Pamela Duncan

Pamela Duncan is an Associate Professor of English at Western Carolina University, specializing in creative writing and Appalachian/Southern literature. She holds a BA in Journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MA in English/Creative Writing from North Carolina State University. Her research focuses on Appalachian culture, family dynamics, and working-class narratives.

Her major works include novels Moon Women (2001), Plant Life (2003, winner of the Sir Walter Raleigh Award), and The Big Beautiful (2007). She has received prestigious awards such as the James Still Award (2007) and the Lee Smith Award (2017) for preserving Appalachian culture. Her writing explores themes of identity, place, and resilience through multi-generational family stories.

Teaching interests include creative writing, first-year composition, and Southern literature. Her short stories appear in anthologies like Long Story Short. Duncan actively engages with literary communities through workshops and public readings.