Bend to It

Kevin Simmonds is a writer and musician originally from New Orleans. His books include Mad for Meat (Salmon Poetry) and Ota Benga Under my Mother's Roof (University of South Carolina). He edited Collective Brightness: LGBTIQ Poets on Faith, Religion & Spirituality (Sibling Rivalry Press). He has composed numerous musical works for voice and chamber ensemble, as well as for stage productions such as Emmett Till, and the Emmy Award-winning documentary HOPE: Living and Loving with HIV in Jamaica. A recipient of fellowships and commissions from Cave Canem, Creative Work Fund, Fulbright, the Pulitzer Center, San Francisco Arts Commission, and the Edward Stanley Award from Prairie Schooner, he divides his time between Japan and San Francisco.