NAHSHON DION

NAHSHON DION, born April 1, 1978, in Altadena, California, is of African American and Louisiana Creole heritage. He is an award-winning nonfiction writer, teaching artist, independent publisher, community advocate, emerging filmmaker, and longtime entertainment professional. A fourth-generation Altadenan, Dion uses writing, storytelling, and advocacy to combat cultural and historical erasure, preserve collective memory, and amplify underrepresented voices.

Early in life, Dion developed a love for writing and television production after a school drama class trip to a live taping of the sitcom Family Matters. That experience helped inspire a career in entertainment, where he held various positions with Look Hear Sound & Vision Productions, founded by Tupac Shakur’s business partner Tracy Danielle, The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show, Buena Vista Television (Walt Disney), Russell Simmons’ One World Music Beat, Master P’s film Da Last Don, Shauna Garr’s documentary 1 More Hit, and Magic Johnson’s annual Midsummer Night’s Magic All-Star Charity Game.

Dion has also worked as a SAG-AFTRA actor, appearing on screen and in commercials for Chuck E. Cheese and Nintendo, and danced in music videos and performances featuring Diana Krall, Yolanda Adams, and Sheryl Crow.

His publishing experience dates back to 1998, when he assisted publisher and writer Stanley Bennett Clay at SBC Magazine. In 2002, he interned at Trace Magazine during its Black Girls Rock issue.

Dion’s creative and community work is deeply influenced by his life experiences. From a young age, he assisted family members with reading and writing, and as a teenager, worked with developmentally disabled adults through the JTPA summer youth employment program, early experiences that helped shape his commitment to service and advocacy.

In 1991, Dion watched news coverage of Los Angeles police officers violently attacking close family friend Rodney Glen King. The incident and the media frenzy that followed affected him, as did the gun violence prevalent in his community. As a teenager, he turned to writing to process what he witnessed, entering an essay contest sponsored by Discover Card and winning $500.

At nineteen, Dion was shot during a violent, homophobic encounter in Hawthorne. The traumatic incident required years of physical recovery and influenced his writing and advocacy.

In 2013, Dion left Los Angeles for New York, where he focused more deeply on writing and advocacy. A survivor of gun violence, his work explores identity, trauma, memory, resilience, and hope while amplifying marginalized voices. His writing has appeared in The Bronx Memoir Project and Emerge anthologies, Rock the Bells, The Land, Food & Freedom Journal, The Los Angeles Sentinel, Pasadena Weekly, Pasadena Now, and Statement Magazine.

His writing has earned two Bronx Council on the Arts BRIO Awards and a New York State Council on the Arts Individual Artist Award. He is also a Ragdale Fellow and an Intercultural Leadership Institute Fellow.

In 2021, Dion was interviewed for Changes: An Oral History of Tupac (Simon & Schuster) and collaborated with Aim4theHeart, Tracy Robinson, and Leila Steinberg to organize a virtual tribute commemorating Tupac Shakur’s 50th birthday and the 25th anniversary of his passing.

In 2024, with support from the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs and Community Partners, Dion organized the 25th anniversary of Transgender Day of Remembrance to honor victims of transphobia. The City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and California State Senate recognized his contributions to the community.

On January 7, 2025, the Eaton Canyon Wildfire destroyed four of his family’s homes, along with the homes of many friends and former schoolmates. The tragedy struck a deep personal chord, as his sister, Shennea, had died in a Los Angeles fire in February 2005. In the aftermath, Dion became deeply involved in Altadena’s recovery and preservation.

To commemorate the fire’s first anniversary in January 2026, Dion produced Uplifting Our Beloved Altadena at the Altadena Library, bringing together poets, writers, artists, and community leaders to honor the 19 lives lost. Dion continued supporting Altadena’s recovery through advocacy for fire survivors in Sacramento, service on the Eaton Fire Senior Summit planning committee, and volunteer work clearing fire-impacted properties with the Altadena Talks Foundation. He organized and hosted the inaugural “Sweetest People in Altadena” celebration, supported by the Department of Angels and featuring remarks by Congresswoman Judy Chu, and is helping organize the second-anniversary Eaton Fire candlelight vigil. He also serves on the Altadena Earthseed Community Land Trust committee.

Dion’s work also continues in New York. In 2026, he served as a SU-CASA teaching artist in the Bronx. He also works as a grant writer, grants panelist, and awards juror, helping artists, entrepreneurs, and crime victims access funding and resources.
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Dion is currently producing the documentary My Beloved Altadena and writing a memoir of the same name. He is also curator and editor of Our Beloved Altadena: Voices from the Aftermath of the Eaton Canyon Wildfire, Vol. 1, featuring contributions from 65 community members and scheduled for publication in January 2027.