Texas-born writer, Gene Cartwright

Gene Cartwright, a native of Texas, was born in Baytown, a small, Gulf Coast town 20 miles east of Houston. He often says it was his great fortune to be born at the right address – the home of Elmer and Marie Cartwright — his parents.

Gene is the eldest son and second of eight children. He insists his love of writing and learning was sparked by his mother, who taught him to read when he was barely four. He was fascinated—captured by the freedom reading afforded. What was more, he read and was inspired to put his own words to paper.

He has always enjoyed both technical and literary pursuits. He wrote his first novel at 12. (90 pages longhand.) Also, at age 12, he was working with a local electrician actually wiring new homes and retrofitting older homes.

Gene graduated high school and headed immediately to college Prairie View A&M.). Four years later, degree in hand, and for almost 8 years thereafter, during what he now refers to as another life, Gene was an electrical engineer, designing lighting and power distribution systems.

He next founded and owned a very successful consumer electronics company in Houston, Texas. A few years later, he saddled up and headed west. While he doesn't mind talking about working as an environmental engineer with the Air Quality Management District in California, he doesn’t reveal much about his debut at the Improv as a guitarist and singer.

Throughout his engineering pursuits and business activities, Gene continued to write and dream of being a published and a fulltime author. In 1996, that dream was realized.

Gene has written 5 novels and several screenplays. For two years, his book tour for 'I Never Played Catch With My Father,' took him from coast to coast: He has appeared on numerous television and radio programs, including Oprah, NPR stations and countless tv morning shows, news and sports shows. He has been the subject of numerous newspaper and magazine articles. Gene was the featured author in Ebony Magazine in the November ’97 issue.

Finally, Gene's greatest childhood thrill was his very first little league baseball game. His greatest childhood fear was …his very first little league baseball game. And his pet peeve? Something he labels sacrilegious–the use of the aluminum baseball bats.

The Controversy

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Gene is currently on national tour.. When he taped an appearance on Oprah in 1997 to support his first novel, 'I Never Played Catch With My Father,' he announced that 'A Family Gathering,' would be his second novel. It is his third.