Ames (Amanda Meeks) is a death doula, interdisciplinary artist, teaching librarian, and community archivist living in Tucson, AZ. As a doula, they are committed to building compassionate, creative spaces for exploring death, dying, and grief. In addition to offering individual and community-based doula support, their own creative work centers around themes of love, grief, and feminist care through zines, book arts, and participatory experiences that invite reflection. Their values-based practice is shaped by their training with Going with Grace and certification through the National End-of-Life Doula Association. Ames is a queer, non-binary femme; LGBTQ+ affirming end-of-life care and advocacy is central to their work as a doula.

Ames currently serves as the co-director for the Arizona Queer Archives, teaches an advanced archives course at the University of Arizona, and most recently worked at a non-profit where they empowered people to create and preserve meaningful digital legacies, designed and facilitated educational programming, and strengthened a community archives granting program. Prior to this work, she was an academic arts and humanities librarian, where they were known for critical, creative, and innovative library instruction and outreach initiatives.

Zines and artists’ books have been an important part of Ames’ creative and teaching practice for over 20 years. Since moving to Tucson, Ames launched a social art practice project and zine bike called Outspokin’ & Bookish, which has been running since early 2020, bringing zines and zine-making activities to community events such as Cyclovia and art markets. In the Summer 2025, they gifted the zine bike to the UofA Poetry Center, which will run their own program using the bike later this year. Ames has also facilitated many collaborative zine projects and led dozens of in-person and virtual zine workshops for all ages in Tucson and beyond.