Valdes Greenwood, David 1967–

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Valdes Greenwood, David 1967–

(David Luis Valdes)

PERSONAL:

Born 1967; son of Jolene B. Valdes (a home health aide); married Jason John Greenwood (a speech therapist), December 31, 2004; children: Lily Ruth. Education: Atlantic Union College, B.A.; Emerson College, M.F.A., 1994.

ADDRESSES:

Home—MA. Office—English Department, Tufts University, 210 East Hall, Medford, MA 02155.

CAREER:

Author. Tufts University, Medford, MA, lecturer in English.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Humana Festival award; Edward Albee PlayLab award; Midwest Theatre Network award; Massachusetts Cultural Council award; Clauder Competition award; two commissions from EST/Sloan Project.

WRITINGS:

Homo Domesticus: Notes from a Same-Sex Marriage, Da Capo Press Lifelong Books (Cambridge, MA), 2007.

A Little Fruitcake: A Boyhood in Holidays, Da Capo Press (Cambridge, MA), 2007.

Columnist and arts writer, Bay Windows, 1994-2000; contributing writer, Boston Phoenix, 1996-2004; columnist, Boston Globe, 2005-06.

PLAYS

Brave Navigator (acting edition), Baker's Plays (Quincy, MA), 2000.

Day Eight: Snow Globe, Baker's Plays (Quincy, MA), 2003.

Dream of Jeannie-by-the-Door, Broadway Play Publishing (New York, NY), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

David Valdes Greenwood is the author of two memoirs focusing on distinct chapters of his childhood and adult life. In A Little Fruitcake: A Boy-hood in Holidays, Valdes Greenwood recalls both the cherished and wacky moments spent with his eccentric family at Christmas. The book is organized into twelve essays, one for each of the holiday's twelve days. Conversely, Homo Domesticus: Notes from a Same-Sex Marriage is the story of the life that Valdes Greenwood and his husband, James, have forged together. It begins with their auspicious meeting at a college campus event, follows their commitment ceremony in 1995 and legal Massachusetts wedding in 2005, and includes the adoption of their infant daughter. Valdes Greenwood sets out to prove that same-sex marriages struggle through their fair share of the usual conflicts—financial difficulties, poor communication, disruptive in-laws—and are more similar than many think to heterosexual relationships. Holly Dolezalek described Homo Domesticus in a review for Gay Marriage World as "a hilarious treatise on serious subjects, like the right of gays to marry and adopt—and how to do both without murdering each other." Gay and Lesbian Review Worldwide contributor Terri Schlichenmeyer wrote: "Reading this book is rather like having a latte with your best friend who just got married and can't wait to tell you everything. Fortunately, given this degree of intimacy, [Valdes] Greenwood is a born storyteller, and the story he tells is one you'll be delighted to hear."