[1] Monroe has been twice nominated for the National Book Award,[2] is a winner of the prestigious Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction,[3] and was cited on several "10 Best Books" lists for her nationally-acclaimed memoir, On the Outskirts of Normal: Forging a Family Against the Grain.

Monroe has previously taught at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro[11] and currently teaches in the MFA Program at Texas State University–San Marcos.

Jonis Agee has said that Monroe's "prose shimmers like a jazz solo, full of sass and danger."

Her books have been included in Elle's top ten list, in Vanity Fair's hot picks, and were chosen as recommended reading by O, Oprah Winfrey's magazine.

[16] Monroe has garnered praise from several other publications including the Houston Chronicle, Salon, People Magazine, the Chicago Tribune, the Dallas Morning News, The Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post and others.