Mary Stewart Atwell

Col. Mary Stewart Atwell, Ph.D. (who publishes under her birth name and her pseudonym Polly Stewart), is an acclaimed American novelist, literary scholar, and Professor of English at the Virginia Military Institute whose atmospheric fiction masterfully combines regional folklore with psychological suspense. Raised in the Blue Ridge Mountains of southwest Virginia, she earned her bachelor's degree from Hollins University, an M.A. from the University of Virginia, and both an M.F.A. and a Ph.D. in literature from Washington University in St. Louis. She vaulted into the national literary spotlight with her 2012 debut novel, Wild Girls, a darkly hypnotic, supernatural-tinged coming-of-age mystery that explored the undercurrents of anger and myth at an elite girls' boarding school in the Appalachian foothills. Renowned for her crisp prose and sharp eye for the complex, closed-loop dynamics of small Southern towns, her short fiction has appeared in prominent journals such as Epoch and Alaska Quarterly Review, and has been selected for premier anthologies including Best New American Voices and Best American Mystery Stories. Adopting the pen name Polly Stewart, she successfully pivoted into modern noir and crime fiction with her critically adored 2023 novel, The Good Ones, a gripping Appalachian homecoming mystery tracking a woman investigating her childhood friend's cold-case disappearance. She solidified her reputation as a major contemporary voice in Southern gothic suspense with her July 2025 release, The Felons’ Ball, a layered family drama mapping the weight of generational secrets and systemic loyalty. A dedicated educator and academic adviser, she holds the rank of Colonel at VMI, contributes a monthly column to CrimeReads, and curates the "Craft of Crime Fiction" author interview series on digital platforms.