iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

anna samson📖 | poet & editor @annasamsonwrites.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

The Period Zine is out now! @coinoppress.bsky.social Featuring my poems “PMDD” and “Sanity (Living with PMDD), which were originally published in Project Wellness Magazine #Poems #Poet #Writer #PublishedPoem #AnnaSamsonWrites ALT Text included

The cover for the Periods Zine by CoinOp Press. It is a collage of various period related pictures

PMDD and Sanity (Living with PMDD) by Anna Samson, which were originally featured in issues 2 and 3 of Project Wellness Magazine.

PMDD
Iknow chaos approaches
Like it does every month
Creeping in
Rearranging everything
Convincing me my needs have changed
That I no longer want the same things Irritability and anxiety settle into my bones
Ifeel like I've lost control Of my life And of myself
Always on the verge of tears
Contemplating giving in And ending it all
Iamterrified of its intensity And the way it alters my reality
Every couple of weeks
Iwait for the blood and cramps
To wash away its heinous presence
For I'd rather deal with this discomfort
Than the monster that makes me it's home for two weeks And then lurks back into the shadows
Fooling me into forgetting about it
Only to saunter back a few weeks later
Continuing this endless cycle

Sanity (Living With PMDD)
I'm back here
Where I never wantto be
But always cycle back to
Idon't feel like myself
And question my relationships
Every thought in my head is negative
I curl up into a ball
And try my hardest not to crack under all these feelings
Iam exhausted
From the constant dips and soars
The rise and fall of my sanity
I dance around the line of stability
Never on it long enough to feel balanced But long enough to know what I'm missing

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anna samson📖 | poet & editor @annasamsonwrites.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Check out “Serenity is Blue” in Issue 1: Goldenrod of Still Water Literary! 🌊💙 #Poem #PublishedPoem #Poetry #Published #AnnaSamsonWrites ALT Text Included

A sunset on a grassy field with a visible tree line. It says “goldenrod” in gold in cursive in the centre. In the bottom left corner it says “still water” and in the bottom right it says “September 2026” in white text.

The title and author are in navy blue text and the poem and bio are in black. The text reads,
“Serenity is Blue
by Anna Samson
She looks out the white shuttered windows
At the brown deck
The bottom covered in algae Standing strong and proud
She walks the cobblestone path towards the water
As the sun slowly kisses the horizon
Orange hues gently falling
On the never-ending blue expanse
Lapping waves lovingly envelop All who step in its sandy bottom
Vulnerability is awarded with serenity
She finds it in the blue
Anna Samson (they/she) is a desi, queer, disabled writer and editor living in Tkaronto. Anna began writing poetry to cope with becoming disabled and has expanded into writing about social justice, love, friendship, and more. In their free time, Anna likes to read and hang out with their pets.”

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anna samson📖 | poet & editor @annasamsonwrites.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Thank you Paper Boy Quarterly for sharing my poem, “It Has to Be,” in Volume 1 Issue 3!!🫶🏽 #Poem #Poetry #Poet #PublishedPoetry #AnnaSamsonWrites

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anna samson📖 | poet & editor @annasamsonwrites.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Here are four poems from 2022. They were featured in Issue 3: The Muses of Tragedy of the The Graveyard Zine #Poem #Poetry #PublishedPoetry #Poet #AnnaSamsonWrites ALT text included

Two poems by Anna Samson

The Room
I walk along the corridor of my life.
Stopping to open doors that catch my eye.
I stay in some rooms for a while.
I leave some rooms soon after entering.
I walk down the endless hall,
Where a dim but constant light beckons me.
I keep walking on,
Unsure of where my feet are taking me.
But somehow, I know there is a door waiting for me there.
It's slightly ajar with a bit of light spilling out.
I feel content approaching it.
I think I'm supposed to go there.
I think it is the room I will never have to leave.

Fade
The salt in our wounds
Is the kinship we cannot let go of I weave and unweave the tapestry of our friendship
Using the threads of our sordid history
We're both constantly hurting
Reeling from the blows Of things unsaid
Moments lost
Missed chances
And memories of a distant past
Maybe we're not good for each other
But I'd rather hurt every day
Than have you fade away
With only battered drapes come undone to remind me of our love

DEBTOR'S DEMISE
By Anna Samson
This boat is meant to keep us afloat
Yet you gamble our safety every time you climb aboard
Challenging the boat and our ability to sail her Taunting the waters that threaten to fill your lungs
Hubris pushes you forward
And you fall, yet again, into the great expanse You grab our helping hands and try to drag us down with you
Screaming "blood is thicker than water"
"There's no way we'll drown"
But we've bled enough for you It's time for us to move on
We release our grip
Watching your face contort in horror and fear as you slip away
And descend into the collector's grasp
We pull the anchor tethering us to the island of your debts
We can't rescue you from the waves of consequences anymore
We won't
When you lie on ocean floor
As Poseidon takes his pound of flesh
I hope you realize that the raging waters did not engulf you
But that you died by your own hand
When you signed for what you couldn't repay

Trailblazers by Anna Samson
The trailblazers have set the path.
And we follow in stride.
Determined to be unique.
We are our own inspiration.
We are our pride.
We are the new trailblazers.
Setting matches to your fears of us.
Through the fire, we come anew.
Through the fire, we step into ourselves.
If you see us,
Proceed with caution.
We live without a care, Never stuck in deep waters.
Let us go.
We are not here for you.
We are here for us.
Us from before, of now, of after.
Marvel at our glory.
And join us in our celebration.
We welcome those who welcome us.
We welcome those who are us.
I welcome who I am, And bury who I never was.
I shout in joy that I've finally found myself.
I am me
And I am no one.
But what a lovely no one to be.

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anna samson📖 | poet & editor @annasamsonwrites.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Volume 11 of Beautiful Trash for Beautiful People is out now! Honoured to have my piece, "The Flower's Beauty" included🫶🏽 #Poet #Poem #Writer #Zine #AnnaSamsonWrites ALT text included

The cover for Volume 11: Origins of the Beautiful Trash for Beautiful People zine published by Trash Can Media. It is a collage of fish, purple index cards, and Polaroid images.
ry, is there a piece of art you relate to? (song, poem, painting, etc..)
A lot of Frida Kahlo's work, namely "The Broken Column" and "Henry Ford Hospital.
Besides your birth, what is another origin story that's shaping you? when I became disabled.

Page 5 of the zine is purple and features
Anna's poem "The Flower's Beauty."
Anna Samson (they/she) @ annasamsonwrites
Anna Samson (they/she) is a desi, queer, disabled writer and editor living in Tkaronto. Anna began writing poetry to cope with becoming disabled and has expanded into writing about social justice, love, friendship, and more.
In their free time, Anna likes to read and hang out with their pets.
Based in Tkaronto (Toronto, ON)
The Flower's Beauty
The flower's beauty is unmatched.
The standing ovation well-deserved, but it's the blossom that I care about.
The care and love a seed and soil need to go from bud to fruit.
Where compassionate attention yields marvellous fruition.
What places or people do you consider home?
I consider family home, namely my partner and my cats.
When considering your unique origin story, is there a piece of art you relate to? (song, poem, painting, etc..)
A lot of Frida Kahlo's work, namely "The Broken Column" and "Henry Ford Hospital".
Besides your birth, what is another origin story that's shaping you? when I became disabled

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anna samson📖 | poet & editor @annasamsonwrites.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Got to check out So Relevant I'm Disappearing, curated by the wonderful, @sofia_lebovics in support of Sistering Toronto at @gallery.1065 I'm so grateful to have my poem, "Exist," featured in the accompanying zine 🥰 #Poem #Gallery #Zine #Poet #AnnaSamsonWrites

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anna samson📖 | poet & editor @annasamsonwrites.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

New poem published in The Orange Rose Literary Magazine! I’m super grateful to share that my poem, “The Ornithologist’s Muse,” has been published in Issue 7 of The Orange Rose Literary Magazine’s seventh! You can read the whole piece at:

annasamsonwrites.wordpress.com

New poem published in The Orange Rose Literary Magazine!

I’m super grateful to share that my poem, “The Ornithologist’s Muse,” has been published in Issue 7 of The Orange Rose Literary Magazine’s seventh! You can read the whole piece at:

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anna samson📖 | poet & editor @annasamsonwrites.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Super grateful to have my poem, “The Ornithologist’s Muse” published in Issue 7 of The Orange Rose Literary Magazine! You can read the whole piece at: theorangeroselitmag.com/2026/08/22/t...

The cover of The Orange Rose Literary Magazine’s seventh issue which features a red/orange gradient night sky filled with stars. There are purple fish swimming around the moon and a purple cat towards the bottom.

Part of “The Ornitologist’s Muse” by Anna Samson
I watch the swans
white as snow
in their elegance
coming together with their mate making a heart with their necks
I watch the geese
brown and black intermingling to form a “V” in the sky caring for their youth with
tender ferocity
I watch the crows
shiny black intensity
solving puzzles and collecting trinkets

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anna samson📖 | poet & editor @annasamsonwrites.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

Featured in Issues 9 and 10 of @wishbonewords From a time when I was housebound due to my illnesses #Poetry #DisabledPoet #Poet #Writer #AnnaSamsonWrites [Image descriptions: A white background with Anna’s poem “Bound” in black text. The poem reads: “I feel the warmth of a heating pad And the

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anna samson📖 | poet & editor @annasamsonwrites.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

A poem about being non-binary in a family that cannot ever know. I hardly ever shared about it when this poem was published in LGBT Youthline’s Affirm, Honour, Express collection back in 2022. #Poet #LGBTQIA #QueerPoetry #Poem #Writer

A green background with white text reads,
The Cloak
I tell my mom I prefer plain and baggy clothes
So, she stops asking why I’m not dressed “girly” enough I tell my dad that short hair is the newest fashion trend So, he stops asking why I’ve cut my hair “like a boy” I struggle to keep my composure
Every time my parents call me their daughter
But every time I leave the house
I shed my oppressive cloak And step out into the world
Both real and virtual
Unashamedly myself
Where I can be referred to however I want
Where I can dress however I want
Where I can be myself
It is a blissful reprieve from the confines of my home
But with each passing minute I grow anxious about inevitably going back And donning that cloak again
So that my parents will never know the real me
Because if they knew
They’d hate me.

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anna samson📖 | poet & editor @annasamsonwrites.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Just got my copy of “Petite Fugue,”late night projections’ inaugural issue! So honoured to be a part included in this with so many talented folks. Check out my poem, “Aglow” on page 2💛 #PublishedPoet #Poem #Poetry #Poet #Writer

The inaugural issue of Late Night Projection’s newspaper with a postcard placed on top of it.

Anna’s poem, “Aglow.”
“Your love fills me with an iridescent light
Without it, I was a dull ember Flickering out without my spark
Soon to burn into ashes
You came into my life suddenly
Like a flint
You struck a line through the past
Igniting my soul
You tend to my flame with reverence
Devoutly fanning it Keeping me aglow
Protecting it
Lest the winter winds blow it out
Your sweet nothings
The oil in my lamp
Never running out
The dark loneliness won’t claim me again”]

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anna samson📖 | poet & editor @annasamsonwrites.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Another throwback from my time at McMaster. “Letting Go” is from the Float issue of Incite Magazine #Poetry #PublishedPoet #Poet #Poems #Writing

I’m nowhere / I’m no one / but a tiny speck on the map / never moving / never changing / stuck in time and place / stuck in a daze / I hold onto you / when letting go is what I need to do / to chase life / passing me by // I’d ask you to let me go / but I’m the one tethering us / I can’t move / I can’t breathe / and I can’t seem to let you go”]

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anna samson📖 | poet & editor @annasamsonwrites.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

2 New Poems in FLARE Magazine and Exclamation Mark Literary Journal I'm so excited to share that “I Used to Love Rain” and “You Were Sick Too” are now out in the special collab issue: Exclamation for and by the Disabled and Chronically Ill from FLARE Magazine and Exclamation Mark Literary Journal.

annasamsonwrites.wordpress.com

2 New Poems in FLARE Magazine and Exclamation Mark Literary Journal

I'm so excited to share that “I Used to Love Rain” and “You Were Sick Too” are now out in the special collab issue: Exclamation for and by the Disabled and Chronically Ill from FLARE Magazine and Exclamation Mark Literary Journal.

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anna samson📖 | poet & editor @annasamsonwrites.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Another oldie from Glitch, issue 25, volume 1 of Incite Magazine from my time at McMaster University #Poem #Poetry #Writer #Poet #AnnaSamsonWrites

FAINT
Everything slows down.
My vision blurs.
The sounds fade away.
I can't feel my limbs.
My thoughts grow confused.
My heart beats rapidly.
Nothing feels real.
I realize I'm sweating.
I'm losing my balance.
I cry out for help,
But no one hears me.
I feel afraid.
Darkness falls over my eyes.
I can't hear anything anymore.
I think I see a hand reaching out for me-
I'm not sure.
But before I can grab it, I fall into nothingness.

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