Elana Dykewomon is a Jewish lesbian activist, award- winning author, editor, and professor. Her first novel, Riverfinger Woman, published in 1974, was selected for The Publishing Triangle's list of 100 best lesbian and gay novels. Best known for her Lammy winning historical novel, Beyond the Pale, Dykewomon was also awarded the 2009 James Duggins Outstanding Mid-Career Novelist's Prize. She was the editor of Sinister Wisdom from 1987 to 1994 and currently lives in Oakland, California.