About The Orchardists

the education system, improving sustainability, and increasing social justice. When she is not changing the world, you can find her absorbed in a Studio Ghibli movie, listening to Taylor Swift, re-reading Anne of Green Gables, re-watching Avatar: the Last Airbender, or trying out a new recipe! She is currently working on her first poetry book and movie.

Themes explored in Blossom's work at Poetry Orchard include: chronic illness, disability, neurodivergence, queerness, mental health, self-growth, friendship, found-family, morality, music, and a variety of fandoms. Blossom particularly enjoys encouraging budding writers to share their work, and… well… Blossom!

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Maria’s professional experience includes: copyediting and article writing (2020–present), managing online writing communities (2019 - present), and facilitating workshops (2022–present). She is a contributing writer, editor, and digital artist for TheCoolist. Alongside Nashira, she co-founded and runs the Adventurer’s Writing Guild, a bi-yearly writing community inspired by National Poetry Writing Month. Nashira and Maria met Blossom through the Guild, and the three later founded Poetry Orchard and began facilitating creative writing workshops in October 2022.

Maria’s independent work has been featured in literary zines and anthologies, such as Mansion of Fears, Carpe Noctem, and Camp by Marías at Sampaguitas. Outside of writing and editing, Maria creates digital collages to accompany her self-published works (which you can commission by reaching out to her on Instagram).

Themes explored in Maria’s work at Poetry Orchard include: girlhood, friendship, grief, mental health, familial trauma, horror, and yearning. Her favorite contributions to Poetry Orchard include “The Bloody Orchard”, which was both an autumn 2023 open mic and a workshop inspired by dark fairytales. The event brought together many of her favorite writers and allowed her to explore spooky albeit tender themes that govern much of her personal work. 

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Nashira previously served as the multimedia editor for Marías at Sampaguitas & Sampaguita Press. She now works as a freelance creative writing editor, specializing in cultural accuracy. She practices literary translation and hopes to translate political books and zines between Tagalog and English. Outside of work, Nashira hosts events in the Black Card Members community and streams video games on Twitch.

Themes explored in Nashira’s work at Poetry Orchard include: Asian/Black culture and history, disability and neurodivergence, familial and religious trauma, and LGBTQIA+ identity. She is especially proud of her March 2023 workshop “Animal Crossing Memory Lane” which was held in celebration of Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ third anniversary, doubling as a safe space for COVID conscious individuals to process their pandemic grief through poetry.

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