Teena Apeles

Teena Apeles is a native Angeleno who has spent two decades writing and editing for print and digital media, tackling youth activism, urban archaeology, Filipino cuisine, overseas adoption, and much more. Teena has written for numerous outlets, including KCET, PBS SoCal, PBS Canvas, LAist, WHERE Traveler, BUST, Giant Robot, Pasadena Weekly, LA Weekly, Los Angeles Downtown News, and Hunker. Along the way she has interviewed hundreds of people, including music icon Linda Ronstadt, Broadway star Lea Salonga, art disruptor Jeffrey Deitch, and basketball legend Magic Johnson.

Teena has authored and edited numerous books covering a wide range of topics, from comic book culture and L.A.'s public parks to women's history and creature design. Her works have included Women Warriors: Adventures from History's Greatest Female Fighters, as well as contributions to the anthologies Mothers Before, Bare Your Soul: The Thinking Girl's Guide to Enlightenment, Father Poems, DIRT: The Quirks, Habits, and Passion of Keeping House, Geography of Rage: Remembering the Los Angeles Riots of 1992, and the forthcoming The Auntie Sewing Squad Guide to Mask-Making, Radical Care, and Racial Justice During COVID-19.

In 2016, Teena founded the Los Angeles-based creative collective Narrated Objects, which produces books and experiences to showcase the diverse voices of the city of Los Angeles. For her work with Narrated Objects, she has received an Awesome Grant, a Creative Economic Development Fund Grant, and a Certificate of Recognition from the California Legislature Assembly.