# Roxane Gay

> Roxane Gay is a New York Times bestselling author, professor, cultural critic, and publisher whose work sits at the intersection of feminism, race, and identity. Best known for 'Bad Feminist' and 'Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body', she holds the Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair at Rutgers University, writes opinion for the New York Times, runs the Substack newsletter 'The Audacity', and publishes underrepresented voices through her imprint Roxane Gay Books at Grove Atlantic. In 2025 she received the National Book Foundation's Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community.

- **Role:** Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair in Media, Culture and Feminist Studies at Rutgers University
- **Organizations:** Rutgers University, The New York Times, Grove Atlantic (Roxane Gay Books imprint), The Rumpus, The Audacity (Substack)
- **From:** Omaha, Nebraska, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** High School Diploma, Phillips Exeter Academy, Attended (dropped out junior year), Yale University, BA in English, Norwich University, MA in Creative Writing, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, PhD in Rhetoric and Technical Communication, Michigan Technological University
- **Known for:** New York Times bestselling author ('Bad Feminist', 'Hunger', 'Difficult Women'), Guggenheim Fellowship recipient (2018), Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Literature (2018)

## Career timeline

- **1974** — Born in Omaha, Nebraska to Haitian immigrant parents
- **2010** — Earned PhD from Michigan Technological University; joined Eastern Illinois University as assistant professor
- **2011** — Published debut short story collection 'Ayiti'
- **2014** — Published debut novel 'An Untamed State' and breakout essay collection 'Bad Feminist' (NYT bestseller); moved to Purdue University as associate professor
- **2017** — Published 'Difficult Women' (national bestseller) and 'Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body' (NYT bestseller)
- **2016-2017** — Co-wrote Black Panther: World of Wakanda for Marvel Comics - one of the first Black women lead writers for Marvel
- **2018** — Awarded Guggenheim Fellowship; Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Literature; Eisner Award for Best Limited Series (World of Wakanda); visiting professor at Yale
- **2019** — Co-created 'Hear To Slay' podcast with Tressie McMillan Cottom
- **2020** — Married designer and author Debbie Millman
- **2021** — Announced The Audacity newsletter on Substack; announced Roxane Gay Books imprint at Grove Atlantic
- **2022** — Joined Rutgers University as Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair; relaunched podcast as 'The Roxane Gay Agenda'
- **2024** — Roxane Gay Books published first titles; co-purchased The Rumpus with spouse Debbie Millman
- **2025** — Received National Book Foundation Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community

## Achievements

- New York Times bestselling author ('Bad Feminist', 'Hunger', 'Difficult Women')
- Guggenheim Fellowship recipient (2018)
- Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Literature (2018)
- Eisner Award for Best Limited Series - Black Panther: World of Wakanda (2018)
- PEN Center USA Freedom to Write Award (2015)
- National Book Foundation Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community (2025)
- Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair in Media, Culture and Feminist Studies, Rutgers University
- Founder of Tiny Hardcore Press
- Founder of Roxane Gay Books imprint at Grove Atlantic
- Contributing opinion writer for The New York Times
- One of first Black women lead writers for Marvel Comics
- The Audacity Substack newsletter with hundreds of thousands of subscribers

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Appeared at University of Nevada, Reno in conversation with artist Ayana V. Jackson (April 4, 2026)
- **2025-10** — Received the National Book Foundation's Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community
- **2025-09** — National Book Foundation announced Roxane Gay as 2025 Literarian Award recipient
- **2025** — Published 'Opinions: A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other People's Business'
- **2024** — Roxane Gay Books (Grove Atlantic imprint) published first novels; co-purchased The Rumpus with Debbie Millman

## Links

- Website: https://roxanegay.com
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/RoxaneGay7
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roxanegay74/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roxanegay74/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/roxanne-gay
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-22