Dr. Kameelah Martin Samuel
Special Guest Editor

Kameelah Martin Samuel entered Georgia Southern University as a Psychology major, but after discovering the rich body of African American literature she decided to consume as much of it as possible. After graduating with honors with a degree in English and an Africana Studies minor, she pursued a career in higher education. She earned a Master's degree in Afro-American Studies from the University of California Los Angeles in 2003. Moving directly into a doctoral program, Kameelah earned her final degree in English from Florida State University in 2006. Her area of focus is twentieth century African American literature with an emphasis on folklore and the African American conjuring tradition.

Kameelah is an Assistant Professor of English at Georgia State University where she teaches courses on Toni Morrison, American literature 1914-1945, the Harlem Renaissance, and Conjuring fiction. Kameelah's current research centers on the conjure woman as a folk hero in literature and popular culture. Kameelah's manuscript, Conjuring Moments and Other Such Hoodoo: African American Women & Spirit Work, constructs a historiography of the conjure woman as literary figure, which investigates various representations, the authority of power, and the negotiation of gender and body politics.

Kameelah and husband Keith recently welcomed their first child, Isaiah, into the world. In addition to being a doting wife and mother, Kameelah's other interests include the novels of Tina McElroy Ansa, spending time with her three nieces, and genealogy. Kameelah has been researching her family history since 1997 and can document her most recent slave ancestor, Homer Burney, who was born in 1854. She hopes one day to become a certified genealogist. Kameelah loves full moons, romantic comedies, and being near water. Kameelah and her family reside in Atlanta, Georgia.