Maggie Gerrity

Biography

I was born and raised in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, south of coal country and north of Amish country, and attended Catholic school from kindergarten through high school, which I think was my first introduction to metaphor. I worked in journalism in high school and college but quickly realized my heart was in creative writing instead of in chasing fire trucks in the middle of the night. After receiving my B.A. from Lycoming College, I did my master’s work at Florida State University, then returned to the northeast to study at Binghamton University, where I received my Ph.D. in the spring of 2007. My dissertation was a novel entitled "The Song For Leaving," which follows the crew of a fictional rock band during the band’s first major world tour. Currently, I'm at work on a nonfiction manuscript about music, memory, and travel, focusing on a summer when I followed several of my favorite bands. In my spare time, I enjoy cooking, going to concerts, and trying to train my cat, Jack Flash, to help me grade papers.

Areas of Specialization

• Creative writing (fiction, nonfiction)
• First-year writing
• Contemporary American and global fiction
• Trauma literature

Degrees

• B.A., English, Lycoming College, 2001 (summa cum laude, departmental honors)
• M.A., English, Florida State University, 2003
• Ph.D., English, Binghamton University, 2007

Selected Awards

• Phi Kappa Phi Award of Excellence, 2001
• Finalist, Glimmer Train Short Story Award for New Writers, 2005
• Graduate Student Award for Excellence in Teaching, Binghamton University, 2007
• Partial fellowship, Vermont Studio Center, 2007
• Marion J. Link Fellowship for Creative Writing, 2007
• Finalist, Narrative Magazine 30 Below Contest, 2008