Taiwana Shambley

creative writing / community engagement

Taiwana Shambley is a Black trans woman with disabilities, a speculative fiction writer, and an award-winning teaching artist originally from St. Paul’s North End neighborhood and now based in Minneapolis. Deeply rooted in the Black radical tradition and driven by political urgency and anger at injustice, Taiwana’s mission is to empower queer, trans, and disabled youth voices through both her own writing and by teaching storytelling skills to others.

Taiwana’s fiction is known for its fearless exploration of complex social issues and has been recognized with grants from the Loft Literary Center, the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, and the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council. She is currently at work on her debut novel, I CAN BE FREE YESTERDAY, a young adult speculative fiction story about a disabled girl from North End, St. Paul, who turns to violence to protect herself from ableist classmates. The novel vividly imagines a clash between a daughter determined to create an ableism-free, autonomous zone and her mother, Minnesota’s first Black and first woman governor, culminating in a transformative conflict that reshapes their family and the city itself.

Taiwana is also preparing a book collection of fiction and poetry titled REVENGE OF THE HOOD BITCHES. Her literary voice, shaped by community, identity, and radical politics, has reached wider audiences through features like the cover of Minnesota Women’s Press, reflecting her role as both a writer and a cultural force amplifying marginalized voices.

Qualifications

Taiwana Shambley is an accomplished teaching artist, recognized as a 2023 Loft/MISA Excellence in Teaching Fellow and a 2023 Minnesota Colleges & Universities Write Like Us Mentor. Her teaching work focuses on helping youth—especially queer, trans, and disabled youth—develop storytelling skills to express their own truths and challenge oppressive systems.

She holds a B.A. in English and African American Studies from Augsburg University, where she co-led efforts to establish the school’s first ethnic studies department, demonstrating her leadership in education reform and racial equity. Taiwana is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at Antioch University Los Angeles. Her professional background also includes roles as the Inaugural Open Road Fund Program Associate for Nexus Community Partners and as the Inaugural End Youth Prisons MN Campaign Lead for the Legal Rights Center, reflecting her broader commitment to community organizing, abolitionist work, and social justice.

Focus Areas

  • creative writing fundamentals

  • story structure and arc development

  • critique and revision

SKILLS

  • storytelling techniques

  • concept-to-revision writing

  • narrative structure and character development

  • poetry and lyrical writing instruction

  • supporting authentic voice development

  • integrating cultural and political context

  • mentoring marginalized youth writers

  • providing constructive editorial feedback

  • designing inclusive writing curricula

Teaching / Performance / work experience

  • writing mentor at In Progress

  • 2023 Loft/MISA Excellence in Teaching Fellow

  • 2023 Minnesota Colleges & Universities Write Like Us Mentor

  • experienced in writing speculative fiction with complex social themes

  • author of the forthcoming novel I CAN BE FREE YESTERDAY

LINKS