Gabby Rivera is an American writer and storyteller. She is the author of the 2016

young adult novel Young adult literature (YA) is typically written for readers aged 12 to 18 and includes most of the themes found in adult fiction, such as family dysfunction, substance abuse, alcoholism, and sexuality. It is characterized by simpler world build ...

'' Juliet Takes a Breath'', and wrote the 2017–2018

Marvel Marvel may refer to: Business * Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company ** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment ** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe ** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics ...

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

''America'', about

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

America Chavez America Chavez is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Joe Casey and artist Nick Dragotta, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''Vengeance'' #1 (September 2011). Chavez is a List ...

. Her work often addresses issues of identity and representation for

people of color The term "person of color" (: people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is associated with, the United States. From th ...

and the

queer community The LGBTQ community (also known as the LGBT, LGBT+, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIA+, or queer community) comprises LGBTQ individuals united by a common culture and social movements. These communities generally celebrate pride, diversity, individua ...

, within American popular culture. Rivera is Puerto Rican and from the Bronx.

Early life and education

Gabby Rivera was born to Martha and Charles Rivera. Rivera grew up in the

Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

borough of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, she is of Puerto Rican descent and grew up in a religious household of

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...

evangelicalism. An early love of reading and writing came from her mother, a kindergarten teacher. Rivera attended an

all-girls Single-sex education, also known as single-gender education, same-sex education, same-gender education, and gender-isolated education, is the practice of conducting education with male and female students attending separate classes, perhaps in se ...

private school in White Plains, New York. Rivera attended

Goucher College Goucher College ( ') is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Towson, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1885 as a Nonsectarian, nonsecterian Women's colleges in the United States, ...

Towson Towson () is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 59,533 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is t ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, graduating in 2004.

Career

Rivera started her career and love for literature at the age of 17 by attending a local cafe for poetry nights. Starting her career in performance poetry, Rivera grew inspired by stories written by black, brown and queer authors. Rivera is an editor at

Autostraddle Autostraddle is a queer and trans-owned online magazine and social network for lesbian, bisexual, and queer women ( cis and trans), as well as non-binary people and trans people of all genders. The website is a "politically progressive queer fem ...

, an

online magazine An online magazine is a magazine published on the Internet, through bulletin board systems and other forms of public computer networks. One of the first magazines to convert from a print magazine format to an online only magazine was the comput ...

for, about, and written by

LGBTQ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (sexuality and gender), questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, Asexuality, asexual, ...

IA+ women,

non-binary Non-binary or genderqueer Gender identity, gender identities are those that are outside the male/female gender binary. Non-binary identities often fall under the transgender umbrella since non-binary people typically identify with a gende ...

people and sometimes

trans men A trans man or transgender man is a man who was assigned female at birth. Trans men have a male gender identity, and many trans men undergo Gender transition, medical and social transition to alter their appearance in a way that aligns with th ...

. Rivera is a mentor through her work as the youth programs manager at

GLSEN GLSEN (pronounced ''glisten''; formerly the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network) is an American education organization working to end discrimination, harassment, and bullying based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expres ...

''Juliet Takes a Breath'' (2016)

''Juliet Takes a Breath'' (2016) is a semi-autobiographical, fictional

coming-of-age novel In literary criticism, a bildungsroman () is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth and change of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood (coming of age). The term comes from the German words ('formation' or 'edu ...

about a

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

Latina woman from the Bronx dealing with her identity. In this story, Juliet Milagros Palante moves to Portland, Oregon for the summer to intern under Harlowe Brisbane, a white feminist writer and author of, "Raging Flower: Empowering Your Pussy by Empowering Your Mind".

''America'' (2017-2018)

Miss America is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

and Marvel's first

Latin-American Latin Americans (; ) are the citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their diasporas are multi-ethnic and multi-racial. Latin Americans are a ...

LGBTQ character to star in an ongoing series. From 2017 to 2018, Gabby Rivera authored the ''America'' series, until it was cancelled by Marvel publishing. The comic book series was nominated for Outstanding Comic Book at the

29th GLAAD Media Awards The 29th GLAAD Media Awards was the 2018 annual presentation of the GLAAD Media Awards, presented by GLAAD honoring the 2017 media season. The awards honor films, television shows, musicians and works of journalism that fairly and accurately repr ...

Supreme Court Justice The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest-ranking judicial body in the United States. Its membership, as set by the Judiciary Act of 1869, consists of the chief justice of the United States and eight associate justices, any six of ...

Sonia Sotomayor Sonia Maria Sotomayor (, ; born June 25, 1954) is an American lawyer and jurist who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. She was nominated by President Barack Obama on May 26, 2009, and has served since ...

sent Rivera a letter, praising her work on the series and America Chavez.

B.B. Free series

B.B. Free is a comic book series that centers around a 15 year old navigating a post-climate change world with a plague, where mother nature kills greed. B.B. Free's first issue was illustrated by Royal A. Dunlap. The series was based on a short story written by Rivera titled ''IMBALANCE.''

Personal life

Rivera is openly gay.

Publications

* * *

References

External links

Personal website

Gabby Rivera's speakers profile
on Ted.com
Gabby Rivera's contributors profile
on

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rivera, Gabby Writers from the Bronx Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Goucher College alumni Hispanic and Latino American novelists Hispanic and Latino American poets Hispanic and Latino American short story writers Hispanic and Latino American autobiographers American autobiographers American women autobiographers 21st-century American women writers American magazine editors American women magazine editors American women short story writers American women poets 21st-century American short story writers 21st-century American poets Marvel Comics writers American lesbian writers LGBTQ people from New York (state) LGBTQ Hispanic and Latino American people American LGBTQ novelists American LGBTQ poets LGBTQ comics creators