About
Juliet Cutler is an author, educator, and exhibit designer whose work is rooted in the power of storytelling to deepen understanding, illuminate overlooked histories, and connect people across cultures and experiences. As principal of Nomad Studio, she develops interpretive plans and award-winning exhibits for museums, parks, historic sites, and cultural centers throughout the United States and around the world.
Her commitment to storytelling has also shaped her work as the award-winning author of two books focused on Tanzania. Cutler’s relationship with East Africa began in 1999, when she taught at the first secondary school for Maasai girls. That experience led to an enduring relationship with the school, its graduates, and their communities and inspired two books. "Among the Maasai: A Memoir" recounts her experiences living and teaching in Tanzania, while "Lessons in Hope: A New Era for Maasai Women in Tanzania" shares the stories of women who graduated from the school and went on to become educators, healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs, and community leaders. Proceeds from both books support nonprofit programs that provide scholarships for at-risk young women in Tanzania.
"Among the Maasai" received several national and international honors, including an Independent Publisher Book Award, an IBPA Book Award, and a National Indie Excellence Award. Published in 2025, "Lessons in Hope" also received IBPA and National Indie Excellence awards. In 2026, Cutler was named Georgia Author of the Year.
Cutler’s literary and professional publications number more than two dozen. She has taught writing in a range of settings, including as adjunct faculty at the College of St. Scholastica in Minnesota. Selections from "Among the Maasai" have appeared in English and in Dutch translation in the Netherlands. She has participated in an "Orion Magazine" writing workshop, completed a writing residency at La Muse in France, and was named a Serenbe Fellow by the Serenbe Institute for Art, Culture, and the Environment.
Cutler holds an MA in English from Colorado State University and a BS in education from the University of North Dakota.
Featured Work
Lessons in Hope: A New Era for Maasai Women in Tanzania
In this inspiring collection of interviews and portraits, over twenty Maasai women share the ways education has transformed their lives by giving them the tools to overcome poverty and empowering them to make profound differences in their communities.
Through their stories, the women featured in "Lessons in Hope" lay bare the overwhelming challenges many Maasai women and girls continue to face. For some, hunger hovers nearby, only one bad drought away. Many must raise children without running water or electricity. Most struggle to gain a basic education, see a doctor, or earn an income. And too many Maasai girls still endure female genital mutilation, early forced marriages, and other forms of violence.
Yet these remarkable women have overcome the odds. As graduates of the first school for Maasai girls in East Africa, these thriving leaders now hold positions in education, health care, nonprofits, government, and business. Their stories reveal a cadre of Maasai women working toward positive change within their own culture and offering a compelling, optimistic vision for the future.
Proceeds from the sale of this book support education for Maasai girls.
Other Works
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Among the Maasai: A Memoir
2019
Awards and Recognition
- 2026 Georgia Author of the Year
- 2026 IBPA Book Award, Gold Medal in Regional Nonfiction & Silver Medal in Interior Book Design for "Lessons in Hope"
- 2026 National Indie Excellence® Award, Winner in Multicultural Nonfiction for "Lessons in Hope"
- 2026 Independent Publisher Book Award, Gold Medal in Multicultural Nonfiction for "Lessons in Hope"
- 2026 International Book Awards, Finalist in Multicultural Nonfiction for "Lessons in Hope"
- 2026 Georgia Independent Author Association Book Award, Winner in Inspirational Nonfiction for "Lessons in Hope"
- 2020 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award, Gold Medal for Best New Voice (Nonfiction) for "Among the Maasai"
- 2020 Independent Publisher Book Award, Gold Medal in Multicultural Nonfiction for "Among the Maasai"
- 2020 National Indie Excellence® Award, Winner in Multicultural Nonfiction for "Among the Maasai"
- 2020 International Book Awards, Finalist in Narrative Nonfiction and Best New Nonfiction for "Among the Maasai"
- 2020 Eric Hoffer Book Award, Finalist for "Among the Maasai"
- 2020 American Book Fest: Best Book Award, Finalist in Narrative Nonfiction for "Among the Maasai"
- 2019 Living Now Book Award, Bronze Medal in Inspirational Memoir (Female) for "Among the Maasai"
- 2019 Sarton Women’s Book Award, Finalist in Memoir for "Among the Maasai"
- 2019 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year, Finalist in Adult Non-Fiction: Women’s Studies for "Among the Maasai"
- 2019 Chanticleer Journey Book Award for Narrative Non-Fiction, Semi-Finalist for "Among the Maasai"
