Miami Book Fair Presents the 2023 Emerging Writer Fellows

Join us in celebrating the conclusion of the 2023 Emerging Writer Fellowship with Miami’s freshest literary voices. In January, four unpublished authors landed in Miami to begin a year-long residency to complete a manuscript-in-progress with in-depth feedback from an established mentor. They taught creative writing workshops, participated in various other professional development opportunities, and explored the expansive delights Miami has to offer. As they complete their Fellowship year, join us for a reading and conversation with the English-language Fellows, followed by a meet-and-greet reception and a special announcement by Miami Book Fair Executive Director Lissette Mendez.

Featuring Fiction Fellow Siham “Sam” Inshassi, mentored by Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies; Poetry Fellow Soleil Garneau, mentored by Pulitzer Prize finalist Arthur Sze; and Nonfiction Fellow Ella Jacobson, mentored by multi-genre author Pam Houston.

The Miami Book Fair Emerging Writer Fellowships program is supported by The Jorge M. Peréz Family Foundation and Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation.

Siham Inshassi is a Brooklyn, New York-based Palestinian American author, currently working on her first novel. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in fiction writing from The New School, where she studied under bestselling authors Mira Jacob, Helen Schulman, and Katie Kitamura, and was awarded the Ignite Fellowship, working with the New York Women’s Foundation to create articles for its biannual publication. Her work focuses on culture and identity politics, both in the home and beyond, with particular focus on psychology and human nature and their relationship to cultural dynamics. She’s a passionate advocate for the Palestinian cause and intersectional solidarity. She’s been published in The Margins, The Inquisitive Eater, Brooklyn Magazine, and The Drum, among others. She is inspired by art, people, and places. You can find her on Instagram @thestoriedayrab.

Soleil Garneau is a writer and educator with roots in the Mid-Atlantic, the Gulf South, and Southern California. She is a Community of Writers alum and holds an MFA from University of California, Riverside. You can find her work in The Spectacle, Salt Hill Journal, Thin Air Magazine, and elsewhere.

Ella Jacobson is a cultural critic and writer originally from interior Alaska. Her writing has appeared in Slate, The Drift, The Guardian, The Los Angeles Review of Books blog, High Country News, and Real Life, among other publications. Much of her work explores how people metabolize their exposure to violence and death. She holds a masters in cultural reporting and criticism from the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at New York University, and she is the recipient of residencies and support from Edith Wharton House, Straw Dog Writers Guild, Monson Arts, I-Park Foundation, Good Hart, and the Ora Lerman Charitable Trust Foundation. She is a former New York University Abu Dhabi Fellow in writing. You can find her on Twitter @_ellajacobson.