Shelley Puhak is a poet and writer whose creative work engages with history in unexpected ways. She is the author of two books of poetry and her first nonfiction book, The Dark Queens, is forthcoming (Bloomsbury, 2021). 

​

Shelley's essays have been included in Best American Travel Writing 2017 and selected as Notables in Best American Essays 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. Her nonfiction has recently appeared in The Atlantic, Creative Nonfiction, The Iowa Review, Salon, and VQR. 

​

Both of Shelley's books of poetry have been award-winners. Most recently, Guinevere in Baltimore was selected for the Anthony Hecht Prize by Charles Simic. Individual poems have been widely anthologized and have appeared in journals like Cincinnati Review, Missouri Review, North American Review, and Verse Daily. 

​​

Shelley earned her M.A. in English Literature from the University of Delaware and her M.F.A. in Poetry from the University of New Orleans. She has received grants and awards from the Maryland State Arts Council, the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, and the Disquiet  International Literary Festival. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

CONTACT

To get in touch with Shelley about reading or workshop, or to reach out with a comment or question, please use this form.