Imani Sims

I

As a 1st grader, who had just learned the art of “Beginning Middle End,” Imani  wrote a story about a tiny elephant, named Tinka, who felt different because she was smaller than all the other elephants. At the time, Imani had no idea that this short story would go on to be the debut work of a poet. Much later in life, as a high school student, she didn’t know that a pesky moment of curiosity would lead to her first performance poem.  As a nosey little sister, she would regularly bother her older brother as he was doing his homework. On a fateful fall day he taught her to write poetry, and she instantly knew poetry was a great way to alleviate teenage angst around being younger and smaller than everyone else.

Since then, she has developed an infinitely rippling love for poetry in all of its forms.  She believes in the healing power of words and the transformational nuance of the human story.  Imani is the founder of Split Six Productions (splitsix.com), an interdisciplinary art production company that works towards connecting artists and collecting POC stories for production on stage.  As a 2015 Jack Straw Fellow she is working towards transforming her poetry into a collaborative work that will culminate with an album.  Additionally, she is a 2015 Lambda Literary Emerging Writer Fellow, and will be finishing her third manuscript this summer.   Imani lives in Seattle, WA where she continues to share her story and collect the stories of other QWOC.  Her book Twisted Oak is available on Requiem Press and her second collection Beloved:Collision is available via Amazon.