Gabby Rivera

Gabby Rivera is an American writer and storyteller. She is the author of the 2016 young adult novel Juliet Takes a Breath, and wrote the 2017–2018 Marvel comic book America, about superhero America Chavez.^[1][2] Her work often addresses issues of identity and representation for people of color and the queer community, within American popular culture.^[3] Rivera is Puerto Rican and from the Bronx.

Gabby Rivera was born to Martha and Charles Rivera.^[4] Rivera grew up in the Bronx borough of New York City, she is of Puerto Rican descent and grew up in a religious household of Pentecostal evangelicalism.^[5][6][7] An early love of reading and writing came from her mother, a kindergarten teacher.^[8] Rivera attended an all-girls private school in White Plains, New York.^[7] Rivera attended Goucher College in Towson, Maryland, graduating in 2004.^[9]

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.^[10] Rivera is an editor at Autostraddle, an online magazine for, about, and written by LGBTQIA+ women, non-binary people and sometimes trans men.^[11] Rivera is a mentor through her work as the youth programs manager at GLSEN.^[8]

Juliet Takes a Breath (2016) is a semi-autobiographical, fictional coming-of-age novel about a gay Latina woman from the Bronx dealing with her identity.^[12] 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".^[13]

Miss America is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and Marvel's first Latin-American LGBTQ character to star in an ongoing series.^[14] From 2017 to 2018, Gabby Rivera authored the America series, until it was cancelled by Marvel publishing.^[15][16]

The comic book series was nominated for Outstanding Comic Book at the 29th GLAAD Media Awards.^[17] Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor sent Rivera a letter, praising her work on the series and America Chavez.^[18]

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.^[19] B.B. Free's first issue was illustrated by Royal A. Dunlap.^[19][20] The series was based on a short story written by Rivera titled IMBALANCE.

Rivera is openly gay.^[12][21]

• Rivera, Gabby (2016). Juliet Takes a Breath (1 ed.). Bronx, New York: Riverdale Avenue Books. ISBN 978-1626012516.
• Rivera, Gabby; Quinones, Joe (2017). America Vol. 1: The Life and Times of America Chavez. New York City, New York: Marvel. ISBN 978-1302908812.
• Rivera, Gabby; Quinones, Joe; Wu, Annie (2018). America Vol. 2: Fast and Fuertona. New York City, New York: Marvel. ISBN 978-1302908829.

• Personal website
• Gabby Rivera's speakers profile on Ted.com
• Gabby Rivera's contributors profile on Autostraddle