SHELLEY PUHAK is a critically acclaimed poet and writer. Her prose has appeared in The Atlantic, Smithsonian, andVirginia Quarterly Review; been anthologized in Best American Travel Writing; and designated as Notable in four editions of Best American Essays. Her nonfiction debut, THE DARK QUEENS: The Bloody Rivalry that Forged the Medieval World (Bloomsbury 2022), is a national bestseller about the marginalized queens Brunhild and Fredegund. It was a USA Today Best Books selection, an Amazon Editors' Pick, and a Goodreads Choice Awards finalist. Her second book, THE BLOOD COUNTESS: Murder, Betrayal, and the Making of a Monster, a reexamination of the notorious Elizabeth Bathory, will be released in February 2026.

​Shelley is also the author of three award-winning books of poetry. The most recent is HARBINGER, a National Poetry Series selection (Ecco/HarperCollins 2022). Her poetry has appeared in journals such as Cincinnati Review, Missouri Review, Shenandoah, and Verse Daily and been awarded the Anthony Hecht Prize, the Towson Prize for Literature, and two Maryland State Arts Council grants.