about the artist

Samiya Bashir is the author of Where the Apple Falls: poems, editor of Best Black Women’s Erotica 2 and co-editor, with Tony Medina and Quraysh Ali Lansana, of Role Call: A Generational Anthology of Social & Political Black Literature & Art. She has also published two chapbook poetry collections: Wearing Shorts on the First Day of Spring & American Visa.

Her poetry, stories, articles, essays and editorial work have been featured in numerous publications including: Bum Rush the Page: A Def Poetry Jam, Other Countries: Voices Rising, Callaloo, Carry the Word, Essence, Obsidian III, Cave Canem #7, Poetry For The People: A Revolutionary Blueprint, Contemporary American Women Poets, Best Lesbian Erotica 03, The San Francisco Bay Guardian, Ms. Magazine, Black Issues Book Review, Curve, Vibe, Seventeen, XXL, Lambda Book Report, The American Journal of Public Health.

Bashir is a fellow with Cave Canem and a founding organizer of Fire & Ink, a writer’s festival for LGBT writers of African descent.

Her work has been reprinted internationally and she has read her poetry to audiences across the U.S. and in Europe. Bashir has won numerous awards for her poetry since serving as Poet Laureate of the University of California during her studies, and continues to teach creative writing to adults and children. Follow her art and commentary online at Scryptkeeper, and Pënz (it's pronounced pants) a year-long, daily group art blog she shares with Senalka McDonald, Wura-Natasha Ogunji, and Ana-Maurine Lara. She's currently wrasslin' poetry, paint, stuffed bunnies and sunshine in Austin, Tejas.


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Pënz (it's pronounced pants)

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