Martha Foley

Martha Foley (March 21, 1897 – September 5, 1977) was an American writer. She co-founded Story magazine in 1931 with her husband Whit Burnett, and introduced notable authors through the magazine, such as J. D. Salinger, Tennessee Williams and Richard Wright. In 1941 she became the series editor for The Best American Short Stories series.

Early life Foley was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 21, 1897, to Walter and Margaret M. C. Foley. When she was seven, both her parents fell ill, and were unable to care for her. She dealt with this by writing a novel about a girl who got to go to boarding school.

From 1909 to 1915, she attended Boston Girls' Latin School. The school magazine published her first short story, "Jabberwock", when she was eleven years old. After graduating, she attended Boston University but did not graduate.

Career After leaving Boston University, Foley began a career as journalist and foreign correspondent for a succession of newspapers. These included the Boston Herald, the San Francisco Record, and the New York Daily News. In 1927, she moved to Paris, where she worked for the Paris Herald and wrote fiction.

Founding of Story In 1931, she convinced her husband Whit Burnett that they should launch a magazine for short stories, called Story. Their son David was born the following year, in 1931.