Charles O'Malley

I am a writer and dramaturg, based in Oakland, CA.

My book, Shakespeare's Margaret: The Dramatic Life of a Warrior Queen (co-authored with Scott W. Stern, who happens to be my husband), was released in June 2026.

My next book, Theatre for a New Age: Queer Performance in 1970s San Francisco, is forthcomeing from the University of Michigan Press.

I hold an MFA and a DFA in Drama from Yale and I work on literary projects for the California Arts Council.

Find my bio and contact here.

Speaking on Shakespeare's Margaret at the Boston Athenaeum, August 2026.

Shakespeare's Margaret

Called "enthralling... ingenious" (Publisher's Marketplace), "enlightening and insightful" (Kirkus), "an enthralling and magisterially researched theatrical history" (Washington Independent), "wonderfully imaginative" (Stephen Greenblatt), this is the story of Shakespeare's most powerful female character, her historical inspiration, and her reinventions in performance through the centuries.

For more information and to preorder please visit the Norton website.

Scott and I are available for media and events; please contact our publicist, Erin Lovett.

Bookshop // Amazon // Barnes and Noble // W.W. Norton