Ali Maaxa is an anthropologist and writer based in Portland who is working on a book project about mermaids, adoptees, and other in-between people. She has published books, articles, talks and films based in her decolonial fieldwork with masters of eloquence throughout the Global South, including rappers in Mississippi and Sufi praise singers in Senegal. Her work has appeared in SPIN, Southern Cultures, The SF Bay Guardian, SF Weekly, the Journal of Popular Music StudiesM, and Social Text, among others. She has received fellowships from the Mellon, Peacock, and Wilgus foundations.
