Biography
Dee Richards (born 1982) is a 3rd generation San Diegan now living in Orange County; the first of her working poor family to attend a university since her father left to fight in the Vietnam War. Options for a poor, bisexual youth are simple: clean up your act and get a job or straighten up and get married. Dee found herself married at age 19 to an abuser and spent the next 6 years in hell. Finally clawing their way out of the darkness, Dee emerged victorious. Twenty years after writing a story about a dog who wished it were a cat on an old typewriter her mom gave her for her 8th birthday, Dee dared to dream of a life free from the prison of can’t. Dee won a national essay award and a sci-fi writing award, but still didn’t know if they had what it took. Dee was accepted at one of the top 10 public universities in the USA to pursue her writing dream, and the doubt began to fade. After 8 publications, and praise from multiple professors, Dee is finally starting to believe in herself. Dee still isn’t quite sure if she could be a writer.
Publications
- "The Static" Winter 2021. Epoch Press Literary Journal : Issue 1, "Beginnings". Order Here
- "Thoughts Before I Am Sawed in Half" January 2021. The Cabinet of Heed Literary Journal: Issue 42 Read Free Here
- "The Day After Christmas" January 19, 2021. The Daily Drunk. Read Free Here
- "Meine Geschichte" September 1, 2021. Cardigan Press, Byline Legacies. Order Here
- "Investment" October 2021. Cape Magazine, Issue 3: Unamused. Read Free Here
- "Ritual Language" October 2021. Analogies and Allegories Magazine, Issue 6: Magic. Read Free Here
- "Condemnation" November 2021. Hecate Magazine Anthologies, Issue 2: Decay. Order Here
- "Pen" June 2022. Fahmidan Journal, Issue 12: Surrealist Spring. Read Free Here
Awards & Achievements
- 1st Place San Francisco Regional Winner, JACS National Essay Contest, 2004 - 1st Place National Winner, JACS National Essay Contest, 2004 - 2nd Place, Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District Science Writing Contest, 2009 - Grossmont Community College's 24th Annual Literary Arts Festival "New Voices: Student Reading" Presentation Selectee, 2020 - University of California, Irvine Grant Recipient, 2021 - Bernard Osher Foundation Scholarship Recipient, 2021 - University of California, Irvine Humanities Honors Program Selectee, 2021 - University of California, Irvine Humanities Honors Program Grant Recipient, 2022 - University of California, Irvine Undergraduate Digital Humanities Fellow, 2022 - University of California, Irvine Grant Recipient, 2022 - UTeach for UCI Selectee for Course "Introduction to Graphic Memoirs", 2022-2023
