Born and raised in rural Arizona, Maria Cisneros-Smallcanyon is a first generation, queer Xicana, National Board Certified educator, published writer and overall creative. She is a graduate of Arizona State University, where she earned a BAE in Elementary Education in 2007. Though the majority of her years in the classroom have been spent in the upper elementary grades, she currently teaches 8th grade Spanish 1. In 2023, Maria became a National Board Certified Teacher with a specialty in Early to Middle Childhood Literacy. As someone who grew up in the desert of rural Arizona, Maria feels a deep sense of responsibility to enrich the experiences and amplify the voices of the youth in her community--the same community where she grew up. She is Board member of Rural Arizona Engagement (RAZE). Additionally, her poetry has been featured in an online exhibit by The Chapter House L.A., the environmental justice magazine Atmos, and the podcast As She Rises. Most recently, her work was included in El Alma Respira: Poesía y Historias de Nuestros Ancestros, an event hosted by The Sagrado Galleria.