By Andrew Jackson, Music/Audio Coordinator ∼
Crafty, creative and unique with her poetic abilities, Adia Simone found a variety of ways to express her artistic side during her time at Penn State—through spoken word poetry, music, and poetry written for the page.
Adia Hearns (who goes by Adia Simone in her artistic endeavors) is a 2022 Penn State graduate, the 2019 poetry coordinator for KLIO, and as well a former member of the Penn State organization, Writers Organized to Represent Diverse Stories (W.O.R.D.S.).
Adia Simone performing a piece of spoken word poetry. Credit: Lily LaRegina
During her time with KLIO, Adia wrote and published a feature article about her involvement with W.O.R.D.S, which detailed her experiences partaking in a poetry slam competition. She made soulful music and shared it on her SoundCloud stream, and shared her poetry on her “meridan musings” Instagram account.
Post-graduate, Adia is currently a graduate student at the University of Pittsburgh, seeking a master’s degree in higher education. I had the great pleasure of catching up with Adia Simone through a quick interview. My reasoning for contacting Adia was to get a glimpse of her life now, as well as talk about her involvement with KLIO and W.O.R.D.S.
Andrew Jackson: Can you describe your role and experience with KLIO?
Adia Simone: My experience with KLIO was great! It was cool to see the other side of the writing world in terms of editing. My job was to edit poems grammatically and pick which poems would be a part of the magazine.
AJ: How is life after graduation? What do you miss about being an undergraduate?
AS: It is nice being in graduate school and having more agency in the things you can learn. I am currently studying higher education and college administration. I wouldn’t say I miss anything about undergrad except the proximity to my friends.
Adia Simone posing for her graduate photo Credit: Instagram @diasymoneee
AJ: How is poetry/music still relevant to you today?
AS: Music has gotten me through some of the toughest eras of my life; it truly does have the power to heal. Some of my favorite artists are Lucky Daye, Alex Vaughn, and Joyce Wrice. Poetry’s role in my life has decreased, only because I am so busy with school and work that I don’t have time anymore—I want to make time in the future, though.
AJ: Can you offer some words of inspiration for writers who lack confidence in sharing their creative works?
AS: My words of advice would be to keep going! If you are afraid to share, push yourself to be the person you want to be in five years, imagine it, and then push!
Listen to Adia here:
And there you have it. Where Are They Now? with Adia Simone.
Andrew Jackson is the music/audio coordinator as well as the W.O.R.D.S liaison for KLIO 2023. Jackson is a second-year student majoring in Criminology. He is also a member of W.O.R.D.S, a spoken poetry organization here on campus.