Maud Newton is a writer and critic, known for her sharp and insightful cultural observations. She was born in Dallas, Texas, and grew up in Miami, Florida. After graduating with degrees in law and English from the University of Florida, she pursued a career in writing, editing, and criticism.\n \nNewton's work has been widely recognized and praised in various publications. Her first book, Ancestor Trouble: A Reckoning and a Reconciliation (Random House), is a best book of 2022, according to several renowned sources such as The New Yorker, NPR, Washington Post, Time, Boston Globe, Esquire, Garden & Gun, Entertainment Weekly, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and Chicago Tribune. It was a New York Times Editors’ Choice selection, a Roxane Gay Book Club selection, and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle's 2023 John Leonard Prize for Best First Book. The book has been described as "a literary feat" by the New York Times Book Review and a "brilliant mix of personal memoir and cultural observation" by the Boston Globe.
In addition to Ancestor Trouble, Newton's writing has appeared in numerous publications and anthologies, including Best American Travel Writing, the New York Times bestseller What My Mother Gave Me, and various online platforms like the New Yorker, the Guardian, Esquire, and Harper's. She has received several awards for her work, including the Narrative Prize and the Stark Short Fiction Prize, both for fiction. Newton has been invited to speak and teach at various events, and her work has been discussed on NPR's All Things Considered, the New York Times Book Review podcast, and other media outlets.
Newton's writing explores various themes and subjects, from personal essays and cultural criticism to fiction. In Ancestor Trouble, she delves into the complexities of her Southern family history, revealing the ways in which our obsession with ancestors can open up new ways of seeing ourselves. The book is an outgrowth of longstanding preoccupations that she wrote about on her blog, which she started in 2002 to connect with others who shared her interests in books, culture, and politics. Newton is married to the artist Maximus Clarke and acknowledges that she lives on the land of the Lenape people.