Dede Wilson (born Marilyn Marie Coco) is an American poet and writer. She has published short stories, essays, seven books of poetry, and a family memoir. Her fourth book of poetry, ''Eliza: The New Orleans Years'' has also been produced as a one-woman show.
Wilson has published stories and poems in many literary journals including ''
Beloit Poetry Journal
The ''Beloit Poetry Journal'' is an American poetry magazine established in 1950 at Beloit College.[Poet Lore
''Poet Lore'' is an English-language literary magazine based in Bethesda, Maryland. Established in 1889 by Charlotte Porter and Helen Archibald Clarke, two progressive young Shakespeare scholars who believed in the evolutionary nature of literatur ...]
'', ''
Tar River Poetry'', ''
The South Carolina Review
''The South Carolina Review'' is a literary journal published by Clemson University. It was founded in 1968 as Furman Studies, edited by Professor Al Reid at Furman University and moved to Clemson in 1973, where it was initially co-edited by Richa ...
'', ''
New Orleans Review
''New Orleans Review'', founded in 1968, is a journal of contemporary literature and culture that publishes "poetry, fiction, nonfiction, art, photography, film and book reviews" by established and emerging writers and artists. ''New Orleans Revie ...
'', ''
Painted Bride Quarterly
The ''Painted Bride Quarterly'', also known informally as ''PBQ'', is a Philadelphia-based literary magazine. It was established in 1973 by Louise Simons and R. Daniel Evans in connection with the Painted Bride Art Center, an art gallery founded ...
'', ''The Asheville Poetry Review'', ''
Spoon River Poetry Review
''Spoon River Poetry Review'' (''SRPR'', ) is an American literary journal of poetry based in Illinois during most of its existence. It publishes a combination of Illinois-connected, national, and international poetry. It began in 1976 as the ' ...
'', ''The Carolina Quarterly'', ''Southern Poetry Review'', ''Cave Wall'', ''Nimrod'', and ''The Cream City Review''.
[Poets & Writers 2012: Dede Wilson Publications and Prizes, June 9, 2011]
/ref>
Her first book ''Glass'' was a finalist in the Persephone Press Competition.[North Carolina Arts Council 2009: Two Poems by Dede Wilson, September 5, 2011]
/ref> She was a winner in the Blumenthal Readers' and Writers' Competition and has taught poetry workshops for the North Carolina Poetry Society and at Queens University of Charlotte
The Queens University of Charlotte is a private university in Charlotte, North Carolina. It has approximately 2,300 undergraduate and graduate students through the College of Arts and Sciences, the McColl School of Business, the Wayland H. Cato, ...
.
Biography
Dede Wilson was born and raised in Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is the ninth-largest city in the state of Louisiana and is the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the prin ...
. In 1960, she moved to Dallas, Texas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...
, where she was Travel Editor of the now-defunct ''Dallas Times Herald
The ''Dallas Times Herald'', founded in 1888 by a merger of the ''Dallas Times'' and the ''Dallas Herald'', was once one of two major daily newspapers serving the Dallas, Texas (USA) area. It won three Pulitzer Prizes, all for photography, and t ...
''. She did her undergraduate work at Newcomb College
H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College, or Newcomb College, was the coordinate women's college of Tulane University located in New Orleans, in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It was founded by Josephine Louise Newcomb in 1886 in memory of her daughter. ...
of Tulane University
Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...
from 1955 to 1957 and then transferred to Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...
where she graduated in 1959 with a B.S. in journalism.[Barnes & Noble, Eliza: The New Orleans Years, by Dede Wilson]
/ref>
''Under The Music Of Blue''
Released in 2017 the collection of poems was well received. David E. Poster wrote in the ''Wild Goose Poetry Review'' "Ah, that siren, Dede Wilson. Her new collection, ''Under the Music of Blue'', pulls one in with beautifully rendered sound and imagery. Its beauty comes from mastery of craft: command of the vowel register, fluent pacing and repetition, facility with echoes and nuances."
''Eliza: The New Orleans Years''
In 1837 Dede Wilson's great-great grandmother Eliza Moore Christie Parker sailed from England to , married the ship's captain during the voyage, saw her husband killed in a duel, and ended up marrying the man who shot him. In 1998 Wilson wrote a memoir, using her mother's research, that includes the story of her remarkable ancestor. But the story continued to haunt her, and in 2010 she based her fourth book of poetry on Eliza's life and called it ''Eliza: The New Orleans Years''.The Charlotte Observer
''The Charlotte Observer'' is an American English-language newspaper serving Charlotte, North Carolina, and its metro area. The Observer was founded in 1886. As of 2020, it has the second-largest circulation of any newspaper in the Carolinas. I ...
s reading life editor Pam Kelley to say, "Here's a sentiment you don't often hear: I picked up a new poetry book and couldn't put it down". The story has also been adapted for the stage. It was first performed as a one-woman show in the Flex Theatre at Jackson Academy in Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...
in April 2011.[The Weekly Northside Sun: ''Eliza comes to life at JA'', By Katie Eubanks, March 31, 2011]
/ref> The show subsequently opened at the Carolina Actors Studio Theatre
Carolina Actors Studio Theatre (CAST) was an independent non-profit theatre company located at 2424 North Davidson Street in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was founded in 1992 by Charlotte acting instructor Ed Gilweit as an actor's teaching schoo ...
in Charlotte, North Carolina in May 2012.[Charlotte Viewpoint: Eliza: From Page to Stage, by Donald Devet, May 22, 2012]
/ref>
Books
* 2019 ''Mrs. H. and Her Tooty-Falooty Ways''
* 2017 ''Under the Music of Blue''
* 2013 ''Near Waking''
* 2010 ''Eliza: The New Orleans Years''
* 2004 ''One Nightstand''
/ref>
* 2001 ''Sea of Small Fears''
* 1998 ''Glass''
* 1998 ''Fourth Child, Second Daughter: The memories of Dorothy Whittington Coco and biographical accounts of her ancestors composed of letters, diaries, clippings, and reminiscences'' (editor)
References
External links
North Carolina Arts Council: Excerpts from ''One Nightstand'', by Dede Wilson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Dede
Tulane University alumni
Louisiana State University alumni
1937 births
Living people
American women poets
American women short story writers
20th-century American poets
20th-century American short story writers
20th-century American women writers
21st-century American poets
21st-century American short story writers
21st-century American women writers
Writers from Alexandria, Louisiana
Poets from Louisiana
Writers from Charlotte, North Carolina
Poets from North Carolina