Daaimah Mubashshir and I first met in Houston in the mid-nineties. An always-present friend, we ran in the same circles, worked together as servers at a popular restaurant, and even explored spirituality together as angsty yet passionate twenty-year-olds. More than that, though, Daaimah was (and remains) a tremendous influence on my creative life. She was the first to introduce me to Julia Cameron’s The Aritst Way, a book and practice which inspired me to honor my creativity and musicianhood after many years of being afraid. I am really excited to have her on the podcast this week! Daaimah’s work has been developed by The Bushwick Starr, Going to The River Festival, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Fire This Time Festival, JACK, and Rising Circle Theatre Collective and her awards include a Howard Stein Fellowship Grant, Finalist Prize in the Columbia University/Roundabout Theatre Underground Reading Series and a Leon Levy Grant. Unfortunately, several of the performances mentioned in the podcast have passed at the time of this publishing, but if you are in the NYC area, here are some immediate opportunities to catch her work: January 30th: Playwright’s Playground at the Classical Theater of Harlem. (TONIGHT)January 31st: Not in this Room at HERE Arts Center Photo of Daaimah Mubashshir by Matthew Dunivan. Music:Breathe In Breathe Out feat. Elvy Yost – Ben BrodyDrone Bomb Me – ANOHNI