FieldAR2023OnlineAll11.13 - Magazine - Page 24
ALUMNI
Making
a
Dif f erence
Passionate about the Written Word
Tembe Denton-Hurst ’13
Tembe Denton-Hurst '13 is passionate about the written word. She first discovered her appreciation for reading
and writing in her English classes at Field. She remembers diving into Tsitsi Dangarembga's Nervous Conditions
and the works of James Baldwin, becoming enamored with the characters, and relishing in the opportunities
to think deeply and critically about the English language. “When it came time for me to look at texts critically
in college, I had already done that at Field. I was deepening an experience I had already had. Expanding my
literary world at that age was really cool.” She also appreciated the exposure to authors with whom she could
see aspects of herself. These experiences helped launch Tembe into her career as a journalist and now a
published author with her debut novel, Homebodies, released on May 2, 2023.
After graduating from St. John's University with a Bachelor's in English Literature, Tembe continued her studies,
earning her Master's from St. John's University. After getting her start with PopSugar, Tembe went on to work
for New York Magazine. Inspired by her vantage point as a black queer woman, she explored her passion for
writing about how beauty and culture intersect. Tembe's growing list of accomplishments includes an American
Society of Magazine Editors nomination for creating a Natural Hair Week at The Strategist.
Tembe cashed in a present from her partner, Connay, to attend a writing course, and
through this work, she began what would become her novel, Homebodies. With the
encouragement of her teacher, she resisted the urge to stop at a short story and
continued to fill the pages. A year and a half later, the manuscript was complete and
Harper Collins published the book. Homebodies received numerous recognitions in
anticipation of its release, including being included in Vogue Magazine’s “Best LGBTQ+
Books of 2023” and Publishers Weekly starred reviews.
“Tembe Denton-Hurst's masterful command of the narrative—classical in its shape,
contemporary in its textures—makes this sparkling story shine all the more.”
- Esquire
“In her sharp, charming and passionate debut, 'Homebodies,' Tembe Denton-Hurst
showcases an eye for the details that mater…It is this eye for the rhythms and textures
of life — of millennial digital media, of the death by a thousand cuts ofered by workplace racism, of Maryland suburbia — that makes this novel vivid and inviting.”
— New York Times Book Review
When she's not writing or planning her next novel, Tembe enjoys spending time at home in Queens with her
partner of over ten years. The two own a biscuit company, Sundays Only, that provides small-batch biscuit
delivery in New York City baked by Connay Bratton. Tembe still holds on to the brick all seniors were given
when construction started on the Elizabeth Ely Meeting House and keeps in touch with her best friend, and
fellow Field graduate Lacey Herbert '13.