"SAMANTHA THORNHILL IS ONE OF THOSE BRILLIANT POETS WHOSE WRITING TALENT IS A RARE MIX OF GRIT, SOUL AND MUSIC. SHE INSPIRES THE POET IN EACH OF US AND GIVES THE HEART A PLACE TO ENJOY THE POWER OF WORDS."

- Andrea Davis Pinkney, VP Scholastic Press -

POET

• Samantha earned her MFA in poetry from the University of Virginia. She has published dozens of poems in literary journals, two commercial children's books, and has produced three poetry CD's. To perform her versatile works, Samantha regularly collaborates with musicians, and travels to Europe, Africa and the Caribbean. In 2012, BillMoyers.com featured Samantha on a short list of poets, under 40, to watch.

EDUCATOR

• For the past decade, Samantha has taught a spectrum of students. In 2005, she joined the drama faculty at the Juilliard School, where she taught poetry to actors for ten years. Additionally, she teaches creative writing to the elderly, the youth, as well as facilitates creative writing workshops in corporate and non-profit settings. Samantha is also an inspiring and demanding writing coach.

CONSULTANT

• A founding curator of Poets in Unexpected Places, Samantha and her team, as profiled in the New York Times, stage dynamic poetry pop ups on trains, ferries , laundromats, and elsewhere. She regularly consults with clients on editing projects, ranging from curricula to coffee table books. Recently, Russell Simmons contracted Samantha as a content curator for his YouTube channel, All Def Poetry.