Thank you for being here!
My name is Jayden Amir McClam, I am a writer-artist and educator based in Ithaca, New York. I earned my MFA in Creative Writing from Cornell University in 2025, and I hold a B.S. in Psychology from Howard University.
My work is rooted in a Black feminist ethic, deeply inspired by Audre Lorde, June Jordan, bell hooks, and Lucille Clifton. I teach writers how to harness their creative power for interpersonal healing and collective transformation. I am a lecturer at Cornell University, where I teach Race, Writing, and Power, and Intro to Creative Writing to 36 undergraduates a semester. I also teach writing independently through workshops, editing, and 1:1 coaching both in-person and online.
I pursued Psychology in my undergraduate study because I wanted to help people to heal from racial trauma. Now, I do this work through creative practice, drawing upon my training in trauma-informed care, consent education, and 8+ years of experience in community justice work.
Sign up for my newsletter and follow my Instagram (@treetop_proverb) to stay in touch!
Me beginning my MFA graduation reading by invoking bell hooks’ essay “Talking Back”. In this essay, hooks shares that as a Black girl-child often silenced by those around her, writing became a vital place of self-expression.
Me on the first day of 1st grade. I carry this little one with me everywhere I go. All they wanted to do was read and write, and they are in awe to get to do just that.