Maayan Ben Hagai was born in Kibbutz Degania Bet in 1970 and grew up in Kibbutz Afiq. She is a graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem with majors in comparative literature, history of art, and social work. Over the years she has worked with distressed youth, Ethiopian immigrants and in a used bookstore. She lives in Jerusalem with her partner and their three children. Ben Hagai has published two novels, short stories and a book for youth. In 2016, she received the Devorah Omer Prize for Children's Literature.