#MacabroCoven: Poppy Z. Brite

By Casandra Vicario

Come take a look! Come learn about the life and work of an important figure in horror literature: Poppy Z. Brite!

Poppy was born in New Orleans in 1967, and worked as a candy maker, a model, a lab rat caretaker, and even an exotic dancer. Her first stories appeared in the magazine “The Horror Show”.

Her real name is Melissa Ann Brite, and her work has been closely tied to gothic fiction and horror fantasy.

Some of her published books are “La Música de los Vampiros” (1992),”La Llamada de la Sangre” (1993),”El Arte Más Íntimo” (1996), which recounts a period in the life of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, and even an unauthorized biography of Courtney Love, among many others.

She is married to Chris DeBarr, with whom she runs a cat shelter, photos of which are constantly featured on her website. Poppy Z. Brite, defines herself as a man, a fan of basketball and American football, and a devotee of the Beatles.

In 2010, she began sex-reassignment treatment and changed her name to Billy Martin; that same year, she announced her “momentary” retirement from writing for personal reasons and because, in her own words, “I no longer feel any connection to my characters” — she never wrote again.

Let's close this space with an excerpt from one of this writer's works:

“The baby named ‘Nothing’ opened his eyes and saw the velvet-soft darkness pierced by pinpricks of white light. The corners of his mouth turned downward, his eyebrows knitting together in a frown. He was hungry. He could not see the little basket he lay in, nor could he read the note — written in handwriting as fine as spiderweb threads — pinned to his blanket: His name is Nothing, take care of him and he will bring you luck.”

La Música de los Vampiros. Poppy Z. Brite. 1994. Martínez Roca. p. 19.