Sam has always loved hosting. From having 20 people in their small, downtown Kansas City apartment for soup nights to co-creating an artist dinner series in Austin, Texas, they have always had a knack for bringing people together. As a Program Director of Poetic Underground, they spent four years hosting sold-out slam poetry events and were awarded grants to bring in traveling poets to perform and teach.

As a writer, they have attended multiple residencies and retreats that shaped their work and projects. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, their ability to host paused. Ever since, they have daydreamed of ways to bring people together safely while emphasizing creative nourishment. Through this history, You Are Here was created.