Whenever Maya leads our discussions, she always gives us good leading questions and explains things in detail. Her feedback is amazing, and she goes above and beyond to plan and make sure every class is fun and engaging!
Maya created a classroom environment where I felt safe and motivated to grow as a writer and thinker. She is such an inclusive, empathetic, and fun instructor who provides thoughtful, honest feedback.
Book me to...
Perform
I’ve performed my work at dozens of venues for diverse audiences, including the DeYoung Museum and Carnegie Hall.
Teach
I’ve taught workshops and classes for Brooklyn Poets, Ellipsis Writing, Workshops4Gaza, Stanford’s Institute for Diversity in the Arts, and over a dozen California middle and elementary schools. Past topics include: Poetry & Technology: Experimental Forms, Arab Ecopoetics, and Ritual as Origin.
Read about my Ritual as Origin workshop with Open Mouth
Speak
I am a poet-scholar-archivist. My debut poetry collection, How to Make An Algorithm in the Microwave, braids academic scholarship with archival practice to explore the impacts of surveillance on Arab American communities. I am informed in this work not only by my writing, but by my academic and research expertise. I’ve presented on a wide range of topics, most notably Arab-American mental health and helpseeking, and the hidden curriculum of poetry and publishing.
Maya’s partnership made the event a success in more ways than one. She brought a breath of fresh air to the event […] her reading was nuanced and thought-provoking, and I heard nothing but great things about her presence on stage.
