“There is so much powerful, perspective-shifting work being done by Maya-Gawonii.” - past workshop participant
Welcome! I’m Maya-Gawonii Shabazz-Saleh, an author, critical essayist, and community educator, and this is the home of my writing and my imprint, Cowrie Crossings.
My Books: Queer horror, genre-bending romance, and stories that bite back, starting with My Roommate Is Trying To Kill Me, out now.
Publications: Essays and poems that braid Black and Indigenous wisdom, feminist praxis, and movement storytelling, featured in Dead Pretty, Echoes of the Earth, and more than fifteen literary journals.
Workshops: Interactive writing workshops for schools, universities, libraries, and community groups across the Bay Area.
Events: Readings, gatherings, and spaces to create, remember, and re-imagine together.
Store: Posters and more from Cowrie Crossings.
Pick up a book, book a workshop, or get lost in the words that light the way.
want to connect? email cowriecrossings@gmail.com
My Approach
Feedback from past participants
“Maya-Gawonii facilitated a great workshop grounded in safety and support. The conversation encouraged incredible conversation with a wonderful group of people. Super grateful for this resource and would highly recommend to anyone.” - Loving Community workshop participant
“Maya-Gawonii is an amazing facilitator and it was apparent that she put so much thought and love into the workshop.”
Liberatory Facilitation
I design and hold justice-rooted gatherings that weave grief, ritual, and radical imagination into transformative experiences. Whether through embodied strategy workshops, community healing circles, or one-on-one death-care consultations, I center Afro-Indigenous cosmologies, trauma-informed facilitation, and Black feminist ethics. Together, we create brave spaces to mourn our losses, honor ancestors, and co-create visionary futures grounded in solidarity, presence, and collective wholeness.