ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mariana Samuda is a multifaceted Jamaican storyteller based in London. She received her BAs in English and Criminology from the University of South Florida and an MFA in Creative Writing from Chapman University.

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Her debut chapbook, Five Places You Meet Fifteen-Year-Old You, was published by Conium Press in 2021. The book grapples with the fragility of memory, the ravages of chronic illness, plenty of youthful regrets, and unbridled hope for the future. She has previously published work in Helix Magazine, Hoot Review, Headway Quarterly, Atticus Review, Moko Magazine, Black Fox Literary Magazine, and Buck Off Magazine. Her work is character-driven, exploring the intricacies of the threads that bind us together no matter how tenuous—how thin and fraying. She believes literature is a kinship, a shared understanding of the human experience. She wades into the mess of life and writes her way out of it, hoping we may better understand it together.

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An educator with creative and critical writing, literature, and rhetoric teaching experience at the secondary and tertiary levels, Mariana is committed to creating inclusive classrooms where students feel empowered in their voices, ask tough questions, and produce their best work. She has taught in Orange, California, at Chapman University and Kingston, Jamaica, at GetThere Tutoring.
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As a dancer, she trained at the Vickers Dance Studio in Kingston, Jamaica obtaining her ARAD from the Royal Academy of Dance. She has taught at and choreographed works for Vickers Dance Studio and performed professionally with the National Dance Theatre of Jamaica and L'acadco: A united Caribbean dance force.

You can usually find Mariana at her local coffee shop writing or settled in front of a TV, watching one of the myriads of sports teams she follows. Follow her on Twitter for updates!