visiting Writers Series. She discussed role of climate fiction in environmental activism and read from her novel Eleutheria.

Allegra Hyde Short Story Published in "BOMB"

September 29, 2022

Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Allegra Hyde published a short story titled "The Future is a Click Away" in BOMB. The story imagines a powerful near future algorithm that takes targeted marketing to an extreme. The piece is available in the latest issue of BOMB, and will also be included in Hyde's forthcoming story collection, The Last Catastrophe.

Allegra Hyde Participates on Climate Fiction Panel

September 22, 2022

Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Allegra Hyde contributed to a panel on "Climate Fiction" at the Salem Literary Festival earlier in September. On the panel, she discussed the rise of environmentally conscious literature, the relationship between art and activism, as well as her own novel ELEUTHERIA.

Allegra Hyde Interviewed About Her New Novel

August 16, 2022

Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Allegra Hyde conducted several recent interviews about her novel, ELEUTHERIA. For Catapult, she spoke with Jean Marc Ah-Sen about the concept of climate fiction and reckoning with the patterns of the past. For the EcoTheo Review, she spoke with Esteban Rodriguez about the relationship between literature and activism. And for 91.3 WYSO, she spoke to Vick Mickunas about how storytelling can be a source of entertainment as well as a pointed call to action.

Allegra Hyde Publishes Piece in "The New Yorker"

June 28, 2022

Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Allegra Hyde published a short humor piece in The New Yorker titled "Aphorisms for the Anthropocene." The piece offers a satirical take on climate change and the realities of our "new normal."

Allegra Hyde Gives Podcast Interview on Her Novel

June 2, 2022

Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Allegra Hyde was interviewed on the podcast "Origin Story" about her novel, ELEUTHERIA, as well as about the utopian imagination, climate activism, and approaches to writing.

Allegra Hyde Presents at Ohioana Book Festival; Debut Novel is Recommended by NYT Critic

May 10, 2022

Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Allegra Hyde presented at the annual Ohioana Book Festival. Joining other recently-published Ohio authors, Hyde discussed her approach to "Literary Fiction" and the notion of genre, as well as her novel, Eleutheria. On a related note: Eleutheria was recently recommended by New York Times critic Molly Young, who described the book as "a weird, melancholic adventure novel—not a genre specimen you come across every day."

Allegra Hyde Publishes Short Story and Gives Interviews

April 29, 2022

Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Allegra Hyde published a short story in the inaugural issue of CODE Lit, an online zine dedicated to exploring the full scope of possibilities for digital publishing. Hyde's story, "Eat Me (Alternative Scenarios in the Garden of Eden)", uses digital erasure to offer readers multiple versions of the same initial text.

Hyde was also recently interviewed by Dana Diehl for Long Leaf Review about her writing process and her novel, Eleutheria. Hyde additionally appeared on the Thresholds podcast, hosted by Jordan Kisner, to talk about her experience in utopian communities, and how they have since informed her writing practice.

Allegra Hyde Publishes in Lithub and Poets & Writers; Gives Interviews on her Novel 'Eleutheria'

April 12, 2022

Allegra Hyde, Assistant Professor of Creative Writing, published an essay in LitHub called “What Makes A Great Opening Line?” about the qualities of compelling first sentences in fiction. She also published a series of four craft capsules for Poets & Writers on setting and ecology in fiction: “You Can Never Do Just One Thing,” “The Face in the Whirlpool,” “If a Tree Falls,” and “These Walls Won’t Stop Talking.” 

Hyde was interviewed about her novel, Eleutheria, by Matt Bell for BOMB, Rachel Reeher for Hayden’s Ferry Review, Adam Vitcavage for Debutiful, Anne Nickoloff for Cleveland.com, and by Chris Holmes for the podcast Burned by Books

Allegra Hyde Receives High Praise for debut novel 'Eleutheria'

March 18, 2022

Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Allegra Hyde had her debut novel Eleutheria reviewed by the LA Times. “Allegra Hyde’s climate-fiction narrator is the post-cynical heroine we need,” reads the review. “This is cli-fi even when it turns intimate, with the first kiss between lovers or the failures of addict parents. Individual tensions generate unexpected crackle, but everyone’s caught in the same toxic knots, their environment collapsing around them.” Additionally, Town & Country highlighted Eleutheria, calling it “A climate change novel, yes, but also a tale of searching for hope in dark times.” And BookPage wrote, “Fast-paced and dramatic, Eleutheria is a love story that plays out against the backdrop of a planet in trouble.” Electric Literature published an excerpt of Eleutheria in their “Recommended Reading Series,” with an introduction from the writer Lydia Conklin.

Allegra Hyde's Short Story is Published in The Missouri Review

March 1, 2022

Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Allegra Hyde had her short story "Bury" featured in PRIVATE LIVES, an anthology of select fiction published by The Missouri Review. "Bury Me" had previously appeared in the "Ultra-Violence" issue of The Missouri Review, as well as in The Pushcart Prize XL, and in Hyde's debut story collection: OF THIS NEW WORLD.

Entertainment Weekly Reviews Debut Novel by Allegra Hyde

March 1, 2022

The debut novel by Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Allegra Hyde, ELEUTHERIA, was reviewed in a recent print issue of Entertainment Weekly. Of the novel, EW said: "Allegra Hyde has a sharp eye for the culture-war chaos and breezy narcissism of modern American life. And enough hope to hint that the youth might (might!) save us from ourselves."

Allegra Hyde Discusses Forthcoming Novel with Gwen Filosa

January 12, 2022

Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Allegra Hyde appeared on "It’s Too Early with Gwen Filosa," a podcast recorded live weekdays in Key West, to talk about her forthcoming novel, ELEUTHERIA (Vintage).

ELEUTHERIA has been named a most anticipated title of 2022 by LGBT Reads, Autostraddle, and other venues.

 

Allegra Hyde publishes short story

August 17, 2021

Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Allegra Hyde published a short story, Mercy, in the Spring/Summer issue of Crazyhorse

Allegra Hyde interviews author Matt Bell for BOMB Magazine

July 22, 2021

Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Allegra Hyde interviewed author Matt Bell about his new novel, Appleseed, for BOMB Magazine.

Allegra Hyde receives fellowship at Sewanee Writers' Conference

June 21, 2021

Visiting Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Allegra Hyde will be a Walter E. Dakin Fellow in fiction at the Sewanee Writers' Conference this summer.

Allegra Hyde gives virtual lecture for Kenyon Review reading series

April 23, 2021

Allegra Hyde, visiting assistant professor of creative writing, presented on the Kenyon Review's panel "Art and The Moment," addressing the right to vote, creative writing, and sustainable futures. 

Allegra Hyde presents and gives reading of debut short story collection

March 30, 2021

Visiting Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Allegra Hyde presented at the 2021 AWP Conference and the 14th Annual Clemson Literary Festival in March, reading from her debut short story collection, OF THIS NEW WORLD.

Allegra Hyde publishes essay in The Kenyon Review

March 11, 2021

Visiting Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Allegra Hyde published an essay, "The Contagious Collective Epiphany'": On Climate Change, Social Change, and the Right to Vote, in The Kenyon Review.

Allegra Hyde receives book deal

October 15, 2020

Visiting Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Allegra Hyde sold her debut novel, Eleutheria, and her second story collection, The Last Catastrophe, to Vintage. Eleutheria is a surreal parable about activism and systemic corruption that charts an idealistic woman’s quest for agency among a cult of eco-revolutionaries in the Bahamas intent on saving a world ravaged by climate change. The Last Catastrophe is a collection of speculative short stories on what it means to live in modern America.

Allegra Hyde Publishes Short Story

May 19, 2020

Allegra Hyde, visiting assistant professor of creative writing, recently published her short story "Afterglow" in Guernica.