Originally from the East Coast, Polly Dugan has called the Northwest home since 1994. She is a graduate of Dickinson College and the University of Denver Publishing Institute and an alumna of the Tin House Writers Workshop where she worked with Steve Almond, Elissa Schappell, Meg Storey and Joy Williams. She has served as both a liaison and writing mentor for Literary Arts’ Delve Readers Series and Writing in the Schools (WITS) programs, respectively. A dedicated animal advocate, she has worked at Guide Dogs for the Blind, Dove Lewis Emergency Animal Hospital, the Oregon Humane Society as well as Powell’s Books.

Dugan's first published story, "A Matter of Time," was Line Zero's Spring 2012 Literary Contest Winner, "Masquerades" (as "One At a Time"), was Narrative's Story of the Week (December 2012), and "Kitten Season" was an Honorable Mention Recipient in Glimmer Train's Short Story Award for New Writers (August 2009). She lives in Portland, OR with her husband, two sons, two black Labrador retrievers and a yard sale cat.

Her first book, SO MUCH A PART OF YOU, a linked story collection, was published by Little, Brown and Company in 2014.