Martha Southgate

Martha Southgate (born December 12, 1960)^[1] is an American novelist and essayist best known for her novel Third Girl from the Left. Her work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, O, Premiere, and Essence.^[2]

Early life

Southgate was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She attended Smith College^[3] before obtaining an MFA in creative writing from Goddard College.^[4]

Writing career

Southgate's novel Another Way to Dance, which tells the story of a 14-year-old Black aspiring ballerina, was published in 1996 by Delacorte Press. In 1997, the novel won the Coretta Scott King John Steptoe Award for New Talent.^[5]

In 2002, Southgate released The Fall of Rome: A Novel, set in a New England private boys boarding school.^[6]

Her third novel, Third Girl from the Left, was published in 2005.^[7]

Southgate's most recent novel, The Taste of Salt, was published in 2011 by Algonquin Books.^[8]

Adaptations

In 2013, plans for an adaptation of Southgate's novel Third Girl from the Left were announced. Actresses Kerry Washington and Viola Davis were attached to star.^[9]

Works

• Another Way to Dance (1996)
• The Fall of Rome: A Novel (2002)
• Third Girl from the Left (2005)
• The Taste of Salt (2011)