Maya Stein

Maya Stein is a poet, writing facilitator, and creative adventuress who has traveled several thousand miles by bicycle across various parts of the country towing a typewriter behind her, inviting strangers to respond to writing prompts. She spent her early formative years in Israel on a multinational kibbutz; her first words were a mulch of Hebrew, English, Dutch, and Spanish; no one, not even her parents or older sister, could understand what she was trying to say. She attributes this early frustration to her passion for communication in all forms, and has spent the better part of her adult life working in the field of words. Maya has kept a short-form writing practice, “10-line Tuesday,” for nearly 20 years, sending out a 10-line poem each week to more than 2,000 readers. In addition, she has published two books of poetry, two collections of creative nonfiction, a handful of writing prompt booklets and, most recently, Grief Becomes You, a collection of writings and photographs on the subject of loss, and The Poser: 38 Portraits Reimagined, a full-color coffee table book of contemporary portrait re-enactments. Her hobbies include juggling, origami folding, diorama making, hors d’oeuvres creation, and she has recently learned how to play mahjong. Maya currently serves as the Poet Laureate of Belfast, Maine.