Amity Gaige
Amity Gaige is an American novelist and professor of creative writing living and teaching in New England. She is the author of three novels and one novella, and her stories have appeared in some of America’s best-known magazines and journals, including The New Yorker, The Paris Review, and Glimmer Train.
Born in Westport, Connecticut, Gaige received her BA in English and Creative Writing from Harvard and her MFA in Fiction Writing from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She is currently a faculty member in the Writing for Film & Stage department at Emerson College in Boston.
Gaige’s debut novel, O MY DARLING, was published by Scribner in 2005. In this coming-of-age story, Gaige tells the story of Emma Bright, a teenage girl whose search for identity and maturity develops against the backdrop of adolescence. Emma is forced to confront her family’s secrets and lies and make difficult choices about her future.
Gaige’s second novel, SCHROEDER, was published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 2012. It is the story of Eric, who runs away from home with his young daughter, creating a new identity and sheltering her from his troubled past. The novel is a reflection on the power of love and how it shapes family life. It was selected as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and a 2013 Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers pick.
The author’s second novel, SEA WIFE (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2019), follows a married couple who operate a fishing boat on the islands off the coast of Massachusetts. The couple must struggle with the challenges of their isolated lifestyle, as well as their conflicting dreams and secrets.
Amity Gaige’s most recent book is her first novella, THE TRIP BACK, published by FSG in 2017. The story follows Anjali, a young woman navigating identity, love, and loss as she travels by train across India. The novella explores the complex relationships between parents and children, tradition and modernity, and identity and belonging. It was a finalist for the 2018 New American Fiction Prize.
Outside of writing, Gaige teaches Creative Writing at Emerson College and the Wesleyan Writers Conference. She also teaches Youth Writing workshops at area public schools, and has mentored students through the The Writers Collaborative. Gaige lives in New England with her two sons.
Gaige's work has received much recognition, with mentions in The New Yorker and The New York Times, as well as awards such as the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, the Massachusetts Cultural Council Award, and the Anahid Literary Prize. Her prose is characterized by an elegance and emotion-filled candor, and her exploration of identity and the creative spirit resonates deeply with readers. Amity Gaige is a highly accomplished author, and her works are sure to be cherished for years to come.
