Photo by Joy Newell

Sam Slupski (they/them) is a trans nonbinary nonfiction writer and poet from the Midwest. They are the author of UNTIL TENDER (Game Over Books).

In their work, Sam interrogates the mental health industrial complex and the wellness industry and speaks to their lived experience with reparenting, complex trauma, and queerness. They are a disability justice advocate, speaking out against pandemic denial and encouraging everyday safety precautions to protect against disabling viruses.

Sam has worked with St. Louis Queer Support & Healing, focusing on community consciousness-raising, outreach, and external communications skill-building. They were the Wellness Editor of Swift Wellness, a former Program Director of Poetic Underground, and a teaching artist with Austin Bat Cave. They’ve headlined events like the Melbourne Spoken Word Poetry Festival, toured the US and Canada, and were a Button Poetry Chapbook Contest finalist.

Sam writes a newsletter called Nourishing Notes, shares on Instagram at @theyaresam, is an organizer with the Northern Olympic Peninsula Mask Bloc, and is the Newsletter Lead for The Heart of It Writing Retreat. They love to cook and will always stop to take in a sunset.