Writers

For more information, explore the following links: LinkedIn.

Jae Casella (they/them/jae) is a queer poet, essayist, and nature photographer who lives on  the southern coast of Maine. Their writing is informed by all the thoughts they don't say aloud. Their favorite place to be is outside. Jae's poems appear in redrosethorns journal, Epistemic Literary, Bending Genres, and Monster Beauties: A Maine Transgender Poetry Anthology. Their photography has been published in Light - A Journal of Photography and Beyond Words Literary Journal.

For more information, explore the following links: Work Sample.

Lauren Saxon is a queer, Black poet and engineer living in Portland, ME. She loves her cats, her Subaru, and being chronically online. Lauren's work is featured in Barrelhouse, Empty Mirror, Across the Margin, Homology Lit, and more. Her debut chapbook, "You're My Favorite" won the 2023 Maine Literary Award for Book of Poetry, and is out now with Thirty West Publishing. 

For more information, explore the following links: Website.

Marpheen Chann is a second generation Asian American, is a writer, speaker, and gay man.

For more information, explore the following links: Website.

Maya Williams (ey/em, they/them, and she/her) is a religious Black multiracial nonbinary suicide survivor who is currently an Ashley Bryan Fellow, a Creative Fellow of the University of New England's Maine Women Writers Collection, and was selected as the seventh Poet Laureate of Portland, Maine for a July 2021 to July 2024 term.

For more information, explore the following links: Website.

Megan E. Tripaldi is an actor, internationally produced playwright, and educator living and working in Portland, ME.

For more information, explore the following links: Profile.

Rylan Hynes (they/them) and their work have been a finalist for Proximity Magazine's 2024 Essay Contest, the 2024 Maine Chapbook Series, Tin House’s 2024 Summer Residency for Trans Writers, and longlisted for The Masters Review’s 2023 Novel Excerpt Contest. Hynes has received multiple accolades from the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance, such as a Martin Dibner Fellowship and an inaugural Maine Lit Fest Fellowship.

For more information, explore the following links: Website.

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.

For more information, explore the following links: Website.

33, Queer Jewish Disabled Maine Poet.

For more information, explore the following links: Instagram.

My name is Christopher Harris (he/him). I’m a bisexual artist, author, and holistic practitioner based in Maine. I’m the author of The Ring of Worlds, an LGBTQIA+ science fantasy series with five books currently available on Amazon. I also create original artwork and offer online merchandise, including Pride stickers and shirts. My work, whether creative or healing-centered, comes from a place of authenticity, compassion, and respect for each person’s unique path.

For more information, explore the following links: Linktr.ee