Samiya Bashir

Poet

New York, NY
New York US
Twitter/X: 

Author's Bio

Samiya Bashir is the author of Gospel, and Where the Apple Falls, a Poetry Foundation bestseller and finalist for the 2005 Lambda Literary Award. Bashir is editor of 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 three chapbook poetry collections: Wearing Shorts on the First Day of Spring, American Visa and Teasing Crow. Bashir is an alumni fellow with Cave Canem and a founding organizer of Fire & Ink, a writer’s festival for LGBT writers of African descent. Bashir’s 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, Reverie, Carry the Word, Essence, Obsidian III, CaKe #3, 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, and The American Journal of Public Health.

Literary agent: 
Kelsey Day, Aragi Agency

Publications & Prizes

Books:
Gospel: poems (RedBone Press, 2009)
,
Where the Apple Falls: poems (RedBone Press, 2005)
,
Role Call: A Generational Anthology of Social & Political Black Literature & Art (Third World Press, 2002)
Prizes won: 

Zell Fellowship, University of Michigan 2009-10 Writing Fellow, Virginia Center for the Arts 2009 Cave Canem Scholar, Community of Writers at Squaw Valley 2009 Artist in Residence, The Austin Project 2008-09 Artist in Residence, Alma de Mujer 2008 Writer in Residence, Soul Mountain Writers Colony 2008 James Cody Scholar, James Dick Foundation for the Performing Arts, Poetry at Round Top Festival 2008 Finalist, Lambda Literary Award, for Where the Apple Falls: Poetry 2006 Winner, National Best Book of Poetry by a SGL Black Poet, Urban Spectrum & 2006 Runner Up, National Best Poetry Book, Urban Spectrum, for Where the Apple Falls: Poetry Winner, Best Anthology, Urban Spectrum, for Best Black Women’s Erotica 2 2003 Fellow, Cave Canem African American Poetry Workshop 2002-06 Winner, Lesbian Poetry Award, Astraea Foundation 2002 Finalist, Lesbian Poetry Award, Astraea Foundation 2000 Poetry ‘96 Award, San Francisco Bay Guardian 1996 Poet’s Choice Award, National Association of Pen Women, Portland Pen 1996 Randall Jarrell Poetry Prize, H.M., North Carolina Writer’s Network 1995 Poet Laureate, University of California 1994 Emily Chamberlain Cooke Award for Poetry, University of California 1994

More Information

Gives readings: 
Yes
Travels for readings: 
Yes
Identifies as: 
African American, LGBTQ
Prefers to work with: 
Any
Fluent in: 
English
Born in: 
Ypsilanti, MI
Michigan
Raised in: 
Ann Arbor, MI
Michigan
Please note: All information in the Directory is provided by the listed writers or their representatives.
Last update: Dec 29, 2024