Volume Three: Chapter Fifteen - Our Conversation with Dara Kalima (Part Two)

The Ethically Immoral Podcast

In Volume Three: Chapter Fifteen, we welcomed Poet, Spoken Word Artist, Actress and Author of the Book Still Laughin', Dara Kalima for part two of our conversation. Young Dara, the loud and proud Bronx resident, was introduced to poetry and story writing around the age of nine. She even shared her first short story to her 4th grade class for story hour. But it was at 16 that she started to really acknowledge and honor her artistic inclinations. She became a founding member of a local youth theater and simultaneously started writing poetry on a monthly basis. She obtained her BA in Literature with a concentration in Drama Studies. At 25, after losing her only sister to breast cancer, Dara began honing her craft as poet, exploring life post her profound loss and essentially worked out her grief on pages and stages. She later pursued her MA in Educational Theater and also received her MPA in Nonprofit Administration. Though unofficially studying under Natalie Goldberg for over two decades, Dara officially began being guided by her as of 2019. Dara is inspired by the works of Allen Ginsberg, TS Eliot, Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, Sonia Sanchez, Saul Williams and Staceyann Chin.
Connect with Dara:
IG: @kaliskamera
Website: darakalima.com
Twitter: @kaliskorner
Recorded spoken word performances in this Chapter include:
Crystal Valentine: I am Black before Woman in February
IG: @crystalvalentine94
Twitter: @crysta1valentin
Website: crystalvalentinepoetry.com
Roscoe Burnems: Metaphysics for White Privilege
Twitter: roscoe_is_doug
Website: roscoeb.webs.com
IG: @roscoeburnems
Kira J: Bitter Black Woman
Website: allthingskiraj
IG: @iamkiraj
Twitter: @iamkiraj
Gabriel Ramirez: Whenever I look over my Balcony
Twitter: @ramirezpoet
IG: @remirezpoet
Website: ramirezpoet.com