Deonna Kelli Sayed is a Florida Panhandle born weirdo. Southern-Baptist raised and now a feral Muslim, Deonna is a writer and performer based in North Carolina and behind American Body: The Solo Show. Her prose can be found in Love Inshallah: The Secret Love Lives of American Muslim Women; Faithfully Feminist: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Women on Why We Stay. Her short stories are found online and in various anthologies. She is a recovering ghost hunter and author of Paranormal Obsession:America’s Fascination with Ghosts & Hauntings, Spooks & Spirits, and the 2018 related TEDx talk.

Deonna has worked with various literary arts non-profits and is eager to see a more equitable literary landscape emerge. She currently represents PEN America as the NC Piedmont representative. Deonna currently works as the grants manager for The Triad Health Project, a local nonprofit focused on sexual health and justice.