Danielle Henderson (writer)

Danielle Henderson
Born
Warwick, New York, United States
OccupationWriter
Years active2011― present
Known forFeminist Ryan Gosling
Notable workThe Ugly Cry: A Memoir (2021)

Danielle Henderson is an American writer. She is best known as the creator of the "Feminist Ryan Gosling" blog and book of the same name. Henderson has written for the television shows Difficult People, Maniac, Divorce, and others.

Early life and education

Henderson was raised in Warwick, New York, first by her mother and then from age 10, by her grandmother.[1] She and her brother were some of the only Black children in the predominantly white village.[1]

Henderson attended college for a year before dropping out. She spent time living in Anchorage, Alaska and also worked for the United Nations.[2] In 2008 she went back to school and received her bachelor's degree from University of Rhode Island in 2011.[3] She received her master's degree in women and gender studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.[2] She briefly enrolled in a doctoral program before dropping out.[4]

Career

In October 2011, Henderson created a Tumblr called "Feminist Ryan Gosling" after seeing the popular "hey girl" meme that featured actor Ryan Gosling. Each post included a picture of the actor with the greeting "hey girl" at the top and a block of text related to feminist theory or scholarship that Henderson was studying in her master's degree program.[2] The day after she published the debut post, the blog went viral after receiving coverage first from Jezebel, and later from outlets such as GQ, Mother Jones, IndieWire, Time, and Newsweek.[5][6] She published a book version of the blog in August 2012 and retired the project in April 2013.[5]

Henderson was a writer and editor for Rookie from 2012 to 2013 and also recapped television programs for Vulture.[7] In 2014 she worked as the arts and culture editor for The Stranger and later worked as a culture editor for Fusion.[8][9]

Henderson was contacted by a television agent who read her Vulture recaps and encouraged her to consider television writing.[4] She transitioned to screenwriting and has written for the television shows Difficult People, Divorce, Maniac, and Dare Me.[10][1]

She released her memoir The Ugly Cry on June 8, 2021, under Penguin/Viking. The book centers much of her upbringing by her non-traditional grandmother, as well as other life experiences up to the age of 18.[11]

Personal life

Henderson resides in upstate New York as of 2021.[11]

Works

  • 2012. Feminist Ryan Gosling: Feminist Theory (as Imagined) from Your Favorite Sensitive Movie Dude, publication date 14 August 2012, Running Press. ISBN 978-0762447367
  • 2021. The Ugly Cry: A Memoir, publication date 8 June 2021, Viking Press. ISBN 978-0525559351

Awards and nominations

References

  1. ^ a b c Macgilbert, Molly (Summer 2021). "TV Writer Danielle Henderson Gets Personal With Her New Memoir, "The Ugly Cry": BUST Interview". bust.com. Archived from the original on 2021-06-09. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  2. ^ a b c "Q&A: Danielle Henderson, Author of Feminist Ryan Gosling : Feminist Theory (as Imagined) from Your Favorite Sensitive Movie Dude". The Village Voice. 2012-08-07. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  3. ^ "Danielle Henderson '11". Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  4. ^ a b "Danielle Henderson, THE UGLY CRY". Zibby Owens. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  5. ^ a b Petersen, Anne Helen (December 17, 2013). "Internet Work and Invisible Labor: An Interview With Danielle Henderson". The Hairpin. Archived from the original on December 18, 2013. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  6. ^ Opoien, Jessie (2014-02-26). "Hey girl. Let's catch up with the UW-Madison alumna who created 'Feminist Ryan Gosling.'". The Cap Times. Archived from the original on 2022-01-12. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  7. ^ "Exploring Blackness and Where I Fit In". Essence. 2020-10-27. Archived from the original on 2022-01-07. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  8. ^ "Danielle Henderson Is The Stranger's New Arts & Culture Editor!". The Stranger. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  9. ^ Nelson, Jenny (2015-08-14). "Danielle Henderson (@knottyyarn) on Her Schedule Overhaul and Talking about Intense Things on Twitter". Vulture. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  10. ^ Joseph, Alli (2021-07-22). ""The Ugly Cry" reveals the pain and humor of growing up "Black and weird"". Salon. Archived from the original on 2021-07-23.
  11. ^ a b "Her Best Wasn't Good Enough with Danielle Henderson - Transcript". www.ttfa.org. 2021-11-18. Archived from the original on 2022-01-12. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  12. ^ McNary, Dave (2018-12-06). "Writers Guild Awards Announces 2019 TV Nominees". Variety. Archived from the original on 2018-12-07. Retrieved 2022-01-12.