Occupation Author and Activist Education Master of Social Work Role Writer | Name Mandy Deven Nationality American | |
Period late 20th/early 21st century Genre books, magazine articles Books Hey, Shorty!: A Guide to Combating Sexual Harassment and Violence in Schools and on the Streets | ||
Mandy Van Deven (born 1980) is a writer, editor, and communications strategist. She is the co-author of “Hey, Shorty! A Guide to Combating Sexual Harassment and Violence in School and on the Streets” (2011) and has been published by numerous publications, including Salon, The Guardian, Refinery29, GlobalPost, Marie Claire (India), and Newsweek.
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Background
Van Deven was raised in Athens, Georgia. Due to the financial assistance of the HOPE Scholarship, she was able to attend Georgia State University in Atlanta, where she got involved in social justice activism and worked at the university’s Women’s Studies Institute. She moved to New York City shortly after graduation and started working as a community organizer with Girls for Gender Equity (GGE), eventually becoming the associate director of the organization.
Van Deven has supported the advocacy and communications work of organizations in the United States and internationally, including International Planned Parenthood Federation, Sustainable Health Enterprises, Blank Noise, Red Hook Initiative, Haiti Adolescent Girls Network, High-Level Task Force for ICPD, and Foundation for a Just Society.
She holds a Bachelor of Sociology (Racial and Ethnic Inequality) and Bachelor of Women's Studies from Georgia State University and a Master of Social Work (Organizational Management and Leadership) from the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College.
Writing
Van Deven was involved in zine culture and independent media in Atlanta and New York, and began working as a freelance writer after moving to Kolkata, India in 2008. She has written about topics such as child marriage, women's safety in public spaces, gender-based violence in Latin America, making humanitarian aid more accountable, poverty in America, and global health.
Van Deven was the guest editor of the Summer 2010 issue of Barnard Center for Research on Women's online journal, “The Scholar & Feminist Online.” The issue was entitled Polyphonic Feminisms: Acting in Concert.
She also co-wrote “Hey, Shorty! A Guide to Combating Sexual Harassment and Violence in School and on the Streets” with Girls for Gender Equity's founder and executive director, Joanne N. Smith, and former director of community organizing, Meghan Huppuch. The book details the first eight years of the organization's work to make New York City public schools safer for girls and LGBTQ youth.
Van Deven has spoken to audiences throughout the United States at New York University, Barnard College, American University, Hunter College, University of Maryland, Sarah Lawrence College, Pratt Institute, West Chester University, and The New School, as well as in bookstores and at community organizations. She has been featured in Mic, Salon, In These Times, Progressive Radio, Alternet, and WBAI.