Saba Sams

Saba Spiral Sams (born 24 April 1996) is an English writer. Her debut short story collection Send Nudes won the Edge Hill Prize. This was followed by her debut novel Gunk (2025).

Early life and education Sams grew up in Brighton. Her parents divorced, when she was 11. She went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from the University of Manchester and a Master of Arts (MA) from Birkbeck, University of London, both in Creative Writing.

Career At age 22, Sams was offered her first book deal with Bloomsbury Publishing, through which her debut short story collection titled Send Nudes was published in 2022. Send Nudes won the Edge Hill Prize. One of the stories in the book "Blue 4eva" won the 2022 BBC National Short Story Award. Her writing has also appeared in outlets such as Granta, The Stinging Fly, and The White Review. Sams appeared on the Granta Best Young British Novelists list in 2023, the youngest on the list.

In 2025, Sams published her debut novel Gunk via the Bloomsbury Circus imprint. The novel follows club manager Jules, her ex-husband Leon, and a young club employee Nim as Jules steps in to support Nim through her pregnancy. Sams felt compelled to write based on her interest in "notraditional families",

Personal life Sams lives in Bethnal Green, East London. She has three sons, the first born when she was 22 years old.