Sheila Ortiz-Taylor

Sheila Ortiz Taylor (born September 25, 1939) is a Mexican-American writer, poet, novelist, literacy critic, and former professor who was born in Los Angeles, California. She is Chicana and has produced multiple novels such as Faultline, Spring Forward/Fall Back (1985), Southbound (1990), and Coachella (1998).

Personal life

Ortiz Taylor was born on September 25, 1939, in Los Angeles, California, where she was raised by her mother, aunts, and grandma along with her sister, Sandra Ortiz Taylor. After spending her summer in Europe, Ortiz Taylor returned to UCLA where she received her Master's in 1964 and Ph.D in 1972.

Faultline Ortiz Taylor’s most well-known novel, Faultline, was published in 1982 by the Naiad Press – a lesbian publisher. Faultline centers around a woman who risks losing custody of her children, due to her sexual orientation, and must go to court to plead her case.

Her other works include Spring Forward/Fall Back (1985), which is about a lesbian family as well, Borderlands (1987), Coachella (1998), and Slow Dancing at Miss Polly’s.

LGBTQ+ identity Ortiz Taylor uses her sexual identity as a primary component of her literary works, with her ethnic background as a Mexican-American coming soon after.

Ortiz Taylor is a lesbian, using her written works, specifically Faultline, as a vessel for her struggles being a part of the LGBTQ+ community. The novel reflects her personal life, using the main character of the novel “Arden”' as a representation of herself. Arden, much like Ortiz Taylor, is a Chicana lesbian mother challenging gender norms and the opposition she faced from those around her, specifically her ex-husband. Critics of Ortiz Taylor view her references to her Chicana heritage as “superficial” because Arden “makes fun of her ‘Indian’ nose.” Critics also mention that her Chicanidad does not play a central role as Ortiz Taylor focuses mainly on lesbianism in her writing. In Imaginary Parents, the Ortiz Sisters reveal more about their Mexican Catholic heritage, eating and learning to cook traditional foods. Reviewers of her trilogy starring Arden note that from the beginning of Faultline to OutRageous, Ortiz Taylor progressively writes more about her heritage.

Career After attaining her Ph.D. in 1972, Ortiz Taylor was hired as an English Professor at Florida State University, where she received various academic grants and awards. Some of her accolades included the Money for Women/Barbara Deming Memorial Fund Grant, the Teaching Incentive Program Award, the William R. Jones Most Valuable Mentor Award, the University Teaching Award, the Professional Excellence Program Award. During her tenure as a professor, Ortiz Taylor also served as the Director of Women’s Studies.