Meet Devon Henry

Today we’d like to introduce you to Devon Henry.

Devon, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Well, I am a native Angeleno, I grew up on Wilshire/Fairfax and later Rancho Park, and I am very grateful to have grown up in not one but two places where art was so accessible.

As a family, we went to LACMA and the Tar Pits as often as we could. When I was 17, my dad took me to see Ray Bradbury, who was a lifelong resident of Rancho Park, speak at the Palms Library. I think that being in a place where art was not only respected but also presented as a viable and tangible life path has had a lasting effect on how I approach my work.

I have always known that I wanted to be a writer and I’m very fortunate in that my parents have always been incredibly supportive. Some of my fondest memories are of my mom or dad walking me to the 99 Cent Store at the corner of Fairfax and 6th to stock up on these little notebooks with unicorns on the cover that I’d later fill with stories about monsters that bubbled up out of the tar or ghostly starlets that haunted the towers in Park La Brea.

When I was 18, I decided to go to film school to study screenwriting because it seemed like the logical next step for a writer in LA, but I was still years away from figuring out what it was I wanted to do. Eventually, I stepped back from film, as much as I loved it, to focus on writing comedy and narrative fiction.

Has it been a smooth road?
The road’s been about as smooth as a freeway that desperately needs to be repaved.

When I was 18 and starting out in film school, I found myself in an emotionally abusive relationship. Looking back, I don’t think I realized how much it did or would affect me, but I knew I needed to get out. Shortly after that, I didn’t want anything to do with film for years afterward, but I knew I needed some kind of outlet or way to cope.

I ended up taking a sketch comedy class at SMC that really changed everything for me. I had always enjoyed comedy, but I hadn’t realized that I could use it as a tool to talk about uncomfortable topics in a way that wasn’t traumatizing or heavy. Comedy really became a saving grace for me.

And, of course, there’s been the usual writer gripes: being ghosted by agents, a healthy amount of rejections, the garden variety plagiarist, the dreaded writer’s block.

We’d love to hear more about what you do.
Well, I’m a freelance writer, so I’ve covered just about everything from listicles, to personal essays to pop culture criticism and back again. I really love some of the assignments I get. One of my favorites, for example, was getting to write coverage of The Walking Dead for Wired. That being said, what I’m most proud of is my comedic work.

I think it’s incredibly important to abolish the stigma around mental illness and trauma and insecurity. The only way I know how to talk about my own struggles with those topics is through comedy, and hopefully, other people read it and relate to it or use it to start a conversation with the people in their lives who maybe don’t understand what they’re going through. If I can make someone laugh and feel a little less alone, I think I’ve done my job.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Oh man, I’m the worst person to ask about this! I love Los Angeles more than anything. This is my home. I love the people and the food and culture and even the traffic. Los Angeles is so magical to me and such a part of my identity as an artist.

I’ve always bristled at the oft-repeated sentiment that Los Angeles is a transient place or something akin to a giant, sprawling airport. I don’t think that’s fair to the families who have been here for generations and really made this city what it is. And I know we get a rep for being a bit “out there,” but I think Angelenos, the locals, are some of the kindest, most interesting people you will ever meet.

I suppose that’s what I like the most about Los Angeles: The people. The weather is a close second, though. I know I’m weak, I couldn’t live anywhere else.

I wouldn’t so much say that I dislike anything about Los Angeles, but I will say that our current affordable housing crisis and the waves of gentrification that have contributed to it really break my heart. I’ve seen so many families and friends forced to relocate. Los Angeles is a place for everyone, not just the privileged.

Making Los Angeles inaccessible to such a large swath of its residents is simply reprehensible. I’m not sure there’s really any other way to put it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://medium.com/@DevasaurusRex
• Email: dnh.inquiries@gmail.com
• Instagram: @devasaurusrex

Image Credit:
Jessica Hinkle, Colin Oh

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