Dara Kalima, also known as The Community Poet, is a Bronx, NY resident who started writing at 9, dedicated herself to the craft at 16, and locked into her voice at 25. She holds both a BA and MA in theater. She is the founder of Black Authors Collaborative and during the pandemic served as vice president of Poetix U, an international home for all poets. She hosts her solo podcast On Behalf Of. Kalima has performed on stages across the tristate area and made her international debut in 2018 when performing in Scotland. She has also performed her poetry Off-Broadway. Kalima explores the concepts of love, equity, and healing all through lived experiences and personal observations. Kalima has studied with Natalie Goldberg since 2019 and has inherited Bobby Gonzalez's Spoken Word 101 Workshops. She also assists Kevin Powell by faciliating his Friday Night Writes monthly writing group. She has authored four independently published books, Black Man, Black Woman, Black Child (2015), Casualty of Love (2017), Two X Chromosomes with an Extra Shot of Melanin (2019) and Still Laughin’ (2021). Connect with her at www.darakalima.com [2] or on Instagram @DaraKalima.