Paul Mendez

Paul Mendez
Mendez at the British Library in 2024
Born	1982 (age 42–43) Dudley, West Midlands, England
Occupation	Author
Notable works	Rainbow Milk

Paul Mendez (born 1982) ^[1] is a British writer. They are currently based in London. They wrote the 2020 semi-autobiographical novel Rainbow Milk . ^{[2] [3] [4]}

Biography

Mendez was born in Dudley, ^[5] West Midlands to a second generation Jamaican-British family and raised as a Jehovah's Witness. ^[1] Disfellowshipped for their sexuality, ^[5] Mendez left their parents' house at age seventeen and began their studies in engineering at the University of Greenwich. Mendez dropped out after nine months but remained in Tonbridge before moving to Birmingham in 2003 and then London in 2004 to study acting. They became a sex worker. ^[6]

In 2012, Mendez met Sharmaine Lovegrove at a party and when she became a publisher at Dialogue Books, Mendez sent her the manuscript which would become their debut novel Rainbow Milk , released in 2020. ^[6]

Mendez lives in Hampstead. They began a relationship with novelist Alan Hollinghurst in 2018, which has since ended. ^{[7] [8]}

References

1. White, Ryan (17 April 2020). "The debut novelist behind a powerful new story of race, religion and sex". i-D.
2. Leuzzi, Tony (9 March 2021). "Paul Mendez's Rainbow Milk". The Brooklyn Rail.
3. Grant, Colin (9 May 2020). "Rainbow Milk by Paul Mendez review – a fearless debut". The Guardian .
4. Novakovic, Rastko (February 2021). "Interview with Paul Mendez". The White Review.
5. Wolfe, Kathi (23 June 2023). "Catching up with 'Rainbow Milk' author Paul Mendez". Washington Blade. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
6. Stichbury, Thomas (2 July 2020). "Meet author Paul Mendez, one of the most exciting voices on the queer literary scene". Attitude.co.uk.
7. "Mendez". Fantastic Man. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
8. "Alan Hollinghurst: Sex scenes? I prefer to cultivate mystery". The Times . Retrieved 27 September 2024.