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| Samiya Bashir | |
Poet, artist, writer, performer, educator and advocate Samiya Bashir is the new executive director of Lambda Literary, which has been led by two interim co-executive directors--Cleopatra Jach Acquaye and Maxwell Scales--since January.
Formerly an associate professor of creative writing at Reed College, Bashir is the author of three poetry collections, most recently Field Theories, winner of the 2018 Oregon Book Award's Stafford/Hall Award for Poetry. Her honors include the Rome Prize in Literature, the Pushcart Prize, Oregon's Arts & Culture Council Individual Artist Fellowship in Literature and two of Michigan's Hopwood Poetry Awards, among numerous other awards, grants, fellowships and residencies. Bashir has also served as editor to national magazines and anthologies of literature and artwork.
Roz Lee, chair of Lambda Literary's board of directors, said that Bashir has "extensive roots within the communities she will be serving and was previously on the board of Fire & Ink, a nonprofit devoted to increasing the understanding, visibility, and awareness of the works of LGBTQ+ writers of African descent and heritage, for more than 15 years. Samiya herself is also a two-time Lambda Literary Awards finalist, and we could not be more excited for all she brings to our organization."
Lee added: "Throughout 2021, Lambda Literary underwent a community-driven strategic planning process, which resulted in a Roadmap for the organization's future. Samiya will now steward that Roadmap, while creating opportunities to apply her own distinctive vision and holding space for ongoing community input. Samiya's three decades of service in and to literary, arts, and LGBTQ+ communities uniquely position her to understand the needs of the organization's constituencies. Samiya's initial team-building focus is dedicated to creating a supportive, service-oriented place to work for LGBTQ+ writers, readers, publishers, bookstore owners, and professionals."
Bashir said, "As someone who has long benefited from this incredible organization and the passionate work of its champions, I know just how important this learning, growing organization is for LGBTQ+ authors and artists, readers, and publishing professionals--those who've paved many paths and those still to come--searching for some star or another to light their way."