Gwendolyn Zepeda (born December 27, 1971, in Houston, Texas) is an American author and poet of Mexican American descent. Zepeda is Houston's first Poet Laureate, serving a two-year term from 2013 to 2015.[1] She was succeeded by Leslie Contreras Schwartz.[2]
Gwendolyn Zepeda | |
|---|---|
 Zepeda in 2009 | |
| Born | December 27, 1971 Houston, Texas, United States |
| Alma mater | University of Texas Austin |
| Occupation | Author |
| Honours | Houston's Inaugural Poet Laureate |
| Website | http://gwendolynzepeda.com |
History
editZepeda's father was Mexican American and her mother was a white American of German, Scottish, and Welsh ancestry.[3] She was born and raised in Houston, Texas[4] where she attended Dow and Roosevelt elementary schools, Hamilton Middle School, Reagan High School (now Heights High School), and the High School for Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA).[5] She subsequently attended the University of Texas at Austin.[6]
Writing
editIn June 1997, Zepeda started an online journal titled Gwen's Trailer Trash Page, which eventually evolved into Gwen's Petty, Judgmental, Evil Thoughts.[7] Around the same time, she became a founding writer for Television Without Pity, a recap blog for late 1990s television shows, such as Ally McBeal and 7th Heaven.[8] She is notable as one of the first bloggers to write and sell a book. She later blogged for the Houston Chronicle in 2009 and 2010.
Zepeda sold her first book, To the Last Man I Slept with and All the Jerks Just Like Him, a short story collection, in 2000. It was published by the Houston-based Latino publishing house, Arte Público Press, in 2004.
Her first novel, Houston, We Have a Problema is a chick lit novel and was published by Grand Central Publishing January 2009.
Her first picture book, Growing Up with Tamales, was published by Piñata Books, an imprint of Arte Público Press, in May 2008. It is a 2009 Charlotte Zolotow Highly Commended Title[9] and was nominated for a Tejas Star Award. Piñata Books published her second picture book, Sunflowers, in May 2009.
Arte Público Press published her first book of poetry, Falling in Love with Fellow Prisoners, in 2014.
She cites Sandra Cisneros, Margaret Atwood, Alice Munro, Louise Gluck, Jane Austen, Ursula K. LeGuin, and Judy Blume as some of her writing influences.[10]
Bibliography
editShort story collections
edit- To the Last Man I Slept with and All the Jerks Just Like Him. Houston, Texas : Arte Público Press, 2004. (ISBN 1558854061)
Novels
edit- Houston, We Have a Problema. New York : Grand Central Publishing, 2009.
- Lone Star Legend. New York : Grand Central Publishing, 2010.
- Better With You Here. New York : Grand Central Publishing, 2012.
Poetry
edit- Falling in Love with Fellow Prisoners: Poems. Houston, Texas : Arte Público Press, 2013.
- Monsters, Zombies and Addicts: Poems. Houston, Texas : Arte Público Press, 2015.
Children's books
edit- Growing Up with Tamales. Houston, Texas : Arte Público Press, 2008.
- Sunflowers. Houston, Texas : Arte Público Press, 2009.
- I Kick the Ball. Houston, Texas : Arte Público Press, 2010.
- Level Up. Houston, Texas : Arte Público Press, 2012.
- Maya and Annie on Saturdays and Sundays. Houston, Texas : Arte Público Press, 2018.
Anthologies
edit- Houston Noir. New York : Akashic Books, 2019.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Lawhorn, Valerie (2013-04-24). "Houston Now Has An 'Ambassador To Poetry'". Houston Public Media. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
- ^ "Press Releases". www.houstontx.gov. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
- ^ "100 Things Meme." Gwendolyn Zepeda. Retrieved on February 19, 2016.
- ^ "Reading Local: Gwen Zepeda & Michelle Klump Author Event". Houston Public Library. 2022.
- ^ "Reagan HS grad becomes Houston’s first poet laureate Archived 2018-09-07 at the Wayback Machine." Houston Independent School District. May 9, 2013. Retrieved on August 19, 2017.
- ^ "Gwendolyn Zepeda » About". Retrieved 2020-05-14.
- ^ "The Latina Voz - National Online Latina Magazine". 2007-08-22. Archived from the original on 2007-08-22. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
- ^ Shey, Brittanie. "100 Creatives 2013: Gwen Zepeda, Houston's First Poet Laureate". Houston Press. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
- ^ "CCBC Booklists". 2007-02-26. Archived from the original on 2007-02-26. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
- ^ Melanson, Nicole (2015-07-17). "Meet Gwendolyn Zepeda". WordMothers - for women writers & women’s writing. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
External links
edit- Author Gwendolyn Zepeda speaks at Houston Community College[permanent dead link] (2007 podcast reading)
- Official website
- Galehouse, Maggie. "Houston appoints its own poet laureate." Houston Chronicle, 11 April 2013.
- García Navarro, Lulu. "Poems for Houston." NPR, 3 Sept. 2017.
- Gwendolyn Zepeda at Library of Congress, with 9 library catalog records
- Kolker, Claudia "Quinceaneras come in new flavors now'," "The Latina Voz."
- Martin, Betty L. "Houston artists inspired by MECA to perform at 30th anniversary event" "Houston Chronicle" September 14, 2007
- Mellen, Kim "Diva of the Doublewide" "Austin Chronicle," August 4, 2000.
- Nuestra Palabra "National Sor Juana Festival: A Tribute to Mexican Women" Presentation at Museum of Fine Arts Houston, March 22–April 29, 2007
- Ruiz, Loida "Skirt! profile: Gwendolyn Zepeda" Archived 2009-01-09 at the Wayback Machine. January 1, 2009
- Zepeda, Gwendolyn "The Quinceañera I Was Too Poor to Have". "The Latina Voz"
- Zepeda, Gwendolyn "Car Wash" recap[permanent dead link] on Television Without Pity
- Zepeda, Gwendolyn Interview with Eric Ladau of KUHF.