Author Roxane Gay’s Life and Career

Roxane Gay is an award-winning author, editor, professor, and cultural critic. The New York Times bestselling author has written five critically acclaimed books—a memoir, Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body; Bad Feminist, a collection of essays; two short story collections, Ayiti and Difficult Women; and a debut novel, An Untamed State. She also co-authored a graphic novel, The Sacrifice of Darkness, Graceful Burdens, a collection of stories, and How to Be Heard, a practical guidebook for writers. Regardless of the genre or form, Roxane’s work centers on women and sometimes explores various shapes and forms of trauma and sexual violence. She’s held professorships at Eastern Illinois University, Purdue University, and Yale University.

Roxane is a distinguished author, editor, cultural critic, and podcast host of “The Roxane Gay Agenda." Here are a few fast facts about her:

1. 1. She began writing at a young age. Roxane is a first-generation American born in Omaha, Nebraska, to Haitian parents from Port-au-Prince. She began writing stories in Nebraska at the age of four and started penning essays in high school in New Hampshire.
2. 2. She has a book club. In 2021, Roxane launched The Audacity, a newsletter that includes a book club, features her writing, and showcases emerging writers.
3. 3. She holds a PhD in Rhetoric and Technical Communication. This degree influences Roxane’s approach to writing critical essays and cultural critiques. She has been a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times, Salon, the Rumpus, and the Guardian. Her writing has appeared in Harper’s Bazaar, Best Sex Writing 2012, McSweeney’s, Tin House, the Nation, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times Book Review, Virginia Quarterly Review, American Short Fiction, Best American Mystery Stories 2014, and Oxford American.
4. 4. She is an editor. In addition to writing, Roxane has edited multiple anthologies, including Best American Short Stories 2018 and the best-selling Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture (2018). Roxane co-founded literary magazine PANK in 2006, which publishes short fiction, nonfiction, and poetry digitally. She continues to serve as a co-editor of PANK.
5. 5. She was the first Black woman to write a Marvel comic book. With the publication of 2017’s Black Panther: World of Wakanda, Roxane became the first Black woman to write a series for the media company. The six-part series, which she wrote with contributions from poet Yona Harvey, served as a companion piece to the Black Panther storyline, following Wakandans Ayo and Aneka. World of Wakanda was illustrated by artists Alitha E. Martinez and Afua Richardson, making it the first time a Marvel series was helmed entirely by Black women.

The Bad Feminist author’s voice is cemented in pop culture and feminist discourse. You can expect these highlights and more from Roxane’s class on writing for social change, exclusively on MasterClass:

1. 1. Develop your own voice. Reading the work of authors you admire is a helpful way to develop your voice as a writer. For her part, Roxane was inspired by Audre Lorde. “When we read the work of writers who represent us, who might know something of our lives, it gives us the power to say, ‘Oh, I might be able to do this too,’” says Roxane. “It's just profoundly encouraging.”
2. 2. Jot all your ideas down. When starting a piece of writing, Roxane encourages writers to put lots of ideas down and to avoid self-editing drafts. “It's easier to sculpt something from a lot of material than it is to add something that is anemic,” says Roxane. “And so I think that first drafts should be extravagant.”
3. 3. Put your fear on the page. The writing process can be nerve-wracking, especially if you are writing a personal essay or opinion piece. “You don't need to be brave when you're writing. You need to acknowledge that you're terrified and do it anyway,” says Roxane. “Your fear isn't gonna be any less if you don't put it on the page. And in fact, if you don't put it on the page, you're not only going to be afraid, you're going to be disappointed in yourself.”
4. 4. Set boundaries. It is essential to set personal boundaries, especially when writing about sexual assualt or a traumatic experience. “Know what you're willing to put out into the world and have people engage and critique, and know what you're not willing to put out into the world,” advises Roxane. Setting boundaries is especially critical when dealing with social media trolls.
5. 5. Write to create social change. Writing can be a powerful way to contribute to the political climate and share ideas.“Writing allows me to make clear my political affiliations and what I believe and what I stand for…when I get to write about them, I get to make them seem more feasible,” says Roxane. “While I don't believe that I'm going to change the world with my writing, I do think that I can and have changed lives, and I have changed certain institutions, and that's very meaningful to me.”

For additional learnings on writing, consider the following classes:

1. 1. Amanda Gorman on writing and performing poetry: Amanda Gorman was the first National Youth Poet Laureate in the United States, and her poetry performances have gone viral. Watch Amanda’s class to learn how she researches, writes, revises, and performs poetry.
2. 2. Amy Tan on fiction, memory, and imagination: Amy Tan, the bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club (1989) is among the most celebrated contemporary fiction writers of her time and one of the deftest chroniclers of the immigrant and Asian-American experience. Watch Amy’s class to learn about narrative perspective, character development, and tips for overcoming writer’s block.
3. 3. Salman Rushdie on storytelling and writing: Salman Rushdie is the author of 14 novels, including Midnight’s Children, which won the Booker Prize in 1981 and the prestigious Best of the Booker prize in 2008. Take Salman’s class to learn how to examine your personal perspective, kickstart the research process, and approach revisions.

If you want to use your voice to enact change, learn how to harness the power of writing. Discover Roxane Gay’s approach to challenging ideas, criticizing culture, writing about trauma, and engaging with readers when you sign up for the MasterClass annual subscription.