David Joy

David Joy (born December 11, 1983) is an American fiction writer widely known for his short stories and novels exploring themes of nature, addiction, and the human condition – inspired by North Carolina, his home state. Plateau Magazine described Joy as a master at "creating a sense of place." and The New York Times Magazine.

Career David Joy authored the Edgar Award–nominated as well as the novels The Weight of This World (G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2017), The Line That Held Us (G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2018), and When These Mountains Burn (G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2020).

He is also the author of the memoir Growing Gills: A Fly Fisherman's Journey (Bright Mountain Books, 2011), which was a finalist for the Reed Environmental Writing Award and the Ragan Old North State Award. Joy received an artist fellowship from the North Carolina Arts Council.

His novel Where All Light Tends to Go has been optioned for a film directed by Ben Young and starring Billy Bob Thornton and Robin Wright. The film was released to streaming in 2023, as Devil's Peak. The Line That Held Us (G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2018) When These Mountains Burn (G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2020)

Nonfiction Growing Gills: A Fly Fisherman's Journey (2011) 2012 Ragan Old North State Award Finalist 2012 Reed Environmental Writing Award Finalist 2015 SIBA Pat Conroy Book Award Finalist, The Lords of Discipline Thriller Prize 2015 Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award Finalist 2016 Edgar Award Finalist for Best First Novel 2017 International Dublin Literary Award Longlist for Where All Light Tends To Go' 2017 Le Prix du Balai de Bronze for Là Où Les Lumières Se Perdent (Where All Light Tends To Go) 2018 WCSA Tillie Olsen Award for Creative Writing (The Weight Of This World) 2019 Southern Book Prize (The Line That Held Us) 2019 St. Francis College Literary Prize Finalist (The Line That Held Us) 2020 Dashiell Hammett Prize for Literary Excellence in Crime Writing (When These Mountains Burn) 2023 Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award 2023 Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction 2024 Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Fiction