SoundBites NYC

DASHA KELLY

an eloquent and accomplished writer who is able to unfold the spoken word into a variety of precision tools: as a performer, lecturer, or instructor. Dasha is a nationally-respected advocate for writers and the art of spoken word. Locally, she is founder and director of Still Waters Collective, an outreach initiative utilizing creative writing as tool to build new models of leadership and empowerment. Kelly's brand of training and development has been widely requested: colleges, K-12, correctional institutions, non-profit groups, corporate teams, artists and arts organizations. In addition, Dasha works to broker professional development and performance opportunities for local artists and writers.

In her own craft, Dasha is an accomplished writer, a seasoned performer and engaging public speaker: She has written for magazines such as Upscale, Black Enterprise and Milwaukee; her narrative essays appear regularly online, to include OnMilwaukee.com; her 2003 novel, All Fall Down, earned her a place in Written Word Magazine as one of the Top Ten Up-and-Coming Writers of the Midwest; she performed on the season six premiere of HBO presents Russell Simmons' Def Poetry Jam; her commissioned one-woman show, Anthems for Grown Folks, is being developed into a traveling production; and she works extensively as a keynote and motivational speaker. Dasha is presently working on a second novel and a collection of essays. Milwaukee-born, Dasha is a self-described "Army brat," living with her family in various locales around the world. She now resides in Milwaukee with her two daughters