Elizabeth M. Castillo

Elizabeth M. Castillo is a multilingual British-Mauritian poet, writer, and educator, currently reading for the MSt/MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Oxford. A two-time Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee, her work has been published internationally in English, Spanish, and French, and featured in numerous journals and anthologies. Raised on a steady diet of poetry, words, and stories, Elizabeth’s childhood was split between the Congo (Zaire/DRC) and England, and her adolescence on the tiny, tropical island of Mauritius. She lived in the UK, Mexico and Chile before settling in France, where she married, started a family, and founded several language and arts-based businesses. Now living in Paris with her family and two cats, Elizabeth runs a language school, writes across genres, languages, and pen names, and runs a number of creative and editorial projects. Her work explores themes of matrescence, ecofeminism, multilingualism, and the tropical gothic, often inflected with self-deprecating humour and reflections on her lived experience as a neurodivergent and disabled woman navigating the intersections of identity, creativity, and care. She is the author of two critically acclaimed poetry collections – "Cajoncito: Poems on Love, Loss, y Otras Locuras" and "Not Quite an Ocean" (Nine Pens Press). She is currently working on several projects, notably a retelling of the life of Helen of Sparta, and a Tropical Gothic reimagining of Gaskell's "North and South" set in 1800s Mauritius. Under her pen name E.G. Hades, she writes Romance, JAFF, and period retellings that blend wit, romance, and subversive social commentary. In 2025, she founded La Maisonnette des Arts et des Lettres, a creative non-profit dedicated to providing opportunities for women writers across Europe and beyond. In addition to her own writing, Elizabeth champions the indie literary community through her interview and feature series EMC’s Writer of the Month, EMC 6 Things/6 Cosas, Small Press Sunday, and EMC’s Question Words, all celebrating the work of independent and small-press creators.