Biography

"Thank you for what Wits End poetry and you, personally, bring to area students and teachers through your passion for the written and spoken expression of poetry."

- Ellen Westkaemper
VP of Education and Outreach, The Peace Center

"Her ability to teach matches her incredible talent as a performance poet, and she passes her enthusiasm for poetry along to the students."

- Emily K. Sweezey
Arts Education Coordinator, Metropolitan Arts Council

"Kimberly possesses a unique ability to build relationships with students, and she encourages them to stretch beyond their comfort zone and tap into their personal feelings."

- Debbie Sanders
7th grade teacher

"Kimberly Simms not only commands the space and the room, but you get the idea that if she had a flaming hoop, many in the audience would line up to jump through it . . . "

-James Shannon
Editor, Metrobeat

Kimberly Jane Simms is a certified teacher, poet, performer, and organizer.

KJ is available to come to feature at your poetry event, conference, or workshop as a member of the South Carolina Artist Roster, MAC Roster, Asheville Area Arts Roster, and The SC Humanities Council's Speakers Bureau!

Kimberly @ witsendpoetry.com.

Kimberly Simms is the director of Wits End Poetry, a non-profit charity in Greenville, SC whose mission is to advocate and promote the art of poetry. She has appeared on stage with renowned poets and performers such as Marc Smith, the Libertines, Ron Rash, Roddy Lumsden, and Jeff McDaniel.

She is on the Humanities Out Loud Speaker's Bureau and is a teaching artist on the rosters of the South Carolina Arts Commission, Asheville Area Arts Council, and Metropolitan Arts Council. She is the former Literary Chair on the Board of Directors for the Travelers Rest Arts Mission.

Kimberly Simms's poetry has been published in anthologies, journals, and online. Fifteen of her poems appear in the new book from 96 Press, Quintet. She has been published in the Asheville Poetry Review, Eclipse, Plains Song Review and the Millennium Sampler of SC Poetry. You can see her poems online at the Absinthe Literary Review, The Writ, and The Dead Mule. She has been published in the anthologies Growing Up Girl, In The Yard, Kakalak 2006, From the Page to the Stage from Wordsmith Press, as well as AIM Magazine, The Illustrated Ape Magazine, Echo, and Rising Zine.

Known to many students, as Ms. KJ, Kimberly Jane Simms worked as a teaching artist in schools across the state, particularly with the Metropolitan Arts Council's SMART Arts project. Kimberly Simms currently works as a seventh grade ELA teacher in the Greenville County School System.

In Spring 2006, Kimberly received her Master of Arts in English from Clemson University. While at Clemson, she taught two composition classes and worked for the South Carolina Review.

As an organizer of poetry events, Kimberly organized and hosted the first annual 2004 individual World Poetry Slam in partnership with Poetry Slam Inc. (poetryslam.com). In April 2004, Kimberly was elected as a member of the Executive Council of Poetry Slam Inc.

While living in London for three years, Kimberly showcased in venues such as the ICA, Apples & Snakes, and Shortfuse.

Stateside she has appeared at Furman University, Clemson University, Presbyterian College, Cliterati, and Wordphoria, as well as the Hub City Writers Series, Emrys Reading Room, Sumter Opera House, and Ladyfest South 2002 Festival, Atlanta, GA. She received the 1997 LD Johnson Award in Creative Writing, while earning her BA in English at Furman University.

Email Kimberly at kimberly@witsendpoetry.com