Confessions of a Jewish Texan
"Dede Fox brings her fine work of memory to the reader in many
forms: free verse, ingenious line breaks, inscape rhythms, concrete
poems, one playful nod to Wallace Stevens, and of course, the
confessional. Not since reading William Jay Smith's Cherokee
Lottery, have I seen such poignant personal histories of a crash of
cultures put down so artfully on the page; reaffirming my belief that
history is best written, understood and fully realized through poetry."
David M. Parsons
2011 Texas State Poet Laureate
"Dede Fox presents a poetry collection in Confessions of a
Jewish Texan that scorches the skin and pierces the soul like the Texas
heat. Her concepts and imagery burn into collective memory of
immigration, assimilation, and American Jewish life, no matter where
you live."
Barbara Krasner, Publisher
The Whole Megillah
About the Author
Dede Fox's poetry appears in Poetica, di-verse-city, Texas Poetry Calendar, The Enigmatist, Swirl, The Poetry Revolt, Poetry at Round Top, and Sol. Her poem "Chapultepec Park" won the 2008 Christina Sergeyevna Award at the Austin International Poetry Festival and she has twice been a juried poet at Houston Poetry Fest. Confessions of a Jewish Texan is her debut poetry collection.
Her children's writing credits include The Treasure in the Tiny Blue Tin, which received the Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award and was later listed in Linda Silver's Best Jewish Books for Children and Teens. Highlights Magazine has published several of Dede's nonfiction articles.
A native Texan, Dede attended the University of the Americas in Mexico City and graduated from Washington University in St. Louis. She also has a masters of elementary supervision from SFASU. Currently a school and synagogue librarian, she has also taught with Houston's Writers in the Schools and has continued her writing education with InPrint Houston, SCBWI, Montgomery County Literary Arts Council, and Highlights Writing Workshops.
Presentations
- Bay Area Writers League
- Sam Houston Area Reading Council
- Greater Houston Area Reading Council
- Texas Library Association Conference: "A Taste of Texas"
- Young Adult Conference at Sam Houston State University
- JCC-Houston Book Fair
- Association of Jewish Libraries Conference
School Visits & Writing Workshops
- Bear Creek Elementary -Katy ISD
- Buckalew Elementary -Conroe ISD
- Grangerland Intermediate -Conroe ISD
- Old Town Elementary -Round Rock ISD
- Turner Elementary -Houston ISD
- Kujawa Elementary -Aldine ISD
- Condit Elementary -Houston ISD
- The Shlenker School
Children's Publications
A historical fiction by Dede Fox Ducharme, won the Eighth Annual Sydney Taylor Manuscript Competition. After its publication by Texas Christian University Press, the Association of Jewish Libraries named it a 1998 Honor Book.
"Bringing Costumes to Life" June, 2013
"The Westwood Elementary Knitters" August, 2008
"Adora Svitak" December, 2007
Texas! 1997 State Studies Program
Contributing Writer
Rand McNally and Company
Children's Presentations
Treasure Hunt: Stories Grandpa Told
Students learn how to interview family members, collect oral histories, and harvest details to use in their writing.
Texas History: Be Your Own Hero
Popular with students of Texas History, this presentation focuses on ways to record and collect primary source historical information for use in journals, drawings, photographs, scrapbooks, tapes, and blogs.
Word Magic: What Frederick Knew about Poetry
Children learn how to use the magic of everyday objects and emotions to create poetry.
Reflections: Finding You Own Voice
With examples from her own poetry, Dede introduces literary elements which young writers can apply to their compositions.
Poetry
Confessions of a Jewish Texan
"Dede Fox presents a poetry collection in Confessions of a Jewish Texan that scorches the skin and pierces the soul like the Texas heat. Her concepts and imagery burn into collective memory of immigration, assimilation, and American Jewish life, no matter where you live."
2009-2011, 2013
Juried Poet 2007, 2009
Spring 2008
Fall 2007
2006-2009, 2011
2007-2009, 2012
2008-2012
2013 Summer Issue
The Enigmatist
2009, 2010, 2012, 2013
