| bio |
Sam Calhoun is a poet, geoscientist and nature photographer whose work explores what it means to be wild. Born in Gadsden, AL, he spent his childhood in the canyons of Black Creek below Noccalula Falls, roaming beneath one hundred year old trees that inspired his first published poems at the age of nine.
Pushcart Prize / Best Of The Net nominated, his work has been featured in numerous anthologies and literary journals. He is the author of seven poetry collections, including Follow This Creek (2007) and the 2026 release The Call-back from Bottlecap Press. He also serves as the founder and editor-in-chief for the Tanasi River Review literary journal. His award winning photography has placed in state competitions, been published in GRIT Magazine, and used by city and non-profit organizations.
Because of a lifelong passion for meteorology, he's known in the hiking community as WeatherManSam, his trail name. When not hiking and photographing nature, he tends an 1,100sq ft garden with his wife Robin, in Elkmont, AL.
I view language and words as I do nature: places to play in, places to explore. The way words roll across a page or off a tongue is as important as water moving over rock. I have a great connection to the natural world, as writer and photographer. The immediate experiences of my travels and minutiae of encounters inform my writing, being both recorder and storyteller.
I do not believe in the concept of the mundane or the ordinary. Everything has its own spark of magic. As a poet, I work to sculpt awareness of this magic around me in ink, to inflect sound to the soundless, to ask questions, and answer them, if possible. I believe the poem is the pathway to the center of the self, to that which we hold most authentic, rooted, and close. That which we wish to share, inspire, and invite others in to explore and play in.
— Sam Calhoun
Degrees
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B.S. in Geography
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A.A.S. in Computer Information Systems – Programming
Additional graduate-level coursework completed toward a Master of Public Administration (2002–2004) and a Master of Science in Geosciences (2005–2007).
Certificates
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Graduate Certificate: Geospatial and Remote Sensing Technologies
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Graduate Certificate: Spatial Analysis and Management
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Short-Term Certificate: Computer Science Essentials
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Short-Term Certificate: Programming Essentials
| certifications & affiliations |
Center for Outdoor Ethics
Alabama Cooperative Extension System / Auburn University
Alabama Cooperative Extension System / Auburn University
National Weather Service
Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network
View My Precipitation Station| service & leadership |
Conservation & Stewardship
- Volunteer – Wild Alabama
- Former Hike Leader, Volunteer Wilderness Ranger & Forest Ambassador – Wild Alabama / Wild South
- Former Board Member, Hike Leader, & Volunteer – Madison Greenways & Trails Inc.
- Creator & Former Editor – Madison Miles Newsletter for Madison Greenways & Trails Inc.
Regional Advocacy
- Visit North Alabama Ambassador – North Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association
- Featured Contributor – RootsRated
| work featured in |
- Alien Buddha Press
- Almia
- Autumn Moon Haiku Journal
- Black Book Press
- Boats Against The Current
- bottle rockets
- Ceremony Collected
- Cold Moon Journal
- Corvus Review
- Cosmic Daffodils Journal
- dadakuku
- Discretionary Love
- Dishsoap Quarterly
- Do Geese See God
- Dollar Store Magazine
- Down in the Dirt
- Ember
- Erato
- Eunoia Review
- Failed Haiku
- Five Fleas Itchy Poetry
- FreshOut
- Frogpond
- Full Mood Magazine
- Grey Thoughts
- Haikuniverse
- Heart Balm Literary
- Heliosparrow Poetry Journal
- Illogical Muse
- Joyfully Wondrous
- Lights and Shadows
- Litmora
- Livina Press
- Lothlorien Poetry Journal
- Mad Swirl Magazine
- Medusa's Kitchen
- Micromance Magazine
- Oak
- Oddball Magazine
- Offerings
- Otherwise Engaged
- Paddler Press
- Palest Blue Magazine
- Pan Haiku Review
- Partially Shy
- Passionfruit Review
- Persimmon Lit
- Pink Hearts Mag
- Poem Alone
- Poetic Hours
- Poetry As Promised Literary
- Poetry Catalog
- Poetry of the People
- Pregnant Moon Review
- Roi Faineant Literary Press
- smols
- Something Else
- Sophon Lit
- Speedpoets
- Spillwords
- Splizz
- Stark Nights Lit
- Stoat Poetry
- Subliminal Surgery
- Tap Into Poetry
- The Blue Review
- The Field Guide Mag
- The Literary Canteen
- The Magpie's Nest
- The Minison Project
- The Poet's Art
- The Poet's Haven
- The Purple Stallion
- The Wise Owl
- The Woodside Review
- The Zinnia Journal
- Trash to Treasure Lit
- tsuri-dōrō
- Under the Basho
- Waterways
- Westward Quarterly
- Where in the World Lit
- WLRH.com
- Wishbone Words
- WriteNow
- Write On!! Poetry Magazette