Printable view of Said Shaiye

Listed as:

Poet, Creative Nonfiction Writer

Public address:

Minneapolis, MN

Minnesota US

Email:

info@saidshaiye.com

Bio:

Said Shaiye is an Autistic + ADHD (AuHD) Somali Writer & Photographer in Minneapolis. He is represented by Mariah Stovall at Trellis Literary Management.

He is a 2024 MacDowell Colony Fellow as well as a 2023 AWP Panelist: Autistic Writers On The Inaccessibility Of Professional Writing Spaces (Organizer, Participant); The Anti-Ableist Writing Workshop (Participant).

He was awarded a 2024 MN State Arts Education Grant to lead a BIPOC autistic writing workshop, allowing autistic writers to strengthen their skills in a safe space. Group members publish their own books at year's end.

He was nominated for a 2024 Pushcart Prize by Indiana Review for his essay SNEAK A UZI ON THE ISLAND IN MY ARMY JACKET LINING. His debut book, Are You Borg Now?, was a 2022 Minnesota Book Award Finalist in Creative Nonfiction & Memoir.

He has published poetry & prose in Indiana Review, Texas Review, Obsidian, Brittle Paper, Pithead Chapel, 580 Split, Entropy, Diagram, and elsewhere.

He teaches writing at several community colleges in the Twin Cities, as well as with Unrestricted Interest, an organization dedicated to Neurodivergent ways of being.

Gives readings:

Yes

Travels for readings:

Yes

In which languages are you fluent?:

English

Somali

Favorite authors:

Douglas Kearney, Steven Dunn, Chaun Webster, Rion Amilcar Scott, Ron Austin, Claudia Rankine, Larry Levis, Terrance Hayes, Dionne Brand, Emmanuel Iduma, Gordon Parks, Malick Sidibé, and myself.

Born in:

Mogadishu

Somalia

Raised in:

Seattle

Website:

https://www.saidshaiye.com [2]

Prizes won:

2024 MacDowell Fellow

2024 MN State Arts Education Grant

2024 Pushcart Prize Nominee (Indiana Review)
2022 Minnesota Book Award Finalist (CNF & Memoir)
2022 Loft Mirrors & Windows Fellowship
2021 Walter H. Judd International Graduate Research Fellowship

Literary Agent:

Mariah Stovall

Education:

University of Minnesota

Writers Retreats:

MacDowell

Identifies as:

African American

Prefers to work with:

Adults

At Risk Youth

Children

Disability

Illness/Wellness

Immigration

Mental Health

Schools

Teenagers