Alexis De Veaux was a freelance writer and contributing editor for Essence Magazine in the 1980’s, where she penned a number of socially relevant articles. She was chosen by the magazine to go to South Africa in 1990 to interview Nelson Mandela upon his historic release from prison, making her the first North American writer to do so.

 

Alexis published a second award-winning children’s book, An Enchanted Hair Tale (1987) before moving to Buffalo, where she earned a doctorate in American Studies in 1992. Her biography, Audre Lorde, Warrior Poet (2004), has been the recipient of several awards, including the Gustavus Meyers Outstanding Book Award (2004).

 

She has collaborated with the visual artist Valerie Maynard and poet Kathy Engel on the digital project, “Are You Now or Have You Ever Been Terrorized?” (available on YouTube). Her novel, Yabo, won the 2015 Lambda Literary Award for Fiction. 

 

This is Alexis' fifth year as a participating writer and she will be Moderating the Public Conversation, "IN THESE TIMES: WRITING. TERROR. POSSIBILITY".  Alexis will be joined by Cynthia Dewi Oka and Kathy Engel.