Safia Jama

Safia Jama is a Lecturer in the Department of English at the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences, Baruch College, City University of New York. She holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing (Poetry) from Rutgers University-Newark, an M.A.ED. in English Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a B.A. in English and American Literature from Harvard College. Her academic focus spans creative writing, poetry, and English education.

• Education
  • M.F.A., Creative Writing (Poetry), Rutgers University-Newark
  • M.A.ED., English Education, Teachers College, Columbia University
  • B.A., English and American Literature, Harvard College

Her research and creative work centers on poetry, narrative structure, and cultural identity. She has published poems in outlets such as World Literature Today and the Academy of American Poets, with her debut poetry collection Crowded House (Beltway Editions, 2023) exploring themes of memory, family, and diaspora experiences. Her 2025 Bryant Park Reading Room performance highlights her engagement with public literary spaces.

Jama has received recognition as a semi-finalist for prestigious poetry prizes, including the Gatewood Prize (2019) and the Pleiades Press Editors Prize (2017). She actively contributes to academic service as a member of the Weissman Committee on Undergraduate Academic Standing and as a grant proposal reviewer for the Brooklyn Arts Council and Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.