Meet Imani Hassan | Author
We had the good fortune of connecting with Imani Hassan and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Imani, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I pursued a career in writing because it was my calling. I had always struggled with verbally expressing myself as a child, but I always found refuge and comfort in libraries, books, and writing. It became my superpower and helped me to express myself in a positive and empowering way.
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My name is Imani Hassan, and I am an author with a primary focus on fiction and poetry centered around the human experience. What makes my art unique, I believe, is that I try to draw inspiration from the world around me by being like a mirror or vessel in a way. I never judge what is reflected back or given to me, I just take it in and use it as a tool to translate the language of the soul whether that be my own or others. I believe as an artist, all you really need is the ability to refine and strip away the layers, barriers, and blockages that hinder your ability to connect with your highest and most authentic expression. Everything else is just a bonus.
I published my debut poetic and short story anthology called Galaxies In Our Backyard, on Amazon and Kindle in 2021 and truthfully, it was not an easy feat getting to that point. The COVID pandemic was still ongoing, there was a lot of internal and external changes that were also taking place in my life like reentering into therapy, and I had a crippling fear of publishing my creative work so, combining these things together made me feel as if self-publishing a book was not in the realm of possibility for me. That was until my inner voice, my consciousness, or something otherworldly whispered in my head “if not now, then when?” and those words echoed in my mind until, I finally sat down at my laptop and just typed. I had no clue about the when, where, or the how, but I did know my why and how vital it felt for my soul to get what was in my heart onto paper. Who would have known that, from that day of publishing my book, that I’d be coming into and manifesting all these exciting opportunities, including this one?
A major lesson that I am learning at this stage in my career is, you don’t have to be recognized with years of experience in order to “get started.” You just need to have the drive to self-start, the motivation to continue with your art even when it gets hard, the ability to go within and get aligned with yourself regularly, and the passion to create a plan and follow through with it. Writing is everything, and I am blessed that I have been able to craft my life in a way where I am true to my calling and purpose.
What I want the world to know about my story is that it’s never about how you start out in life or about what has happened to you, but it’s about the journey of getting away from who you feel you should be and realizing, accepting, and embodying who you always were. All of us will have the same fate in the end but not everyone will have that feeling of reaching the finish line, knowing that book ending, or climbing that mountain peak so, make it all count. Do the thing that scares you most because in that fear, lies your greatest key.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am vegan so, I would take them to some of my favorite vegan spots in Ann Arbor like Detroit Filling Station for breakfast/brunch, Bobcat Bonnie’s for lunch, and Seva’s for dinner and drinks. We would spend a day or so in Ann Arbor then a day or so in Detroit. We would stop by the TEN Nail Bar in downtown Detroit for a luxury nail experience (including drinks served at your service), check out an interesting exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, grab some food at Unburger or Frita Batidos for the best fries and Cuban food, and then cap off a chill night with candle making at Wicksup Candle Co. I would definitely include a spa treatment at either K. West Skin Body and Spirit or the Woodhouse spa. Some bar stops would be the Blue Llama Jazz Club, Baker’s keyboard Lounge, Alley Bar, the Last Word, Babs’ Underground, and Bad Luck Bar.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to shoutout my poetic and short story anthology, Galaxies In Our Backyard, which is currently available on Amazon and Amazon Kindle. This book was an intensive process but nonetheless, was a labor of love that I would do over again in a heartbeat. I would also like to shoutout my amazing family and supporters who have been keeping up with me and supporting my work. Thank you so much for everything!
Website: www.writingsbymani.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/writingsbymani/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/writingsbymani
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