Terry Wolverton

Last updated
Terry Wolverton
Terry lit crawl.jpg
Terry Wolverton reading with Writers At Work at Art Institute of California, Hollywood, for LitCrawl. Los Angeles, 2016.
Born (1954-08-23) August 23, 1954 (age 67)
Cocoa Beach, Florida, U.S.
Occupation
  • Writer
  • Editor
  • Writing instructor
Education
  • University of Detroit
  • University of Toronto
  • Thomas Jefferson College
Genre
  • Poetry
  • Fiction
  • Creative nonfiction
Literary movementFeminist, LGBTQ
Notable worksInsurgent Muse: life and art at the Woman’s Building;
Embers
SpouseYvonne M. Estrada
Website
terrywolverton.net

Terry Wolverton (born 1954) is an American novelist, memoirist, poet, and editor. Her book Insurgent Muse: Life and Art at the Woman's Building, a memoir published in 2002 by City Lights Books, was named one of the "Best Books of 2002" by the Los Angeles Times, [1] and was the winner of the 2003 Publishing Triangle [2] Judy Grahn Award, and a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award. Her novel-in-poems Embers was a finalist for the PEN USA Litfest Poetry Award [3] and the Lambda Literary Award. [4]

Contents

Early years

Born August 23, 1954, in Cocoa Beach, Florida, Wolverton grew up in Detroit, Michigan. Her grandmother, Elsba Mae Miller, a former English teacher, would often read and recite poetry to her, and Wolverton credits this for inspiring her love of language. Even as a child Wolverton was interested in the arts, especially writing, music, and drama; she graduated from the Performing Arts curriculum of Cass Technical High School in 1972.

Education

Wolverton graduated from the Performing Arts curriculum of Cass Technical High School in 1972, after which she attended the University of Detroit as a student in its Bachelor of Fine Arts Theatre program. In 1973, she transferred to the University of Toronto, majoring in Theatre, Psychology, and Women's Studies. In 1975, Wolverton participated in Sagaris, an independent institute for the study of feminist political theory. She ultimately received a Bachelor of Philosophy degree in Creative Writing and Theater from Thomas Jefferson College, an experimental school based at Grand Valley State Colleges in Western Michigan, where she participated in its feminist Women, World, and Wonder program. [5]

Wolverton also received a certificate from the Feminist Studio Workshop in Los Angeles and is a certified Kundalini yoga and meditation instructor. [5]

Career

Wolverton moved to Los Angeles in 1976, enrolling in the Feminist Studio Workshop at the Woman's Building. She spent the next thirteen years at the Woman's Building where, in addition to writing and performing, she was also instrumental in the Lesbian Art Project, the Incest Awareness Project, the Great American Lesbian Art Show (GALAS), a year-long performance project called "An Oral Herstory of Lesbianism", [6] and a White Women's Anti-Racism Consciousness-Raising Group. From 1987 to 1988, she served as the nonprofit organization's Executive Director. [7]

Wolverton has taught performance skills and creative writing since 1977. In 1986, she developed the Visions and Revisions Writing Program at Connexxus Women's Center/Centro de Mujeres. In 1988, she launched the Perspectives Writing Program at the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, where she taught until 1997. One notable writer that attended these workshops was Gil Cuadros, a Mexican American poet who was diagnosed with AIDS in 1987. Cuadros started attending her writing workshops for people with HIV. As a result of his participation, Cuadros published his collection of poetry and fiction, City of God(1994).

In 1997, Wolverton founded Writers at Work, a creative writing center where she continues to teach fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry, and to provide creative consultations to writers.

In 2007, Wolverton co-founded The Future of Publishing Think Tank, which convened writers, publishers, booksellers and publicists to consider new models for reaching readers. The Think Tank held discussions, offered workshops, conducted reader surveys, and compiled an online directory of literary resources in Los Angeles County.

The same year, she became an affiliate faculty member in the Master of Fine Arts writing program at Antioch University, where she currently works. [5]

Awards

YearWorkAwardResultRef.
1992Indivisible: New Short Fiction by West Coast Gay and Lesbian Writers, with Robert Drake Lambda Literary Award for Anthology Finalist [8]
1993Black Slip Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Poetry Finalist [9]
1997Bailey's Beads Stonewall Literature Award Finalist [10]
1998His 2, with Robert Drake Lambda Literary Award for Anthology Winner [11]
2000His 3, with Robert Drake Finalist [12]
Hers 3, with Robert Drake Finalist [12]
2001Circa 2000: Lesbian Fiction at the Millenium, with Robert Drake Finalist [13]
2003Insurgent Muse: Life and Art at the Women’s Building Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Memoir or Biography Finalist [14]
Judy Grahn Award for Lesbian NonfictionWinner [15]
2004Embers Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Poetry Finalist [16]
2006Wounded World: lyric essays about our spiritual disquiet City of Los Angeles (COLA) Artists’ Fellowship, Creative Writing Winner [17]
2011Stealing Angel Golden Crown Literary Society (Goldie) Finalist [18]
2020"For eradicating homophobia" Monette-Horwitz Trust Award Awardee [19]

Bibliography

Author
Editor
Edited with Benjamin Weissman
Edited with Robert Drake
Edited with Sondra Hale
Scripts and Performance Art Texts

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References

  1. ↑ George, Lynell (September 18, 2002). "Return to the Source; Women gather at the spot where many found their voices in the '70s and blossomed". Los Angeles Times.
  2. ↑ Publishing Triangle
  3. ↑ PEN Center USA | Home
  4. ↑ Lambda Literary Foundation :: Board of Trustees
  5. 1 2 3 "Terry Wolverton". Antioch University. 2016-12-09. Retrieved 2022-01-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ↑ Fromsite tovision : the Woman's Building in contemporary culture. Hale, Sondra., Wolverton, Terry., Maltz Gallery., Otis College of Art and Design., Pacific Standard Time (Exhibition). Los Angeles, CA: Ben Maltz Gallery, Otis College of Art and Design. 2011. ISBN   978-0930209230. OCLC   757387784.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  7. ↑ "Poet May Sarton Recalls 40 Years With Her Muse". Los Angeles Times. 1987-04-29. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  8. ↑ "4th Annual Lambda Literary Awards". Lambda Literary. 1992-07-14. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
  9. ↑ "5th Annual Lambda Literary Awards". Lambda Literary. 1993-07-14. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
  10. ↑ Rainbow Round Tables (2009-09-09). "Stonewall Book Awards List". American Library Association. Retrieved 2022-01-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ↑ Gonzalez Cerna, Antonio (1998-07-15). "10th Annual Lambda Literary Awards". Lambda Literary. Retrieved 2022-01-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. 1 2 Gonzalez Cerna, Antonio (2000-07-15). "12th Annual Lambda Literary Awards". Lambda Literary. Retrieved 2022-01-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ↑ Gonzalez Cerna, Antonio (2001-07-10). "13th Annual Lambda Literary Awards". Lambda Literary. Retrieved 2022-01-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ↑ Gonzalez Cerna, Antonio (2003-07-10). "15th Annual Lambda Literary Awards". Lambda Literary. Retrieved 2022-01-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ↑ "The Judy Grahn Award for Lesbian Nonfiction". The Publishing Triangle. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
  16. ↑ Gonzalez Cerna, Antonio (2004-07-10). "16th Annual Lambda Literary Awards". Lambda Literary. Retrieved 2022-01-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ↑ "City of Los Angeles (COLA) Artists Fellowship, Creative Writing" (PDF). 2006-02-10. Retrieved 2022-04-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ↑ Spry, Carleen (17 June 2012). "Golden Crown Literary Society (Goldie)". Carleenspry.com. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  19. ↑ "The Awardees of the Monette-Horowitz Trust". Monette-Horowitz Trust. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
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