“Look closer. This is what poetry is. A desk marked by a curious orbit of coffee stains. The trash bin overflowing with receipts. The walls, painted a ludicrous, caffeinated purple. A single geranium on the verge of a vigorous bloom. Words like fire. A woman pausing at a window for stories. A fertile, overlarge lawn. A cloud of longing posing as a love letter.

I wrote my first poem, “Papa Tree and the Seasons,” when I was 9 years old. It told the story of the life cycle of leaves, honing specifically on the fate of one little leaf who is the last one clinging to the branch before winter comes. I bound this poem into a little book, filled it with color pencil drawings, and proudly offered it up to my parents one evening. And I see now that this quite accurately represents the instincts behind most of my work to date—the desire to capture that which is most fleeting, to locate the heart of its beauty and power, sustain its life through language, and share that language with others. I have always believed that much of writing is actually about seeing, about paying attention, listening in, getting up close and personal with the details, and I have built a poetry practice—and a life practice—around this.

I’ve been a freelance writer and editor for more than 25 years. I have self-published five books and a handful of writing prompt booklets. My latest books are “Grief Becomes You,” a collection of writings and photographs on the subject of loss from more than 60 contributors, and “The Poser: 38 Portraits Reimagined,” a full-color coffee table book of contemporary portrait re-enactments. I facilitate workshops and retreats—live and online—and also work one-on-one with people interested in deepening their creative practice and bringing new work to fruition.

Want to get in touch? Contact me at hello@mayastein.com

Ninja Poet

Since June 2005, I have kept a short-form writing practice I call “10-line Tuesday.” I compose and send out via email an original (10-line) poem each week. To date, I have written more than 950 of these poems. Each week, more than 2,000 subscribers receive my work in their inboxes.

To sign up to receive a poem in your inbox every Tuesday, go here.

For an archive of poems, go here.

“Dandelions, waking slowly into the day, petals like eyelids.”

from “helpful resources in a time of uncertainty” (May 19, 2020)

Writing guide

Editorial Support

Get a detailed editorial review of poetry, prose, or any writing project. Billed hourly.

One-Minute Mentoring

Meet by phone or Zoom to tackle an immediate question, concern, or challenge with your creative work.

One-on-One Writing Sessions

A longer-term engagement, meeting over Zoom (or platform of your choice), to undertake new work, explore a current writing project, or design a creative practice that sticks.

Creative Adventuress

Creative collaboration

I serve as Editorial Director for Toad Hall Editions, a small press in midcoast Maine founded in 2021. We publish the work of women and gender-diverse writers, and offer submission opportunities for our biannual literary journal.

Origami installations

“Chasing Alice” is my latest paper-arts assembly.

Community projects

These long-distance, multi-week projects have focused on analog technologies and collaborative creativity as community building tools.