Nationally acclaimed cultural critic and award-winning journalist Anita M. Samuels found her voice while working in the style department of The New York Times. She noticed a void in the number of positive articles about African-Americans and decided that she wanted to write articles for the newspaper to help generate pride among her race.

In 1991, her first story about Brooklyn-based textile artist Xenobia Bailey appeared in the style section of the Sunday Times. The next year Samuels won an award from the National Association of Black Journalists for feature stories on topics including Afrocentric fashions, natural hairstyles for black women and student fashion. She also garnered attention for a business report on the bankruptcy of megastar girl group TLC.

After leaving The Times, she worked as an assistant editor for BET Weekend, which at the time was the second largest magazine targeted to African-Americans with a circulation of 1.3 million circulation. In 1998, she became the rhythm and blues editor at Billboard. Next, she joined Vanguarde Media Group as associate editor of Impact!, a monthly music and lifestyle magazine, and then as managing editor for Impact!Weekly, a radio and retail trade magazine. She also worked as a senior editor for Heart & Soul, a health and fitness magazine.

As a freelance journalist, Samuels has written exclusive, front-page articles for the New York Daily News. Her work has appeared in Consumers Digest, Global Rhythm, The Asbury Park Press, Upscale, Honey, CODE, Caribbeat Monthly and the National Forum for Black Public Administrators’ Forum magazine.

She was also a contributing writer for Mama’s Little Baby: The Black Woman’s Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth and Baby’s First Year. Samuels lives in Brooklyn, New York.