Gwen Davis
Encyclopedia
Gwen Davis is an American novelist, playwright, screenwriter, songwriter, journalist and poet
.
Davis has written seventeen novels, including the bestselling The Pretenders. She has also written songs, reviews, and numerous articles. She has written for online publications such as the Huffington Post and maintains a popular personal blog, "Report from the Front" and also a blog reviewing Broadway theater productions, "Will Blog for Broadway."
She attended Bryn Mawr College
. In 1954, at the age of eighteen, she went to Paris to study music and sang in a nightclub there until she gave into her mother's pleas to return to the U.S. She moved to California and continued singing, performing at the Purple Onion
. She also obtained an M.A. in Creative Writing from Stanford University
. She was part of the Hollywood social scene from the late 1950s, coming into contact with a wide range of celebrities and befriending Dennis Hopper
and many others. Some of her experiences inspired her first novel, Naked in Babylon. She married businessman and producer Don Mitchell, with whom she had two children, a daughter and a son. One of the Mitchells' mocking Academy Awards parties was the subject of a Time magazine article in 1970, which mentioned some of the celebrities—Shirley MacLaine
, ZsaZsa Gabor, Lee Marvin
and others—Davis and Mitchell counted among their friends.
Davis continues to write. She travels widely and has lived in Europe, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and London. She currently resides in New York.
was not a commercial success, but it resulted in a highly controversial lawsuit. Davis spent twenty hours at Sandstone, a Topanga Canyon therapy center run by E. Paul Bindrim
, who was known as the "father of Nude Psychotherapy". Bindrim, once nearly kicked out of the American Psychological Association, was known for holding what he called "nude marathons"—several clients were "placed in a warm pool for long sessions of touching and massaging, talking and sometimes shouting or acting out rage". Davis always claimed she had used her real-life experiences to inspire fiction, but that Bindrim was not the psychologist in her fictional story, and did not resemble him—her character was overweight, had long hair, and had a Ph.D. By the time the case came to trial, Bindrim, who previously had only a master's degree, changed his appearance and obtained a Ph.D. from International College, founded in 1970, and which at the time claimed it had "no classrooms, no lecture halls, no resident faculty." These changes made him appear more like the psychologist in the book. He won his suit against Davis and her publisher, Doubleday. Doubleday then sued Davis, which raised the ire of many writers' organizations and won Davis the support of Kurt Vonnegut
and others.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
.
Davis has written seventeen novels, including the bestselling The Pretenders. She has also written songs, reviews, and numerous articles. She has written for online publications such as the Huffington Post and maintains a popular personal blog, "Report from the Front" and also a blog reviewing Broadway theater productions, "Will Blog for Broadway."
Life
Davis grew up in New York City, in Manhattan. Her parents were divorced. Her father, real estate developer Lew Davis, later served as mayor of Tucson, winning office in 1961.She attended Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College is a women's liberal arts college located in Bryn Mawr, a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, ten miles west of Philadelphia. The name "Bryn Mawr" means "big hill" in Welsh....
. In 1954, at the age of eighteen, she went to Paris to study music and sang in a nightclub there until she gave into her mother's pleas to return to the U.S. She moved to California and continued singing, performing at the Purple Onion
Purple Onion
-Credits:Musicians*Les Claypool - bass , vocals, percussion , guitar , whamola , drums *Jay Lane - drums *Mike Dillon - vibraphone , metal drum , percussion , tabla baya , pandiero , electric bow & arrow , metal sounds , cuica , marimba , metal , tabla *Skerik - saxophone , "fancy" sax...
. She also obtained an M.A. in Creative Writing from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. She was part of the Hollywood social scene from the late 1950s, coming into contact with a wide range of celebrities and befriending Dennis Hopper
Dennis Hopper
Dennis Lee Hopper was an American actor, filmmaker and artist. As a young man, Hopper became interested in acting and eventually became a student of the Actors' Studio. He made his first television appearance in 1954 and appeared in two films featuring James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant...
and many others. Some of her experiences inspired her first novel, Naked in Babylon. She married businessman and producer Don Mitchell, with whom she had two children, a daughter and a son. One of the Mitchells' mocking Academy Awards parties was the subject of a Time magazine article in 1970, which mentioned some of the celebrities—Shirley MacLaine
Shirley MacLaine
Shirley MacLaine is an American film and theater actress, singer, dancer, activist and author, well-known for her beliefs in new age spirituality and reincarnation. She has written a large number of autobiographical works, many dealing with her spiritual beliefs as well as her Hollywood career...
, ZsaZsa Gabor, Lee Marvin
Lee Marvin
Lee Marvin was an American film actor. Known for his gravelly voice, white hair and 6' 2" stature, Marvin at first did supporting roles, mostly villains, soldiers and other hardboiled characters, but after winning an Academy Award for Best Actor for his dual roles in Cat Ballou , he landed more...
and others—Davis and Mitchell counted among their friends.
Davis continues to write. She travels widely and has lived in Europe, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and London. She currently resides in New York.
Touching lawsuits
One of her novels, Touching, published in 19711971 in literature
The year 1971 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*The Destiny Waltz by Gerda Charles wins the UK's first Whitbread Novel of the Year Award.-New books:*Hiroshi Aramata - Teito Monogatari...
was not a commercial success, but it resulted in a highly controversial lawsuit. Davis spent twenty hours at Sandstone, a Topanga Canyon therapy center run by E. Paul Bindrim
Paul Bindrim
E. Paul Bindrim was an American psychotherapist who is known as the founder of nude psychotherapy which he believed allowed people to access and express repressed feelings more easily....
, who was known as the "father of Nude Psychotherapy". Bindrim, once nearly kicked out of the American Psychological Association, was known for holding what he called "nude marathons"—several clients were "placed in a warm pool for long sessions of touching and massaging, talking and sometimes shouting or acting out rage". Davis always claimed she had used her real-life experiences to inspire fiction, but that Bindrim was not the psychologist in her fictional story, and did not resemble him—her character was overweight, had long hair, and had a Ph.D. By the time the case came to trial, Bindrim, who previously had only a master's degree, changed his appearance and obtained a Ph.D. from International College, founded in 1970, and which at the time claimed it had "no classrooms, no lecture halls, no resident faculty." These changes made him appear more like the psychologist in the book. He won his suit against Davis and her publisher, Doubleday. Doubleday then sued Davis, which raised the ire of many writers' organizations and won Davis the support of Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. was a 20th century American writer. His works such as Cat's Cradle , Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions blend satire, gallows humor and science fiction. He was known for his humanist beliefs and was honorary president of the American Humanist Association.-Early...
and others.
Film and Television Writing Credits
- "Desperate Intruder," 1983 (TV)
- "Better Late Than Never," 1982
- "What a Way to Go!," 1964