Samiya Bashir





Samiya Bashir is an African-American poet.

Life and career
Bashir is the daughter of an African American mother and a first generation immigrant from Somalia. Her first book of poetry, Where the Apple Falls (RedBone Press), was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award. Gospel, "an ecumenical resistance song in four parts," is her second book of poetry and was also published by RedBone Press. Alexis Pauline Gumbs stated that Gospel "redefin[es] both sexuality and salvation with a close look at the infinite places and moments when the human body meets despair, pleasure and transcendence." Bashir is also the editor of Best Black Women's Erotica 2 (Cleis Press) and co-editor of Role Call: A Generational Anthology of Social & Political Black Literature & Art (Third World Press), with Tony Medina and Quraysh Ali Lansana.

Bashir’s poetry, stories, articles, essays and editorial work have been featured in Bum Rush the Page: A Def Poetry Jam, Other Countries: Voices Rising, The Callaloo Journal, Reverie, Carry the Word, Essence Magazine, 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.

Bashir is a founding organizer of Fire & Ink, a writers festival for LGBT writers of African descent, and is an alumni fellow of Cave Canem. She has served as Writer in Residence at Soul Mountain Retreat, as James Cody Scholar for the James Dick Foundation for the Arts, and as Artist in Residence with The Austin Project. She has published three chapbook poetry collections: Teasing Crow, Wearing Shorts on the First Day of Spring, and American Visa.

She has served as the contributing editor of Black Issues Book Review and Curve Magazine and the book editor of Ms. Magazine. In addition, Bashir has served on the National Black Justice Coalition's board of directors.

Recognition
Bashir won the Lesbian Poetry Award from the Astraea Lesbian Foundation.