Maria Dahvana Headley (born June 21, 1977) is an American novelist, memoirist, editor, translator, poet, and playwright. She is a ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

''-bestselling author as well as editor. Her work includes ''Magonia'', a young-adult space-fantasy novel, ''Queen of Kings'', an alternate-history fantasy novel about

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...

, and ''

The Mere Wife ''The Mere Wife'' is a book by Maria Dahvana Headley that is a retelling of ''Beowulf'' set in 21st-century America. Plot Dana Mills wakes up unsure of what has happened to her or why she is pregnant. She knows she is a member of the marines. S ...

'', a retelling of

Beowulf ''Beowulf'' (; ang, Bēowulf ) is an Old English epic poem in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and most often translated works of Old English literature. The ...

. Her short story "Give Her Honey When You Hear Her Scream", originally published in '' Lightspeed'' magazine in July 2012, was a 2012 Nebula Award nominee in the short story category. Her short story "The Traditional" was a finalist for the 2013 Shirley Jackson Award. Headley won the 2021

Harold Morton Landon Translation Award The Academy of American Poets is a national, member-supported organization that promotes poets and the art of poetry. The nonprofit organization was incorporated in the state of New York in 1934. It fosters the readership of poetry through outreach ...

and the 2021

Hugo Award for Best Related Work The Hugo Award for Best Related Work is one of the Hugo Awards given each year for primarily non-fiction works related to science fiction or fantasy, published or translated into English during the previous calendar year. The Hugo Awards have be ...

for her translation of

Early life

Maria Dahvana Headley was born June 21, 1977 in

Estacada, Oregon Estacada is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, about southeast of Portland. The 2020 population is estimated to be 3,700. According to the 2010 census, the population in 2010 was 2,695. It is the 89th largest city in Oregon and ...

."Maria Dahvana Headley: Divine Monsters"
''

Locus Locus (plural loci) is Latin for "place". It may refer to: Entertainment * Locus (comics), a Marvel Comics mutant villainess, a member of the Mutant Liberation Front * ''Locus'' (magazine), science fiction and fantasy magazine ** ''Locus Award' ...

''. July 12, 2013. After graduating from Vallivue High School in Caldwell, Idaho, She attended

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

, where she studied dramatic writing at the

Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, Tisch is a training ground for artists, scholars of the a ...

Dramatic Writing Program.

Career

''Beowulf: A New Translation''

Published August 2020, Headley's translation of ''

'' was noted for its use of contemporary language, invoking the mood of urban legend, and for humanizing minor or villainous characters, including

Grendel's mother Grendel's mother ( ang, Grendles mōdor) is one of three antagonists in the anonymous Old English poem ''Beowulf'' (c. 700-1000 AD), the other two being Grendel and the dragon. Each antagonist reflects different negative aspects of both the hero ...

. The translation received the 2021

from the

Academy of American Poets The Academy of American Poets is a national, member-supported organization that promotes poets and the art of poetry. The nonprofit organization was incorporated in the state of New York in 1934. It fosters the readership of poetry through outreach ...

and the 2021

''The Mere Wife''

In October, 2015,

Farrar, Straus and Giroux Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) is an American book publishing company, founded in 1946 by Roger Williams Straus Jr. and John C. Farrar. FSG is known for publishing literary books, and its authors have won numerous awards, including Pulitzer ...

editor Sean McDonald acquired ''The Mere Wife'' at auction, describing it as "a ferocious, sexy, and politically topical literary adaptation of Beowulf set in present-day New York". ''The Mere Wife'' was nominated for the 2019

World Fantasy Award for Best Novel In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

''Magonia''

In 2014, HarperCollins acquired the young adult novel ''Magonia'' and a sequel. ''Magonia'', the story of a 16-year-old girl with a mysterious breathing disease who finds herself on a sky ship in the historical kingdom of Magonia, was published in April 2015. It received a starred review in ''Publishers Weekly'' in February, 2015, being named one of the ''Publishers Weekly'' Best Books of 2015. It was a ''New York Times'' Young Adult bestseller in 2015. The sequel, ''Aerie'', was published in 2016.

''Queen of Kings''

In early 2010, Dutton purchased Headley's debut novel ''Queen of Kings'', which explores "the transcendent powers of love even beyond death, entwining the true story of Antony and Cleopatra and Rome's invasion of Alexandria with a narrative in which the Queen of Egypt sacrifices her soul to save her fallen husband and in return is transformed into an immortal goddess bent on the destruction of the Roman Empire". It was purchased as part of a trilogy deal. The hardcover was released in 2011.

''The Year of Yes''

In 2006, Hyperion published her memoir, ''The Year of Yes'', an account of the year Headley spent saying yes to dates with anyone who asked her out. ''The Year of Yes'' has been optioned for the screen by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

and the Jinks/Cohen Company (producers of '' American Beauty'', and ''

Big Fish ''Big Fish'' is a 2003 American fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Tim Burton, and based on the 1998 novel of the same name by Daniel Wallace. The film stars Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange, Helena Bonham Car ...

'', among other films), and has been or will be translated into Korean, German, Dutch, Italian, Hebrew, and Chinese, as well as appearing in an additional English-language edition in the UK and world marketplace through

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Cor ...

Thorsons Element imprint. ''The Year of Yes'' is a 2006 Finalist in The Books for a Better Life Award. ''The Year of Yes'' was released in hardcover in January 2006, and in paperback in January 2007.

Other writing

The novella ''The End of the Sentence'', co-written with

Kat Howard Kat Howard is an American author and editor. Her stories have been published in the anthologies ''Stories'' (edited by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio), and ''Oz Reimagined'' (based on L. Frank Baum's characters). She is also a contributor to mag ...

, is "a fairytale of ghosts and guilt, literary horror blended with the visuals of Jean Cocteau, failed executions, shapeshifting goblins, and magical blacksmithery." It was published by Subterranean Press in September 2014. It was named one of NPR's Best Books of 2014. ''The Book of the Dead'', a 2013 anthology of science fiction and fantasy stories "all themed around the most mysterious, versatile and, perhaps, under-appreciated of the undead: the mummy," published by Jurassic London and the

Egypt Exploration Society The Egypt Exploration Society (EES) is a British non-profit organization. The society was founded in 1882 by Amelia Edwards and Reginald Stuart Poole in order to examine and excavate in the areas of Egypt and Sudan. The intent was to study and ana ...

, will feature Headley's mummies and candy story, "Bit-U-Men". The short story "Give Her Honey When You Hear Her Scream" was published by '' Lightspeed'' magazine in 2012, ''The Lowest Heaven'', a 2013 anthology of science fiction stories devoted to the solar system published by Jurassic London & The

Royal Observatory Greenwich Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a c ...

, contains Headley's short story "The Krakatoan", which was simultaneously published in ''Nightmare'' magazine. "The Traditional", a short story, was published in '' Lightspeed'' magazine in 2013. The short story "Moveable Beast" was published in the anthology ''Unnatural Creatures'' in 2013, and was a Nebula Award finalist in the short story category. It is anthologized in ''The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 2013'', edited by Rich Horton. The novelette ''Game'' was published by

Subterranean Press Subterranean Press is a small press publisher in Burton, Michigan. Subterranean is best known for publishing genre fiction, primarily horror, suspense and dark mystery, fantasy, and science fiction. In addition to publishing novels, short stor ...

in 2012 and appeared in ''The Year's Best Dark Fantasy and Horror 2013'', edited by Paula Guran. "Seeräuber", a short story about a Jenny Haniver, was published by Subterranean Press in late 2012. Headley's plays, ''Drive Me'' and ''Last of the Breed'', have been produced at

Boise Contemporary Theater Boise Contemporary Theater (BCT) is a small professional theater company located in Boise, Idaho. Since 1997, BCT has been the only professional theater company in Boise committed to performing a complete season of contemporary work. History BCT ...

Boise, Idaho Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown are ...

. Her story "Some Gods of El Paso", a

Tor.com ''Tor.com'' is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine published by Tor Books, a division of Macmillan Publishers. The magazine publishes articles, reviews, original short fiction, re-reads and commentary on speculative fiction. From 20 ...

Original, was published in October 2015. Her story "Memoirs of an Imaginary Country", a retelling of a lost tale of Casanova, was published in the

Boston Review ''Boston Review'' is an American quarterly political and literary magazine. It publishes political, social, and historical analysis, literary and cultural criticism, book reviews, fiction, and poetry, both online and in print. Its signature form ...

special 2017 fiction issue Global Dystopias, and published online in 2020.

Editorial work

Headley is co-editor with

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...

on the ''New York Times''-bestselling anthology ''Unnatural Creatures'', an anthology to benefit 826DC, containing natural history-themed monster stories by a variety of authors both living and dead, including

Samuel R. Delany Samuel R. "Chip" Delany (, ) (born April 1, 1942), is an American author and literary critic. His work includes fiction (especially science fiction), memoir, criticism, and essays (on science fiction, literature, sexuality, and society). His ...

E. Nesbit Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland; 15 August 1858 – 4 May 1924) was an English writer and poet, who published her books for children as E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on more than 60 such books. She was also a political activist a ...

Diana Wynne Jones Diana Wynne Jones (16 August 1934 – 26 March 2011) was a British novelist, poet, academic, literary critic, and short story writer. She principally wrote fantasy and speculative fiction novels for children and young adults. Although usually d ...

Nalo Hopkinson Nalo Hopkinson (born 20 December 1960) is a Jamaican-born Canadian speculative fiction writer and editor. Her novels ('' Brown Girl in the Ring'', '' Midnight Robber'', '' The Salt Roads'', ''The New Moon's Arms'') and short stories such as th ...

, Headley and Gaiman.

Awards and recognition

Headley is a 2020

World Fantasy Award The World Fantasy Awards are a set of awards given each year for the best fantasy fiction published during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by the World Fantasy Convention, the awards are given each year at the eponymous ann ...

winner, a 2012 Nebula Award Finalist, a 2013 Shirley Jackson Award Finalist, a

MacDowell Colony MacDowell is an artist's residency program in Peterborough, New Hampshire, United States, founded in 1907 by composer Edward MacDowell and his wife, pianist and philanthropist Marian MacDowell. Prior to July 2020, it was known as the MacDowel ...

Fellow, and has attended The

Bread Loaf Writers' Conference The Middlebury Bread Loaf Writers' Conference is an author's conference held every summer at the Bread Loaf Inn, near Bread Loaf Mountain, east of Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1926, it has been called by ''The New Yorker'' "the oldest and most ...

, The Sundance Playwright's Lab, The Kennedy Center's New Visions/New Voices workshop, Brave New Works, and the WordBridge Playwright's Lab. She has been a featured author at ABA Winter Institute, Bumbershoot, Wordstock, and the

Texas Book Festival The Texas Book Festival is a free annual book fair held in Austin, Texas. The festival takes place in late October or early November. It is one of the top book festivals in the United States. Beginnings The festival was established in 1995 by L ...

. In 2017, she was nominated for a World Fantasy Award in Short Fiction for "Little Widow." Her novel ''The Mere Wife'' was nominated for the 2019

. Her ''Beowulf: A New Translation'' received the 2021

. and the 2021

Personal life

Headley lived in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

for many years before returning to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. She was married to

Robert Schenkkan Robert Frederic Schenkkan Jr. (born March 19, 1953) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and actor. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1992 for his play '' The Kentucky Cycle'' and his play ''All the Way'' earned the 2014 Tony Award ...

from 2004 to 2012. Headley describes herself as

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the lat ...

References

External links

* * * Morton, Lisa Noehealani.
Author Spotlight: Maria Dahvana Headley
. ''Nightmare'', July 2013 * Stephens, Patrick J.
Author Spotlight: Maria Dahvana Headley
, '' Lightspeed'', May 2013 * Stocks, Erin.
Author Spotlight: Maria Dahvana Headley
, ''Lightspeed'', July 2012 * Cheney, Matthew

''The Mumpsimus'', December 27, 2005. *Headley, Maria Dahvana
Author Archive: "Maria Dahvana Headley"
''PowellsBooks.Blog''. *Henderson, Susan
"Maria Dahvana Headley"
''LitPark'', January 10, 2007. *Miller, Brian
"Affirmative Action: How a local author dramatically improved her odds of finding a man"
''

Seattle Weekly The ''Seattle Weekly'' is an alternative biweekly distributed newspaper in Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded by Darrell Oldham and David Brewster as ''The Weekly.'' Its first issue was published on March 31, 1976. The newspaper ...

'', February 16, 2006. *Robinson, Tasha
"The Year of Yes"
''A.V. Club'', February 8, 2006. *Sachs, Andrea

''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'', February 10, 2006. {{DEFAULTSORT:Headley, Maria 1977 births 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American short story writers 21st-century American women writers 21st-century LGBT people 21st-century translators American LGBT novelists American LGBT poets American short story writers American women short story writers American women novelists Bisexual women Bisexual writers Hugo Award-winning writers LGBT dramatists and playwrights LGBT people from Idaho LGBT people from Oregon Living people People from Estacada, Oregon People from Caldwell, Idaho Queer women Queer writers Tisch School of the Arts alumni Translators from Old English Women science fiction and fantasy writers World Fantasy Award-winning writers