Myra Crawford

After writing for newspapers and magazines, including Southern Living, Myra Crawford retrained to become a university-based research scientist and medical administrator. When she retired, she founded a nonprofit, Cahaba Riverkeeper, gathering scientific data to guide restoration and conservation of this unique waterway. She holds degrees from Samford University (BA, English), University of Alabama (MA, communications), the University of Iowa (MFA, Writers Workshop), and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (MPH, health behavior; and PhD, health services).

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During her eclectic career, Myra published more than a hundred scientific and commercial articles, as well as short stories and poems. She founded the Hackney Literary Awards in 1996 and serves as executive director of the prestigious annual national novel prize. She was co-editor of Folio Literary Magazine and poet laurate for Alabama, guest teaching poetry in Alabama schools.

Now retired from river patrols, Myra spends time on her urban farm, writing fiction, accompanied by her rescue dog, Edi, as she tends a herd of goats and flock of chickens that lay blue and green eggs.

Her debut novel, ​​Crossing Iron Mountain, is a gritty portrayal of a young female reporter embedded deep in the Civil Rights and feminist movements of the 1950-60’s in the Deep South. A mother, wife, and professional writer, she searches for her personal voice amidst an onslaught of cultural challenges while also pursuing answers surrounding the disappearance of her beloved nanny.