Xochitl Gonzalez | |
---|---|
Born | 1977 (age 46–47) Brooklyn, New York |
Education | |
Notable works | Olga Dies Dreaming |
Xochitl Gonzalez ( /ˈsoʊtʃiːl/, SO-cheel; [1] [2] born 1977) is an American writer, screenwriter, and producer. In 2022, she published her debut novel Olga Dies Dreaming which became a New York Times Best Seller on January 30, 2022. [3]
In 2021, she began writing the newsletter "Brooklyn, Everywhere" for The Atlantic. [4] In 2023, she joined The Atlantic as a staff writer and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for her work there. [5]
Gonzalez was born in New York City to a second-generation Puerto Rican mother and Mexican-American father and raised by her grandparents [6] in the area between Bensonhurst and Borough Park. [7] Her parents were activists in the Socialist Workers Party, where her mother was a union organizer who ran for office in the Socialist Workers Party. [8]
Gonzalez attended Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn and earned a scholarship to Brown University. [9] At Brown she intended to study creative writing but ultimately majored in art history. [10] Reflecting on her time at the university, Gonzalez wrote, "Brown was only four hours by car, a lifetime by way of cultural journey. I had dreamt for years of escaping the concrete of Brooklyn for reasons I couldn't really ever put my finger on." [8] Gonzalez graduated from Brown with a Bachelor of Arts in 1999.
Gonzalez was inspired to become a professional writer after the death of her grandmother in 2017, with the sale of her grandmother's home helping to fund her writing efforts. [11]
Gonzalez worked as an entrepreneur and consultant for a number of years before earning her MFA from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop in 2021. [12] In June 2022, Gonzalez was elected a trustee of Brown University. [13]
Gonzalez was named a 2023 Pulitzer Prize finalist for commentary for her work writing the newsletter Brooklyn, Everywhere. [11]
In 2022, Gonzalez published Olga Dies Dreaming, her debut novel. The novel was in part inspired by her past career as a wedding planner for the ultra-rich in New York City following the 2008 recession. [10] The book was received positively in reviews by Ron Charles for The Washington Post and Shannon Melero for Jezebel. [14] [15] Kirkus Reviews called the book "atmospheric, intelligent, and well informed: an impressive debut." [16] Gonzalez is currently writing and co-executive producing [17] alongside filmmaker Alfonso Gómez-Rejón, a pilot for a drama based on the novel produced by Hulu and starring Aubrey Plaza and Ramon Rodriguez. [18] [19]
In 2024, her follow-up novel Anita de Monte Laughs Last was published. The novel largely received positive reviews, [20] with NPR writing that "Gonzalez's second novel brilliantly surpasses the promise of her popular debut Olga Dies Dreaming". [21] The novel follows college student Raquel Toro as she discovers the art of Anita de Monte, a character based on the Cuban artist Ana Mendieta. [22] Gonzalez claimed that she visited a location supposedly haunted by Mendieta, and was visited by a spirit of the artist, who posthumously encouraged her story to be told. [11]
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cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
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Xochitl Gonzalez | |
---|---|
Born | 1977 (age 46–47) Brooklyn, New York |
Education | |
Notable works | Olga Dies Dreaming |
Xochitl Gonzalez ( /ˈsoʊtʃiːl/, SO-cheel; [1] [2] born 1977) is an American writer, screenwriter, and producer. In 2022, she published her debut novel Olga Dies Dreaming which became a New York Times Best Seller on January 30, 2022. [3]
In 2021, she began writing the newsletter "Brooklyn, Everywhere" for The Atlantic. [4] In 2023, she joined The Atlantic as a staff writer and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for her work there. [5]
Gonzalez was born in New York City to a second-generation Puerto Rican mother and Mexican-American father and raised by her grandparents [6] in the area between Bensonhurst and Borough Park. [7] Her parents were activists in the Socialist Workers Party, where her mother was a union organizer who ran for office in the Socialist Workers Party. [8]
Gonzalez attended Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn and earned a scholarship to Brown University. [9] At Brown she intended to study creative writing but ultimately majored in art history. [10] Reflecting on her time at the university, Gonzalez wrote, "Brown was only four hours by car, a lifetime by way of cultural journey. I had dreamt for years of escaping the concrete of Brooklyn for reasons I couldn't really ever put my finger on." [8] Gonzalez graduated from Brown with a Bachelor of Arts in 1999.
Gonzalez was inspired to become a professional writer after the death of her grandmother in 2017, with the sale of her grandmother's home helping to fund her writing efforts. [11]
Gonzalez worked as an entrepreneur and consultant for a number of years before earning her MFA from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop in 2021. [12] In June 2022, Gonzalez was elected a trustee of Brown University. [13]
Gonzalez was named a 2023 Pulitzer Prize finalist for commentary for her work writing the newsletter Brooklyn, Everywhere. [11]
In 2022, Gonzalez published Olga Dies Dreaming, her debut novel. The novel was in part inspired by her past career as a wedding planner for the ultra-rich in New York City following the 2008 recession. [10] The book was received positively in reviews by Ron Charles for The Washington Post and Shannon Melero for Jezebel. [14] [15] Kirkus Reviews called the book "atmospheric, intelligent, and well informed: an impressive debut." [16] Gonzalez is currently writing and co-executive producing [17] alongside filmmaker Alfonso Gómez-Rejón, a pilot for a drama based on the novel produced by Hulu and starring Aubrey Plaza and Ramon Rodriguez. [18] [19]
In 2024, her follow-up novel Anita de Monte Laughs Last was published. The novel largely received positive reviews, [20] with NPR writing that "Gonzalez's second novel brilliantly surpasses the promise of her popular debut Olga Dies Dreaming". [21] The novel follows college student Raquel Toro as she discovers the art of Anita de Monte, a character based on the Cuban artist Ana Mendieta. [22] Gonzalez claimed that she visited a location supposedly haunted by Mendieta, and was visited by a spirit of the artist, who posthumously encouraged her story to be told. [11]
{{
cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link)