Meet Samaa
Samaa (she/her) is an auntie, a writer, a bird nerd, and a lover of the outdoors.
After spending most of her life in the Midwest, Samaa has been loving and living on unceded Wabanaki/Abenaki land (Maine) since 2010. She earned PhD in English Literature at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is the editor of From Root to Seed: Black, Brown, and Indigenous Poets Write the Northeast (NatureCulture, 2023). Her chapbook Towards a Retreat (2025) is available now from Diode Editions. Samaa’s other work can be found in a variety of journals and books including: Obsidian: Literature and Arts in the African Diaspora, Cider Press Review, Bigger Than Bravery: Black Resilience and Reclamation in a Time of Pandemic (2022), and Bad Girls and Transgressive Women in Popular Television, Fiction, and Film (2017).
Samaa currently serves as the Executive Director of Maine Humanities and as a coach for leaders of color working in Maine. She is a certified Maine Master Naturalist, which allows her to lead outdoor teaching experiences for people who want to learn about the beings (plants, insects, animals) in this region. Samaa is always listening for birdsong.
