Gardner received a number of awards for articles in The New York Times from the National Federation of Press Women. She was named a Woman of Achievement by the New Jersey Business and Professional Women in 1986 and was the Commencement Speaker at Stockton State College in New Jersey that same year. Her nonfiction book, Street Gangs in America, (Franklin Watts) received a book award from the National Federation of Press Women. Gardner's coming-of-age novel, Halley and Me, was the winner of the Grassic Short Novel Prize from Evening Street Press.       

Gardner graduated cum laude from Hunter College in New York City and was an award winner of the English Department's poetry contest. She received a number of awards for articles in The New York Times from the National Federation of Press Women. She was named a Woman of Achievement by the New Jersey Business and Professional Women in 1986 and was the Commencement Speaker at Stockton State College in New Jersey that same year.

Her nonfiction book, Street Gangs in America, (Franklin Watts) received a book award from the National Federation of Press Women.

Gardner's poetry collection, Mythmaking, was chosen in a chapbook published by Word Journal Press.

Her mystery novel, Mother, Murder and Me, was a winner of the First Book (Fiction) Award from Swyers Publishing and was published in 2012. It was reprinted as Dead Shrinks Don't Talk by Black Opal Books as the first book in the Mother-and-Me Mystery Series, followed by Grave Expectations, the second book in the series. Her coming-of-age novella, Halley and Me, received the Grassic Short Novel Prize from Evening Street Press.