Gwendolyn Zepeda

Gwendolyn Zepeda Poems

Gwendolyn Zepeda Biography

Gwendolyn Zepeda (born December 27, 1971 in Houston, Texas) is an American author. Zepeda is Houston's first Poet Laureate, serving a two-year term from 2013 to 2015. In June 1997, Zepeda started an online journal called Gwen's Trailer Trash Page. It eventually evolved into Gwen's Petty, Judgmental, Evil Thoughts. She is notable as one of the first bloggers to write and sell a book, and also as a Latina author and the first Latina blogger. Her first book, To the Last Man I Slept with and All the Jerks Just Like Him, was a short story collection published by Arte Publico Press in 2004. Her first novel, Houston, We Have a Problema is a chick lit novel and was published by Grand Central Publishing January 2009. Her first picture book, Growing Up with Tamales, was published by Pinata Books, an imprint of Arte Publico Press, in May 2008. It is a 2009 Charlotte Zolotow Highly Commended Title and was nominated for a Tejas Star Award. Pinata Books published her second picture book, Sunflowers, in May 2009. Zepeda was one of the founding members of Television Without Pity. She recapped the television shows Ally McBeal and 7th Heaven from 1999 to 2001 under the name Gwen. She blogged for the Houston Chronicle in 2009 and 2010.)

The Best Poem Of Gwendolyn Zepeda

After the Hurricane

We stood on the banks of
I-45 that had turned into
a river
with tops of flooded cars that seemed to
float along like lily pads.
Those of us with
cars still working had
spent the morning
tracing the shape we were
trapped in. Came
back like scouts to
share our findings.
Heights cut off from Montrose.
Bayous filled to brims and
beyond. Here Be
Alligator Gars.
Those of us caught on the
wrong sides of these bayous will
spend the night on the futon.
Those of us who host will
suddenly remember the jigsaw
puzzle—where it's stored and how
we sort its pieces, sit together in
concentration and tolerate the heat.
One of us wheeled out a
cart and sold
corn on a stick.
Soft butter, sour cream, flecks of
pulverized peppers.
Another of us wished that he'd
thought of it first. Resolved to sell
burgers next hurricane.
We milled around on
muddy grass. Held off heading
back to the canned goods and
borrowed beds. A few of us were
still in shock. But most were
laughing and chatting. Flirting with the
passersby. Or on the phone with
others of us. Making plans for
next time. Or next day. Or
points to be determined in
our future.

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