Rising women poets in New Orleans: Sharita A. Sims

 

 

 

In her own words, Sharita Sims is “a gypsy, a spirit scribe, and a revolutionary” who is socially a “writer, doula, and visionary” in the creative work that she does.  Her family’s history in New Orleans is extensive.  She describes poetry as a healing outlet and her savior.

 

Of my Own Throne

“There’s nothing

you can take from me

that I didn’t give

So gather your ego

then let me live,

and even if you don’t,

I’ll be me still

 

Accept that my life

is not here

for your consumption

or your pleasure,

your entertainment

or your treasure

 

I am gold of my own

I am

on my own throne”

………..

 

Nolan: Who are you?  How would you describe yourself to someone coming across your work for the first time?

Sharita: I am a gypsy, a spirit scribe, and a revolutionary devoted to building a Utopia of kinship. My expressive skill of writing is greatly motivated by the spirit that moves through me to convey divine messages of introspective consciousness. More socially, I am a writer, doula, and visionary in photography and film direction.

Nolan: When did you first start writing poetry and what’s your goal in doing so?

Sharita: In retrospect, my first journal of poetry was dedicated to healing. I didn’t know that I was healing at the time yet I did know that I was in a dark and confusing place and that the only way through it seemed to flow from the pen onto the pages. I wrote this poetry in high school, at 16 years old. Seeking clarity from a fallen romantic illusion, every day after school, poetry was my savior. I disconnected from the ritual of writing poetry for some years until my sophomore year in college where I needed the same outlet of healing, yet this time, knowing more confidently that I would find refuge in my writing. Then I began my professional journey and in February 2017, releasing my first book of poetry and reflections, Vacuum Reality.

Nolan: What is your connection to New Orleans?  What does it mean to you and how does living here effect your poetry?

Sharita: My lineage has been nestled in New Orleans for a very long time, both maternal and paternal. I am my family’s sunflower from the concrete, with roots in Central City I always felt the spotlight on me from my community. My elders, peers, and community kindred would always treat me in such a respected way that further lead me on the path of introspective consciousness and to be in that space and shine from it.

Living in New Orleans, where everything is magic, both dark and light, and where the people tell stories while the colors reflect them, I’ve had a journey of unique observation growing up in the ghetto with Montessori education and Baptist church influence. My experience with New Orleans has always felt that New Orleans herself chose me as one of her special children to be and share the essence of New Orleans through my eyes, mind, and words.

Nolan: What unique challenges or circumstances have you faced being a woman in a field that has been historically (unjustly) dominated by men?  How have you overcome these hurdles and how does this come through in your work?

Sharita: Perhaps because I’m a newly professional artist, no challenges resonate with me in a way that felt discriminatory because I am a woman. Again, I am a gypsy. Much of my creative process is on my own back and from my own will. I don’t involve very many people into what I present to the world and how I do so.

Also, I was raised by many matriarchs. My personal experience with patriarchy is different from many women in my community. I’ve always known the women in my world to be more dominant and keeping the order so I walk in the path that was set up for me to shine not because I am a woman but especially because I am a woman.

The struggles of relationships between myself and men conveyed through my literature are due to me embarking on a path of romance that I didn’t witness growing up. The matriarchs that I speak of were more focused on getting done what needed to be done and there weren’t many men around for them to show me examples of intimacy.

Nolan: What are your goals with both your poetry and your live overall moving forward?

Sharita: My creative goals for both my written and spoken poetry are to continue inspiring introspective consciousness, fearless feeling, cultural shifting, self-healing, and to build a Utopia of kinship through literature. Professionally, I will continue publishing books, making appearances, and expanding my words and visions through cinema.

My passion for storytelling flows from poetry to history, to cinema, to music, and movement. My motivation for creating a legacy and life where this all thrives together is because I accept the magic within the being of a black, woman, wordsmith, from New Orleans.

Build with me, at thebrowngypsy.com