Previously Published Works

Over 30,000 copies sold

This debut children’s book, a masterfully crafted song of self-love, won The 2020 Lupine Award for Children’s Literature as well as The 2021 International Literacy Association’s Award for Primary Fiction. It also won a 2020 Coretta Scott King Honor for Kaylani Juanita’s illustrations. Magnificent Homespun Brown has been included in several Best Books of 2020 lists, including:

To purchase your copy, click on the cover photo or visit AmazonIndieboundPrint, or Longfellow Books.


Magic Like That is Samara’s second lyrical picture book with an emphasis on identity celebration. It was featured on the Bookstagang Best Picture Books of 2021  list and was honored by a Kirkus starred review. Kirkus calls this book “A fine addition to an expanding body of hair-affirming books that exude Black girl self-love and confidence.” Read the full review here. Magic Like That is illustrated by Geneva Bowers and published by Lee & Low Books.

For mor information, click on the cover image. You can order Magic Like That at Barns & Noble, Amazon, and Bookshop, or find it at your local bookstores–Portland people, try Print and Longfellow Books!


Two of Samara’s pieces were included in From Root to Seed: Black, Brown, and Indigenous Poets Write the Northeast. This 2023 anthology of nature poetry is edited by Samaa Abdurraqib, published by NatureCulture, and features works by Myronn Hardy, Ian-Khara Ellasante, Maya Williams, Mihku Paul, and many other established and emerging Poets of Color. To listen to a reading, check out Samara’s IG account. To learn more about the anthology, click on the cover image.