SHELLEY PUHAK is a poet and writer from Maryland. Her essays and articles have appeared in publications like The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, and Virginia Quarterly Review; been anthologized in Best American Travel Writing; and designated as Notable in four editions of Best American Essays. She’s researched and written about everything from Soviet purges to marginalized medieval queens. The latter is the topic of her nonfiction debut, The Dark Queens (Bloomsbury 2022), a national bestseller that has been translated into French, Estonian, and Chinese.

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​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. 

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