Wolverton, Terry
August 3, 1954 -
Place of Birth: Cocoa Beach, FL
Place of Principle Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Biography:
Terry Wolverton was born in Cocoa Beach, Florida in 1954. One year later, she moved with her mother to Detroit, MI. During her childhood, she listened to her grandmother recite poems, and now Wolverton attributes this to her love for language. From an early age Wolverton showed interest in the arts, especially in writing, music, and drama. She graduated from CASS Technical High School’s Performing Arts Program in 1972 and spent her first year of college at the University of Detroit’s BFA Theatre Program. The next year she transferred to the University of Toronto majoring in theatre and women’s studies. In the summer of 1975 Wolverton attended the Independent Institute for the Study of Feminist Political Theory and subsequently enrolled in Thomas Jefferson College, an experimental school based in Western Michigan, and joined the Women, World, and Wonder program. In 1976, Wolverton moved to LA and participated in the Feminist Studio Workshop at the Woman’s Building, an organization that she stayed in for thirteen years. While producing performance and literary art, Wolverton was involved in several projects including the Lesbian Art Project and the Incest Awareness Project. In 1982, she began a consulting business, Consult’Her, dealing with topics like vision and marketing. Between 1986 and 1988, Wovlerton started two writing programs at different centers, and in 1997 started Writers at Work, a creative writing center, where she continues to teach workshops on fiction, creative writing, and poetry, as well as providing creative consultations to writers. Wolverton has written six books, a novel of poems, a memoir about the Woman’s Building, a novel, two collections of poetry, and has edited fourteen compilations of literary work.
Selected Works:
- Embers, novel-in-poems (2003)
- Mystery Bruise (1999)
- Black Slip (1992)
- Blue Moon (1977)
Awards:
- 2003 Judy Grahn Award from the Publishing Triangle
- 2000 California Arts Council Artist Fellowship in Poetry
- 1998, 1999 Finalist, Lambda Book Award, Fiction Anthology
- 1997 LACE Award for Arts & Entertainment
- 1996 Finalist, American Library Association Stonewall Award in Fiction
- 1995 Movers and Shakers Award for Women Writers, Southern California Library for Social Research
- 1994 First Place Winner, Sheila-Na-Gig Second Annual Poetry Contest
- 1993 Finalist Lambda Book Award, Poetry
- 1992 Finalist, Lambda Book Award, Fiction anthology
- 1991 Vesta Award in Literature, The Women’s Building
- 1986 Lesbian Rights Award, Southern California Women for Understanding
- 1984 “Me and My Shadow,” JVC Tokyo Video Festival, Merit Award
- 1981 Gay and Lesbian Academic Union Award for Contributions to the Fine Arts
- 1973 University of Detroit New Poets Award
Critical Reception:
For Mystery Bruise:
“This book is exactly what the title promises—mysterious, moving, and even at times painful and haunting. Wolverton’s poems are carefully crafted, but more than that, they are thoughtful and filled with insight, compassion, and beauty. …if a friend of mine could buy only one book of poetry this year, I would recommend that she buy Mystery Bruise.”
- The Lesbian Review of Books
For Black Slip:
“Wolverton’s recent book explores the treacherous territory of memory, relationships, and desire. Her voice is passionate yet controlled, confessional without being tiresome or self-indulgent.”
- The Texas Triangle
Relevance of Place to Author’s Work:
Wolverton spent her childhood in Detroit, MI where she developed a love for the creative arts, including writing and drama. She attended CASS Technical High School in their Performing Arts Program and spent a year at the University of Detroit in their BFA Theatre Program.