Ashlee Crews

Ashlee Crews lives in Durham, NC. In 2013, she was awarded the Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' Award. Her short stories have appeared in McSweeney’s, The Southern Review, the Pushcart Prize Series, Prairie Schooner, The Southwest Review, and Shenandoah. Most recently, her story “Day One” was published in the Ploughshares Summer 2018 issue. She is working on a short story collection, a novel, and a memoir.

The Value of Support

"When I won the Rona Jaffe, I had been a full-time stay-at-home mother to my oldest daughter for over a year. Finding the time and energy to write was nearly impossible. But my husband and I had no money to afford extra childcare. Then, I won the Rona Jaffe. I enrolled my daughter in a half-day preschool, and I used my morning energy to write. The following year, in 2014, I gave birth to my youngest daughter. After a year, I enrolled her in the same school. Without the award, I could have never had the time I needed to focus on my craft. Now, I have a novel and a short story collection and a memoir in the works. All because of this award. I’m so very grateful."