Pamela Y. Duncan (born September 24, 1961), was born in Asheville, North Carolina, and raised in Black Mountain, North Carolina, and Shelby, North Carolina. Her novels include Moon Women (2001), Plant Life (2003) and The Big Beautiful (2007). Her awards include the Sir Walter Raleigh Prize and in 2000 she was chosen as one of the Ten Best Emerging Writers in the South alongside other now-established authors such as Silas House and Jack Riggs. Her work often focuses on the lives of working class Southerners. Duncan currently teaches creative writing at Western Carolina University.