Samīra al-Māni' was born in Basra and received a BA in Arabic literature from the University of Baghdad. She moved to London in 1965 and earned a diploma in library science from Ealing Technical College there in 1976.

In 1985, she co-founded al-Ightirab al-adabi (Arabic: الإغتراب الأدبي, al-ʾiġtirāb al-ʾadabī, Literature in Exile), a literary journal for Iraqi exiles. She participated in the International Writing Program at Iowa University in 1990. In that same year, she also attended the International Festival of Authors in Toronto. Her short stories have been translated into English and Dutch.

Her work often depicts Arab women attempting to adapt to life in other countries.