Heather Lewis (writer)

Heather Lewis (c.1962–2002)[1][2] was an American writer.

Heather Lewis
Born1962
Bedford, New York, United States
DiedMay 2002
New York
OccupationNovelist

Biography

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Heather Lewis was born in Bedford, New York. She attended Sarah Lawrence College.[1][3]

She was the author of three published novels. The first, House Rules (1994), details the experiences of a fifteen-year-old girl working as a show rider of horses—an experience the author herself had in her teenage years.[1][3] The novel won the 1995 Ferro-Grumley Award for Lesbian Fiction.[4] Lewis's second novel, The Second Suspect (1998), follows the struggles of a female police investigator trying to prove the guilt of a powerful and influential businessman responsible for the rape and murder of several young women. The third, posthumously published novel, Notice (2004), describes the experiences of a young prostitute, Nina and her involvement with a sadist and his wife.[3] Lewis' former teacher, Allan Gurganus wrote an afterword for Notice.[5] The book is essentially a re-writing of The Second Suspect from the point of view of one of the victims.

Lewis was an out lesbian,[6] and her works explore aspects of American culture, such as the connections between power, drugs, sex, violence, love and justice.[3]

Lewis taught at the Writer's Voice and contributed to various anthologies of literature including Best Lesbian Erotica (1996, 1997), Once Upon a Time: Erotic Fairy Tales for Women (1996), and A Woman Like That: Lesbian and Bisexual Writers Tell Their Coming Out Stories (1999).[3] Lewis returned to New York in the fall of 2001, after a year in Arizona. She ended her life in May 2002, in New York.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "THE GRASP AND THE GRAPPLE". sites.google.com. Retrieved 2021-06-27.
  2. ^ Gurganus, Allan (11 June 2002). "Pain and Perfection". Advocate. No. 865.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Guide to the Heather Lewis Papers 1965-2002 (Bulk 1980-1999) MSS 132". 2008-09-07. Archived from the original on 2008-09-07. Retrieved 2021-06-27.
  4. ^ "The Ferro-Grumley Awards". The Publishing Triangle. Retrieved 2021-06-27.
  5. ^ "Terror, Eros, and Animal: The Fiction of Heather Lewis by Allan Gurganus - BOMB Magazine". bombmagazine.org. Retrieved 2021-06-27.
  6. ^ Bendix, Trish (2017-03-16). "Queer Women History Forgot: Heather Lewis". GO Magazine. Retrieved 2021-06-27.