Biography

Amy Shimshon-Santo was born on Tovaangar land in current day L.A. and has immediate family in the Americas and the Middle East. She is the author of five books — three poetry collections, a limited edition chapbook, and an essay collection. Her most recent works are Piecework: Ethnographies of Place (Unsolicited Press) and Random Experiments in Bioluminescence (Flowersong Press). Amy’s poetry has appeared in Prairie Schooner, Tikkun, ArtPlace America, ASAP/J, Zocalo Public Square, and more. Her essays are found in GeoHumanities, UC Press, Urban Education, SUNY Press, Public!, Journal of Writers’ Project Ghana and more. Amy edited anthologies and special issues for UC Press, Los Angeles Public Library, Braille Institute of America, Illinois Open Publishing Network, Libretto Magazine in Nigeria, and Revista de Crítica Cultural in Brazil. As a Guest Artist, she has connected with UNESCO (Mexico), Pa Gya Lit Fest (Ghana), Lagos Int'l Poetry Festival (Nigeria); university communities including York University (Canada), University of California Santa Cruz, University of Maryland, University of Boulder Colorado, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (Mexico), Universidade do Estado da Bahia (Brazil), and Universidad de las Regiones Autónomas de la Costa Caribe Nicaragüense (Nicaragua), and museums and public art spaces including the Autry Museum, Metro LA Arts, Self Help Graphics and Art. Amy has been nominated for an Emmy Award, a Rainbow Reads Award, Pushcart Prizes, Best of the Net, and was a finalist for NightBoat Poetry Prize. She has been a Writing Fellow at the Idyllwild Writer’s Week (2025), and received scholarships to the Community of Writers (2020, 2024). Throughout her life in art making and teaching, she has mentored generations of creatives who she takes great pride in. Amy is the mother of two phenomenal human beings: Avila Santo and Reva Santo.

 

Substack: Warm Blooded Mammal With Hair

Podcast: Inheritance of Peace

Bibliography

Poetry Books 

  • Random Experiments in Bioluminescence, Unsolicited Press, 2024. 

  • Catastrophic Molting, Poetry Collection, Flowersong Press, 2022. 

  • Even the Milky Way is Undocumented, Unsolicited Press, 2020. 

  • Empty Bowls of Sky, limited edition chapbook, Placeholder Press, 2020. 

Creative NonFiction Books

  • Piecework: Ethnographies of Place, Unsolicited Press, 2025.

Edited Anthologies

  • In Every Generation, An Anthology, Co-editor with Leonora Simonovis, Unsolicited Press, forthcoming 2027. 

  • Reading Braille With Chocolate, Editor, Braille Institute of America, 2025

  • Songs of the Earth, Co-editor with Yvette Cabrera, LA Public Library, 2024. 

  • Corpos, Gêneros e Literatura de Autoria Feminina, Co-editor with Ana Rita Santiago and Tatiana Pequeno, Revista Crítica Cultura, 2023

  • Consciousness Special Issue, Editor, Libretto Magazine, 2022

  • Et Al, Co-editor with Genevieve Kaplan, Illinois Open Publishing Network, 2022

  • The Ocean Between Us with A’bena Awuku Larbi, Co-editor, Writers Project Ghana, 2022. 

  • Arts = Education, UC Press, 2010.

Film

  • (Emmy Nominee) Arts Education, PBS SoCal, Consulting Producer, 2021 

Individual Poems & Essays 

Poems: Solidarity Anthology, 2027; DIO Press, 2023; Tikkun, 2023; New Verse News, 2023/2022/2021; Self Help Graphics, 2021; Tilt West, 2021; Community of Writers, 2021; Prairie Schooner, 2021; BOOM California, 2021; ASAP/J, 2020; ArtPlace America 2020; Capsule Stories, 2020; Full Blede, 2018; Zocalo Public Square, 2017.

Essays: OG Quarterly, 2025; Manna Songs, 2025; Tikkun, 2023; Urban Education, 2023; The Jewish Museum, 2023; Journal of Writers Project Ghana, 2022; GeoHumanities, 2021; ASAP/J, 2020; Education, Citizenship, and Social Justice, 2018; Public! Journal of Imagining America, 2017; Tiferet Journal, 2017; SUNY Press, 2011; Universidad de las Regiones Autónomas de la Costa Caribe Nicaragüense, 2010; Journal for Learning through the Arts, 2010.

Select Readings & Exhibitions

Poetry Readings from Random Experiments in Bioluminescence:

Pa Gya Lit Fest (Ghana, 2024/2022); Lagos Int'l Poetry Festival (Nigeria, 2024/2022); Univ. of Boulder Colorado, online); Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (Mexico), Beyond Baroque, Wanda Coleman Theater; Cafe Con Libros; Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP), 2024; LA Times Festival of Books. 

Poetry Readings from Catastrophic Molting:

Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP), 2023; University of Maryland, Office of Community Engagement.

Poetry Readings for Even the Milky Way is Undocumented

Autry Museum (online); Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP), 2022.

Additional Poetry Readings:

UNESCO (Mexico), online; UNEB (Brazil), online; Art Share LA; Self Helps Graphics & Art; “Besos y Versos” Metro Art LA, Union Station, Autry Museum; Universidade do Estado da Bahia (Brazil), Universidad de las Regiones Autónomas de la Costa Caribe Nicaragüense (Nicaragua); York University (Canada). 

Select Author Interviews & Book Reviews

Poetry LA with Luivette Resto, Lagos International Poetry Festival with Jide Badmus, Flowersong Press with Avery Castillo, Washington Independent Book Review with Angela Maria Spring, Literary Mama with Diane Gottlieb, The Rumpus with Janet Rodriguez, Critica Cultural with Ana Rita Santiago, Libretto Magazine with Nosakhare Collins, The Forward with Catherine Price, Book Woman with Cindy Hauser, Capsule Stories, Frontier Poetry with Josh Roark, Wombwell, Unsolicited Press, and Lunchticket with Andrea Auden. 

Artist-in-Residence Programs

Idyllwild Writer’s Week Fellow, 2025

Community of Writers, Scholarships, 2020 & 2023

Writer-in-Residence, UC Santa Cruz, Dept of Play, 2023-24.

Awards & Honors 

Emmy Award Nomination, 2022

Night Boat Poetry Prize Finalist, 2022

Rainbow Reads Award, Nomination, 2020

Pushcart Prize Nominations: Poetry 2020, Creative Nonfiction 2017 

Best of the Net Nomination, Poetry, 2018

Professorships 

  • Associate Professor, Claremont Graduate University (2013-2020) 

    • Director, Arts Management Program

  • Visiting Assistant Professor, UCLA (2004-2009)

    • Director, ArtsBridge Program

Education

MFA Creative Writing, Antioch University, Los Angeles

PhD Urban Planning, UCLA

MA Urban Planning, UCLA

BA Latin American Studies, UC Santa Cruz

Community Practice

  • Writing Facilitator: Write Your Story, Global Writer’s Circle; 1000 Voices Altadena Mosaic Project with Alma Cielo 

  • Creator, Inheritance of Peace Podcast; Warm Blooded Mammal With Hair on Substack

  • Co-Founder, Brasil Brasil Cultural Center (1990 - 2003)