Natalie Haney Tilghman

Natalie Haney Tilghman co-authored A 52-Hertz Whale, a novel released by Carolrhoda Lab (Lerner) in 2015, which was short listed for a Green Earth Award. Her work has appeared in literary magazines, like TriQuarterly, and anthologies published by Persea Books and Red Hen Press. In addition to a 2015 Rona Jaffe Writer’s Award, honors include first prize for fiction in The Atlantic's Student Writing Contest and a Magazine Merit Honor from The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. She received a MFA from Rainier Writing Workshop.

The Value of Support

"Receiving a 2015 Rona Jaffe Writer’s Award was life-changing for me as an artist. I am a mother of three young children (ages six, four, and two), and it can be challenging to find space for creativity and the kind of professional development that is necessary at this point my career. The Writer’s Award gifted me with a community of exceptional women writers as well as child care and research support to finish my novel. As I revise my manuscript now, I continue to draw inspiration from checking in with my 2015 cohort and reading the work of Writer’s Award recipients—many of whom I have never met. These talented women are my muses."