Future Sponsor
Future Sponsor
southwest mississippi multiplex
For Early Innovative Intervention Studies
Literacy Across the Community
Don't miss our annual celebration of literary arts and oral lore.
artist-in-residence
Meet Maleah Dawn, Our Summer 2022 Artist-In-Residence
Bio
Maleah DAWN is a singer-songwriter, college student, and self-proclaimed oatmeal aficionado. Hailing from the birthplace of American music, Mississippi, she creates R&B, Soul, and Pop songs about insecurities, pursuing purpose, and growing into who she’s meant to be. With hints of Hip Hop in her style, Maleah DAWN found inspiration in artists like Lauryn Hill, Aaliyah, and Floetry, and the modern likes of SZA, H.E.R, and Alex Isley.
Her voice carries a softness and power that penetrates the soul. Whether she is speaking or singing, Maleah DAWN has a vulnerability flowing through her every time she steps onto the stage. One of her most memorable performances is opening at Jackson State University’s Homecoming Concert for Lil Durk and Flo Milli in October 2021. Recently, Maleah has performed at McComb School District’s Arts Alive Fest, Jackson State U’s THEE I Love Bash, and Third Coast Radio’s The Kickback; additionally, she’s interviewed with Vocalo Radio (Chicago) after her single, IN MY HOME was aired on their 91.1 station.
Join her on this musical journey by connecting with @maleahofthedawn on socials & look out for upcoming music and collaborations from the songstress.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maleahofthedawn/?hl=en
Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@maleahofthedawnn
Twitter: https://twitter.com/maleahofthedawn
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maleahofthedawn/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxp8AzV09wuhXocRE_FPoUA
Read the Vocalo Radio Interview:
https://vocalo.org/maleah-dawn-feature/
Watch Maleah DAWN’s Performances:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5eENg5Ns5GEt6-oIsbJbZa5XChlNBHse
BookSong: "Do you see the clouds?" By Maleah Dawn
BOOKSONGS are an educational resource for elementary teachers and learners. We take educational texts/ literature and make the information/ stories appealing to the youthful ear. In this BookSong, Maleah Dawn makes a musical adaptation of the children's book, "Cloud Dance", by Thomas Locker.
BookSong: "I am water" By Maleah Dawn
BOOKSONGS are an educational resource for elementary teachers and learners. We take educational texts/ literature and make the information/ stories appealing to the youthful ear. In this BookSong, Maleah Dawn makes a musical adaptation of the children's book, "Water Dance", by Thomas Locker.
community
A place with resources is a place for growth.
Professional Development
Stay tuned.
Building and strengthening the skills of our community is a pressing priority. We offer training in the areas of artistic practice, racial equity, justice and human rights, innovative entrepreneurship, technology-based learning, and organization-building or "writing the vision".
Community Connections
2021 Health Equity Series: Grief and Trauma-Related Coping Responses among Black Families and Communities with Aspen Hardges, LCSW
Grief and loss are universal human experiences, but how unique are Black people's grief-producing experiences? Do the often negative or traumatic ways in which Black people experience loss create unique mental health and wellness issues? In this health equity program, SMMEIIS explores grief from the lens of coping with the loss of people to the loss of safety in instances of racial injustice.
The Creative Camp
Coming Up: June 2022
Young visionaries who participate in our summer program grasp concepts in STEAM, idea/gift development, creative/critical thinking, innovative leadership, and social entrepreneurship by way of creative play, team-building, and project-based learning.
Sankofa Dialogues
Through interviews/conversations/panel discussions, our elders share their experiences about growing up in the south and how past race relations have shaped our present socio-political/educational views. Dialogues are recorded and made available to the public via podcast.
- meet the executive-artistic director
Clinnesha Dillon Sibley, a native of McComb, Mississippi, is a published author, community leader, and educator. She promotes creative-mindedness—believing that visual, performing, and literary arts can change the way we think about some of life’s most important questions.
A writer of plays, poetry, essays, and prose/fiction, Clinnesha has received numerous awards including the Holland New Voices Award, the Arkansas Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship, and the Mississippi Theatre Association Adult Playwriting Award. Her writing has also appeared in national literary journals, anthologies, and various publications and anthologies. She is also on the Mississippi Humanities Council Speaker's Bureau.
Clinnesha received her B.A. at Tougaloo College in Jackson, Mississippi, where she was a 2003 initiate into the Gamma Psi Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and was the 2005-2006 Miss Tougaloo College. She received her M.F.A. (Master of Fine Arts Degree) from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. As both a student and an Assistant Professor at the U of A, Clinnesha was a diversity champion and a key woman educator in the arts. She proudly served the College of Charleston in South Carolina as an Assistant Professor of Playwriting where her mission was to empower students to cultivate their unique voice and write fearlessly, without limits. After teaching at the college/university level for seven years, she moved into secondary residential education. She has taught at The Historic Piney Woods School and is currently the Literary Arts Instructor at Mississippi School of the Arts.
Clinnesha was selected as one of twenty-four "change-makers" across the United States for the 2017-2018 National Arts Strategies Creative Communities Fellow Program. This program was her springboard into the non-profit sector and social entrepreneurship. A 2019 recipient of a “Rise Grant” from Women on the Rise Network and a 2020 recipient of the Arts Institute of Mississippi (AIM) Award, Clinnesha is a literary artist who believes .in order to reach total fulfillment, one must "replace [their] pursuit of success with the pursuit of contribution".
She is married to her high school sweetheart, Keith Sibley, and they have three children: Kaylee, Karlee, and Keith Jr.