Houston, We Have Writers
HOUSTON, TX
Home to more than 2.3 million people and some of the best writers in Texas.
It would be easy to associate the city of Houston as being synonymous with NASA, oil companies, and an extensive range of cuisines. However, a hidden charm of this city of sprawl is its connection to a rich and vibrant literary scene.
Houston is home to an acclaimed creative writing program at the University of Houston, has an impressive count of independent bookstores such as Brazos Bookstore, and is home to various writing organizations such as Writespace. Even Comicpalooza, the city’s largest pop culture convention, has emphasized its literary track in recent years to cover topics for aspiring writers or readers looking for something new. Yes, Houston has tons of traffic, but also tons of great talent.
While it would be impossible to connect with every writer and storyteller in Houston, several were kind enough to discuss their work and connection to the Houston writing scene, as well as remind readers that while Texas may be a huge state, you don’t have to look far to find an impressive title written by local writers.
“Writing was one of my first hobbies and I made all of my academic and professional decisions thinking about writing as a viable career choice. What is interesting to me is how renowned Houston is as a literary city. Having been published and teaching creative writing for more than 25 years, it surprises me how many writers move here.”
Angélique Jamail, Educator and Author of A Narrowing Path
Angélique Jamail is a Lebanese-American author who lives and breathes storytelling. She is a member of the Board of Directors for Mutabilis Press, Director of Creative Writing at The Kinkaid School, a faculty member at Writespace Houston, and recently released her urban fantasy novel A Narrowing Path published by Memento Vivere Press.
A Narrowing Path combines fantasy and magical realism and is set in a world where people have animal characteristics as part of their humanity. Click here for more information.
“It's been my belief that books are what make you immortal. They will touch people we will never meet. They transcend time. They transcend space. I can't think of anything else outside of creative endeavors quite frankly that really has that kind of impact and longevity.”
Ynes Freeman, Publisher at Memento Vivere Press and Author of Beautiful Serpent, Restless Embers
Ynes Freeman is the Publisher at Memento Vivere Press, a small independent press. With a background in traditional publishing, including editing, audience marketing, and management, Ynes has guided more than a thousand authors on the path to publishing with kindness and encouragement. She is the former CEO/Publisher at Balance of Seven, a small indie press with 10+ award-winning titles and several #1 Amazon bestsellers. She published the first book in history to be written by an Armenian-American lesbian (recognized by the Queer Armenian Library). Ynes is a Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) who has held numerous leadership roles, and she is an active volunteer and instructor at Writespace Houston. Her debut novel (Beautiful Serpent, Restless Embers) launched in 2024.
About Beautiful Serpent, Restless Embers: Sensitive, soft-spoken Laurel Aleandri wakes at age eight to discover the world around her has changed—deepened. The rug under her feet feels softer, her father’s freshly-baked bread steams with joy, and his hymns carry a life of their own. A descendent of the Damica—women both praised and feared for their gifts—Laurel’s power is unlike her mother’s. Instead of reading fortunes, she feels into hearts and minds with a light brush of her fingertips. Click here for more information.
“My dad worked for NASA and my mom was a teacher. I guess the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree because I am a teacher who writes science fiction. In 2012 I quit my teaching job and moved to the Houston area and connected with contacts I had in the space industry. That, combined with working with spaces like Writespace, was fantastic with getting my legs under me as a writer.”
Adam Holt, Author of the Tully Harper Series
Adam Holt’s first book was three-pages long and written when he was 7 years old. Since then he has kept his passion for writing alive publishing the Tully Harper Series, which follows a teen stowaway traveling our solar system.
About the Tully Harper Series: Commander Harper is searching for water on Mars when he makes an unexpected discovery. It makes him a living legend, but that only leads to more missions. Once again, he has to leave his son behind. Not if his son has anything to say about it. This summer Tully Harper puts away his video games and plans a mission of his own - to sneak into space on his father's ship. To do that he will need plenty of help from Little Bacon, his pint-sized android, and his two best friends. Along the way, they will uncover The Conspiracy Game and change the fate of the solar system. Click here for more information.
“What I’m most excited about for readers to experience in my novel, Late Match, is that sometimes the right person appears at the wrong time. But if it’s the right person, it’s never too late to find love.”
D.W. Brooks, Physician, Kidney Transplant Survivor, and Author of Late Match
D.W. Brooks is an author, physician, and kidney transplant survivor. Her novel, Late Match, published by Life: The Reboot LLC blends romance with second chances.
Late Match follows the story of MacKenzie and Evan, two individuals whose lives sent them in different directions only for questions to arise 15 years later. Click here for more information.
“My journey goes from award-winning financial professional to best-selling children's book author after debilitating symptoms forced me to hit the brakes. Now, I’m the proud author of a children’s book series.”
Ryanne Siddiq, Author of Speedy Phoebe: A Carson Elementary Story
Ryanne Siddiq is a kind-hearted and silly storyteller and book connoisseur. She has a no-nonsense American attitude mixed with a little bit of Mediterranean warmth and charm. Ryanne loves race cars and unicorns, and she’s fairly certain that coffee flows through her veins! She drives a stick in stilettos, appreciates good food and great company, and smiles when the birds sing outside her window.
Speedy Phoebe is the first book in the Carson Elementary Series by Ryanne Siddiq, where a lively crew of “carlettes” (young cars) zoom through schoolyard adventures and important life lessons. From overcoming bullies and self-doubt to showing kindness, working hard, and helping friends, these silly yet heartfelt stories model positive behavior in ways kids can relate to and enjoy. Click here for more information.
“I majored in English but wasn’t certain I could make a living at it, so I studied business in graduate school. I didn’t do much writing for 20 years, but got back into it when I got an itch to do it again. I left my tech career and shifted to full-time writing and have produced 11 novels.”
D.L. Young, Author of the Empire and Ash Series
D.L. Young is a Pushcart Prize nominee and winner of the Independent Press Award. He’s also much less serious than his author photo implies. A lifelong science fiction fan, his intense, fast-paced novels echo his many influences from books and movies, including Star Wars, the Mad Max films, Dune, Blade Runner, Star Trek, Harlan Ellison, and the novels of William Gibson.
About the Empire and Ashes series: A fresh recruit is the only hope of stopping Interstellar war. Jeryn Lorsi is hardly ready for an important operation. An ex-black marketeer turned spy, he's no hero. But when tragedy strikes, that’s exactly what he’ll have to become. A conflict of unimaginable scale threatens to end ten thousand years of Realm primacy, and Jeryn is the only one in the position to stop it. War Is Coming… Interstellar civil war. Click here for more information.
“I’m from the country, so storytelling was almost like an exchange and I was always surrounded by storytellers. My book is a collection of things–I’m telling my story or stories of people I know and I had pre-existing illustrations for a story I wanted to tell. There’s surreal and weird elements in my work and they can be strange because the world is strange.”
Courtney O’Banion Smith, Author of In Fidelity
Courtney O’Banion Smith has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing-Poetry from Texas State University-San Marcos and a Master of Arts in Theopoetics and Writing from Bethany Theological Seminary. A Pushcart Prize nominee, her work has appeared in various publications including Relief, Barren Magazine, Equinox, and The Ocotillo Review. Her collection, In Fidelity, is the winner of the 2023 Catherine Case Lubbe Award. A Texas native, she currently lives in Houston where she and her husband care for two feral boys and one neurotic dog.
About In Fidelity: How do you stay faithful to the truth, to memory, to others? What do you do after you're betrayed or you betray another? Winner of the 2022 Catherine Case Lubbe Manuscript Award sponsored by the Poetry Society of Texas, In Fidelity explores how we remember the past and imagine the future while remaining true to our memories, ourselves, and each other. From poems examining loss, love, and the ecological ramifications of our decisions to a love triangle during the Great Depression and surreal, ekphrastic poems portraying the marriage of a mermaid and a werewolf, these poems expose how we make choices and make a way despite and because of love. Click here for more information.
Interviews were edited for clarity.