Susan Muaddi Darraj, an instructor in Fairfield’s MFA in Creative Writing program, was honored as a PEN/Faulkner Award finalist for her debut novel, Behind You Is the Sea.
Presenting what is hailed as the most prestigious annual peer-juried literary prize in the country, the PEN/Faulkner Foundation’s mission is “to champion the breadth and power of fiction in America.” Its annual awards — judged by three writers selected by the foundation’s board of directors — are presented to four finalists and a “first among equals” winner at an annual awards celebration. The 2025 PEN/Faulkner Award Celebration on May 15 featured presentations by the winner Garth Greenwell for Small Rain and the four finalists: ‘Pemi Aguda for Ghostroots, Percival Everett for James, Danzy Senna for Colored Television, and Darraj.
"As a writer who has been developing my writing and teaching practice over many years, I feel so honored to have my work recognized in this way,” said Darraj. “I talk to my students often about the importance of perseverance in this industry, about patiently refining your craft, and it is gratifying to see my name on this list with such accomplished writers."
In her award-winning debut novel, Behind You Is the Sea (HarperCollins 2024), Darraj tells the stories of three Palestinian immigrant families in America. Publishers Weekly described the book as “a beautiful portrait of family reaching for their dreams while holding onto their roots.”
The Washington Post said that Darraj’s characters “are portrayed in all their complicated, charming, aggravating, bewitching glory. They are human, and as such, they are us."
Darraj is the author of two short story collections: the award–winning A Curious Land and The Inheritance of Exile. A United States Artists’ Ford Fellow and past winner of the Maryland State Arts Council’s Independent Artist Award, she is also the author of Farah Rocks, the first children’s book series to feature a Palestinian American character. Darraj lives in Baltimore, Maryland; in addition to Fairfield University, she also teaches at Harford Community College and Johns Hopkins University.
Carol Ann Davis, professor of English and director of Fairfield’s MFA in Creative Writing program, said she feels grateful “to practice my art alongside a colleague such as Susan, who is so clearly dedicated to her art at such a high level while also making room to practice it in community with students and fellow writers teaching the craft.”
“I know Susan to be equally as dedicated to the teaching of fiction and nonfiction as she is to its writing,” said Davis, “and that is simply extraordinary. I feel lucky to know her and lucky that our students get the chance to study with her.”
