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Gabby Rivera

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Gabby Rivera
NationalityAmerican
Alma materGoucher College
OccupationWriter
Known forJuliet Takes a Breath (2016)

Gabby Rivera is an American writer and storyteller. She is the author of the 2016 young adult novel Juliet Takes a Breath, and wrote the 2017–2018 Marvel comic book America, about superhero America Chavez.[1][2] Her work often addresses issues of identity and representation for people of color and the queer community, within American popular culture.[3] Rivera is Puerto Rican and from the Bronx.

Early life and education

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Gabby Rivera was born to Martha and Charles Rivera.[4] Rivera grew up in the Bronx borough of New York City, she is of Puerto Rican descent and grew up in a religious household of Pentecostal evangelicalism.[5][6][7] An early love of reading and writing came from her mother, a kindergarten teacher.[8] Rivera attended an all-girls private school in White Plains, New York.[7] Rivera attended Goucher College in Towson, Maryland, graduating in 2004.[9]

Career

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Rivera started her career and love for literature at the age of 17 by attending a local cafe for poetry nights. Starting her career in performance poetry, Rivera grew inspired by stories written by black, brown and queer authors.[10] Rivera is an editor at Autostraddle, an online magazine for, about, and written by LGBTQIA+ women, non-binary people and sometimes trans men.[11] Rivera is a mentor through her work as the youth programs manager at GLSEN.[8]

Juliet Takes a Breath (2016)

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Further information: Juliet Takes a Breath

Juliet Takes a Breath (2016) is a semi-autobiographical, fictional coming-of-age novel about a gay Latina woman from the Bronx dealing with her identity.[12] In this story, Juliet Milagros Palante moves to Portland, Oregon for the summer to intern under Harlowe Brisbane, a white feminist writer and author of, "Raging Flower: Empowering Your Pussy by Empowering Your Mind".[13]

America (2017-2018)

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Further information: America Chavez

Miss America is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and Marvel's first Latin-American LGBTQ character to star in an ongoing series.[14] From 2017 to 2018, Gabby Rivera authored the America series, until it was cancelled by Marvel publishing.[15][16]

The comic book series was nominated for Outstanding Comic Book at the 29th GLAAD Media Awards.[17] Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor sent Rivera a letter, praising her work on the series and America Chavez.[18]

B.B. Free series

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B.B. Free is a comic book series that centers around a 15 year old navigating a post-climate change world with a plague, where mother nature kills greed.[19] B.B. Free's first issue was illustrated by Royal A. Dunlap.[19][20] The series was based on a short story written by Rivera titled IMBALANCE.

Personal life

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Rivera is openly gay.[12][21]

Publications

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  • Rivera, Gabby (2016). Juliet Takes a Breath (1 ed.). Bronx, New York: Riverdale Avenue Books. ISBN 978-1626012516.
  • Rivera, Gabby; Quinones, Joe (2017). America Vol. 1: The Life and Times of America Chavez. New York City, New York: Marvel. ISBN 978-1302908812.
  • Rivera, Gabby; Quinones, Joe; Wu, Annie (2018). America Vol. 2: Fast and Fuertona. New York City, New York: Marvel. ISBN 978-1302908829.

References

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  1. ^ Betancourt, David (8 March 2017). "Marvel hired Gabby Rivera, a queer Latina writer, for its queer Latina superhero. That matters". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  2. ^ Sava, Oliver (22 February 2018). "America Chavez gets a power boost in this America finale exclusive". AV Club.
  3. ^ Moreno, Carolina (2018-06-07). "Gabby Rivera On The Importance Of Being (And Creating) A Queer Latinx Superheroine". HuffPost. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  4. ^ "Gabby Rivera, Mark Oshiro & Adam Silvera On Navigating Publishing Industry While Queer & Latinx". Remezcla. 2019-07-10. Retrieved 2019-11-07. It's using my words and stories to explore being a Puerto Rican dyke from the Bronx and the daughter of Martha and Charles Rivera, and not try to speak on any other experience but my own.
  5. ^ Petrin, Kae M. (2018-09-24). "Author Gabby Rivera Says Book 'Could Be A Bridge'; For LGBTQ Teens And Latino Parents". St. Louis Public Radio. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  6. ^ Gandhi, Lakshmi (2019-09-17). "Gabby Rivera is creating stories for 'sweet baby queers' everywhere". NBC News. Retrieved 2019-11-07. The widely praised Puerto Rican and gay young author hopes other kids and teens who were once like her can see their experiences reflected.
  7. ^ a b "Portrait Of: Gabby Rivera". NPR.org (Audio and Article). Retrieved 2020-03-12.
  8. ^ a b "#Pride30: Writer Gabby Rivera Is Bringing LGBTQ Superheroes to Life". NBC News. 2017-06-26.
  9. ^ "Q&A: Gabby Rivera '04". Goucher Magazine. 2016-06-20. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
  10. ^ "Portrait Of: Gabby Rivera". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
  11. ^ "Novelist Gabby Rivera on Creating a YA Novel With a Queer, Teenage Latina Protagonist". Remezcla. 2016-04-06. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  12. ^ a b Portillo, Nayeli. "Novelist Gabby Rivera on Creating a Young Adult Novel With a Queer, Teenage Latina Protagonist". Remezcla. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  13. ^ Martínez-Reyes, Consuelo (2018-07-01). "Lesbian 'Growth' and Epistemic Disobedience: Placing Gabby Rivera's Juliet Takes a Breath within Puerto Rican Literature and Queer Theory". Centro Journal. 30 (2): 324.
  14. ^ Garcia, Patricia (2017-04-06). "Marvel Now Has a Queer Latina Superhero: America Chavez". Vogue. Condé Nast. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  15. ^ Gustines, George Gene (2017-03-26). "Adventures in Comics and the Real World". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  16. ^ Polo, Susana (2017-12-22). "Marvel exec insists wave of cancellations not motivated by books' diversity". Polygon. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
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  19. ^ a b Brown, Tracy (2019-08-19). "Gabby Rivera's new comic book series is a 'love letter to queer kids everywhere'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  20. ^ Seven, John (2019-11-08). "Indie View: 'B.B. Free #1' is a burst of post-apocalyptic sunshine". The Beat. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  21. ^ "All Things Considered: Life, Love, Coming Out And Culture Shock In 'Juliet Takes A Breath'". NPR.org. 2019-09-18. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
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