Doraville Novelist Susan Crawford Selected for Award Honoring Books and Community Work

DORAVILLE — Susan Crawford has spent years writing psychological suspense and helping other people find their own words. On Thursday, November 5, DeKalb County Commissioner Robert Patrick scheduled a public ceremony to recognize both sides of her work.

Crawford, a longtime Doraville resident and the author of The Pocket Wife and The Other Widow, was named to receive the District 1 National Authors Day Trailblazer Award, recognizing her literary career and decades of community service.

Both novels were published by HarperCollins. The Pocket Wife spent eight weeks on Canadian bestseller lists, while The Other Widow was selected as a Southern independent bookstore pick. Her work has reached readers in the United States and eight other countries.

But her contribution to writing in metro Atlanta extends beyond her own books. For more than 20 years, Crawford taught adults literacy, creative writing and workforce skills through Literacy Action, DeKalb Technical College and the General Motors UAW Skill Center.

In Doraville, she helped organize the city’s first two art shows and supported the creation of its Planning Commission, later serving two terms on the commission. She belongs to the Atlanta Writers Club and Sisters in Crime and was recently appointed to the DeKalb County Library Board.

Patrick’s Trailblazer Award recognizes District 1 residents whose work and service have shaped their communities. The presentation was scheduled for late Thursday morning at the Shirley A. Trussell Building in Decatur, following the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners’ Committee of the Whole meeting.

The county’s announcement did not include comments from Crawford or confirmation that the ceremony had taken place. North Atlanta Star will seek a photograph and a chance to speak with her about her novels, her years teaching adults and the changing literary community around Doraville.

Illustrative photograph: Aaron Burden / Unsplash.