Poet and Author
ey/they/she
Maya Williams (ey/they/she) is a religious Black multiracial nonbinary suicide survivor who served as Portland, Maine’s seventh poet laureate for a 2021-2024 term. Maya contributed poetry to venues such as FreezeRay, The Cortland Review, Honey Literary, and more. Eir debut full length poetry collection Judas & Suicide was a finalist for a New England Book Award. Their second full length poetry collection, Refused a Second Date, was a finalist for a Maine Literary Award. What’s So Wrong with a Pity Party Anyway? in 2024 and Feminine Morbidity in 2025 won chapbook prizes. Maya contributed prose to venues Sacred & Subversive, The Rumpus, Black Girl Nerds, LGBTQ Nation, The Daily Beast, Honey Literary, Talk Death, and more. You can follow more of Maya’s work at mayawilliamspoet.com
Talks
When God Gives Us a Lot We Can’t Handle
Something simultaneously apparent and subtle that plays a role in our mental health is religion, whether we still identify with the religion we were raised in or not. Maya Williams’ poetry addresses the impacts of grief, suicidality, and healing when it comes to the impacts of religious related trauma. This talk involves a reading of poems and a conversation about poetry in relation to religion and mental health. This talk is also available in a writing workshop format.