Margaret Ann "Maggie" Estep (March 20, 1963 – February 12, 2014) was an American writer and poet, best known for coming to prominence during the height of the

spoken word Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...

and

poetry slam A poetry slam is a competitive art event in which poets perform spoken word poetry before a live audience and a panel of judges. While formats can vary, slams are often loud and lively, with audience participation, cheering and dramatic delivery. ...

performance rage. She published seven books and released two spoken word albums: '' No More Mr. Nice Girl'' and '' Love is a Dog From Hell''.

Biography

Margaret Ann Estep was born in 1963 in Summit, New Jersey. As a poet, she emerged in the early 1990s when grunge was the height of fashion and her "direct, aggressive and uncompromisingly modern"Aptowicz, Cristin O'Keefe. (2008). ''Words in Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City Poetry Slam.'' New York City: Soft Skull Press, 66. . poetry was highly accessible. Estep appeared on Lollapalooza's third stage in 1994, and featured on MTV's ''Spoken Word Unplugged'',''New York Times'' review of ''Spoken Word Unplugged''
writing.upenn.edu; accessed January 12, 2018. PBS's ''The United States of Poetry'',
and most recently on Season 3 of HBO's ''

Def Poetry ''Russell Simmons presents Def Poetry'', better known as simply ''Def Poetry Jam'' or ''Def Poetry'', is a spoken word poetry television series hosted by Mos Def and airing on HBO between 2002 and 2007. The series features performances by estab ...

''. Her video for her spoken word track "Hey Baby" received moderate rotation on MTV and was highlighted on MTV's '' Beavis & Butt-head''. She also contributed vocals to two songs on Recoil's 1997 album ''

Unsound Methods ''Unsound Methods'' is the fourth studio album by Recoil, released in 1997. It was recorded at Alan Wilder's home studio, The Thin Line, in Sussex, during sessions that lasted from September 1996 to March 1997. The album was produced by Alan Wil ...

''. In 2003 she wrote sleevenotes for the

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talki ...

box set '' Once in a Lifetime''. Estep went on to write many novels, including ''Diary of an Emotional Idiot'', the Ruby Murphy mystery trilogy, ''Gargantuan'', ''Hex'' and ''Flamethrower'', and ''Alice Fantastic''. ''Hex'' was named ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' Notable Book for 2003.''New York Times'' Notable Books, December 7, 2003.
/ref> She had, for several years, been at work on ''The Angelmakers'', a novel about 19th Century female gangsters and the founding of animal rights.

Death

Estep suffered a heart attack on February 10, 2014, at her home in

Hudson, New York Hudson is a city and the county seat of Columbia County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 5,894. Located on the east side of the Hudson River and 120 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, it was named for the rive ...

, and died from complications two days later in an Albany hospital, aged 50. She was survived by her mother and three half-siblings.Updated: RIP Maggie Estep
evgrieve.com; accessed January 12, 2018.

Discography

;Studio albums * '' No More Mr. Nice Girl'' (1994, NuYo/Imago) * '' Love is a Dog From Hell'' (1997, Mouth Almighty Records/Mercury) ;Compilation appearances * ''Skid Row Wine, on compilation Kicks, Joy, Darkness: A Tribute to Jack Kerouac'' (1997) ;Music videos * "Hey Baby" (1994) * " Vicious" (1997, dir. Steve Buscemi)

Bibliography

* ''Diary of an Emotional Idiot: A Novel'', Harmony, 1997, ; Counterpoint LLC, 2003, * ''Soft Maniacs: Stories'', Simon & Schuster, 1999, * ; Crown Publishing Group, 10 March 2010, 978-0-307-53082-0 * ''Love Dance of the Mechanical Animals: Confessions, Highly Subjective Journalism, Old Rants and New Stories'', Three Rivers Press, 2003, * ; Crown Publishing Group, 24 March 2010, * ; Crown Publishing Group, 31 March 2010, * ; Akashic Books, 2013, 978-1-61775-005-2

References

External links

*
"Lollapalooza Tour Diaries," a memoir in Sensitive Skin magazine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Estep, Maggie 1963 births 2014 deaths American women novelists American women singers Singers from New Jersey American women poets Writers from Summit, New Jersey American spoken word poets Alternative rock singers Women mystery writers 20th-century American poets 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American women writers Musicians from Summit, New Jersey Novelists from New Jersey 21st-century American women