hi, i'm shepard
author & freelance artist
HE/HIM & THEY/THEM
Shepard DiStasio (he/they) is a trans, disabled writer with an affinity for dark fantasy and the gothic. He is a Swarthout Award winner in poetry, and his debut novel, VEIL US IN GOLD, was an Indie Ink Awards finalist for Trans/Non-Binary Representation. They have poetry and prose in DOG TEETH, Reverent: An Anthology, Wasteland Review, Lux Creative Review, and a French poetic translation in HFR’s Thousand Languages Project. They also won the Lux Creative Review Poetry Award for 2022. He has 2 cats with his partner, and loves to translate Attic Greek poetry between rereading Gothic novels or replaying Dragon Age and Mass Effect.
publications
*Books –
represented by Kirsten lang at zeno literary agencyPrey for him - on submission (105k gothic horror romance)Veil Us in Gold, Independent Publishing, 2023
-- Indie Ink Awards Finalist for Transgender/Nonbinary Representation, Queer Indie Awards 8x nominee
-- rainbowcrate june 2025 book selection(Forthcoming, 2026) Bind You by Blood. Sequel to Veil Us in Gold.
poems and prose
(2025) "you who are the most cherished and loved by me" - received high commendation in passionfruit review 2025 poetry contest
(2025) "rainy day funds" - poetry in wasteland review, issue 3
(2025) “Genesis 19:1-11” – Poetry in Reverent Anthology, curated by Quinton Li
(2025) “le stade du miroir” – Poetry for DOG TEETH
(2022) “My Mother’s Stew” - Prose for Lux Creative Review, Issue 18 p. 14
(2022) “Blue” - Poetry for Lux Creative Review, Issue 18 p. 35 -- Poetry Section Award Winner
Translations
(2023) French Translation of Ed Bok Lee’s “Water in Love” for Hayden’s Ferry Review