Shelley Puhak is an American writer who has researched and written about everything from Soviet purges to marginalized medieval queens. The latter is the topic of her nonfiction debut, The Dark Queens, forthcoming from Head of Zeus in 2022.

She is a former professor of creative writing whose essays and articles have appeared in publications like The Atlantic, Creative Nonfiction, and Virginia Quarterly Review; been anthologized in Best American Travel Writing; and designated as Notable in four editions of Best American Essays. She is also the author of three award-winning books of poetry. The most recent is Harbinger, a National Poetry Series selection, forthcoming with Ecco/HarperCollins in 2022.