Rachel Guido deVries (born September 9, 1947) is an American poet and novelist. Her 1986 novel, ''Tender Warriors'', depicts the struggles of an Italian-American working-class family and has been praised by critics for featuring complex

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

characters. She has also published five books of poetry and three children's books. Her poetry, fiction, and essays have appeared in many literary journals, including ''

Yellow Silk ''Yellow Silk: Journal of Erotic Arts'' was a magazine founded by writer, editor,& designer Lily Pond and published quarterly from 1981 to 1996 on the belief that the erotic should play a more visible role in American arts and letters. The magazi ...

'', the '' Paterson Literary Review'', ''

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'', ''

Stone Canoe ''Stone Canoe'' is a literary magazine published annually by The YMCA's Downtown Writers Center in Syracuse, New York ( "The DWC"). It publishes the work of writers and artists who are current or former residents of Upstate New York, which the jou ...

'', and ''

Italian Americana ''Italian Americana'' is a biannual peer-reviewed academic journal covering studies on the Italian-American experience. It publishes history, fiction, memoirs, poetry, and reviews. The editor-in-chief is Carla A. Simonini ( Loyola University Chic ...

''; and in anthologies such as ''Wild Dreams: The Best of Italian Americana'' (edited by Carol Bonomo Albright, 2009), ''The Milk of Almonds: Italian American Women Writers on Food and Culture'' (edited by

Louise DeSalvo Louise A. DeSalvo (September 27, 1942 – October 31, 2018) was an American writer, editor, professor, and lecturer who lived in New Jersey. Much of her work focused on Italian-American culture, though she was also a renowned Virginia Woolf schola ...

, 2002), ''Don't Tell Mama! The Penguin Book of Italian American Writing'' (edited by Gina Barreca, 2002), and ''The Voices We Carry: Recent Italian American Women's Fiction'' (edited by

Mary Jo Bona Mary Jo Bona is an American literary scholar who has written extensively on Italian-American literature and its history. She is professor of Italian American Studies and chair of the Department of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Stony B ...

, 1994). In 1987 she received a

New York Foundation for the Arts The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is an independent 501(c)(3) charity, funded through government, foundation, corporate, and individual support, established in 1971. It is part of a network of national not-for-profit arts organizations ...

fellowship for fiction. Her first children's book, ''Teeny Tiny Tino's Fishing Story'', won the 2008 Paterson Prize for Books for Young People, and her poetry collection, ''Gambler's Daughter'', was a finalist for the 2002 Paterson Poetry Prize. DeVries was born into a working-class Italian-American family in Paterson, New Jersey, on September 9, 1947. Her grandparents emigrated to the United States from

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and

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. From 1980 to 1982 she co-directed the Women's Writers Center in

Cazenovia, New York Cazenovia is an incorporated Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Madison County, New York. The population was 6,740 at the time of the 2020 census. The town is named after Theophilus Cazenove , Theophile Cazenove, the ''Agent Gener ...

, and directed the Feminist Women's Writing Workshops at

Wells College Wells College is a private liberal arts college in Aurora, New York. The college has cross-enrollment with Cornell University and Ithaca College. For much of its history it was a women's college. Wells College is located in the Finger Lakes reg ...

. In 1984 she founded the Community Writers' Project in Syracuse, New York, and served as its director until 1995. In the 1990s she taught creative writing at

Onondaga Community College Onondaga Community College (OCC) is a public community college that serves Onondaga County, New York, at two campuses. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. History The college was founded in 1961 and began instruction ...

. In 2009 she was a "poet in the schools" in upstate New York and taught creative writing at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

Works

Novels: * ''Tender Warriors'' (1986) Poetry: * ''A Woman Unknown in Her Bones'' (2014) * ''The Brother Inside Me'' (2008) * ''Gambler's Daughter'' (2001) * ''How to Sing to a Dago'' (1996) * ''An Arc of Light'' (1978) Children's Books: * ''The Purple Potato and Other Poems'' (2007) * ''Ear Wax and Hockey Sticks'' (1995) * ''Teeny Tiny Tino's Fishing Story'' (1978)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:DeVries, Rachel Guido Living people 20th-century American writers 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American writers 21st-century American women writers American writers of Italian descent American LGBT writers 1947 births