TueNight 10: Renee Simms

By TueNight Crew

(At Wright Park in Tacoma, WA)

Age: Old enough to know ageism is a thing.

Basic bio: Originally from Detroit, Renee is a novelist, lawyer, and professor interested in Black women’s fiction, the intersections of law and literature. Her writing has appeared in Literary Hub, The Rumpus, Salon and elsewhere. She is a 2018 National Endowment for the Arts creative writing fellow, and her debut story collection Meet Behind Mars, was published in 2018.

Beyond the bio:  I have zero fucks left to give! Yay!! That’s what I Iove most about being over 40.

What makes you a grown-ass lady? Many things about my life make me a grown-ass lady, but what I cherish most includes a wicked sense of humor, great friends who live in interesting places, and having smart, kind, and grown children who can care for themselves.

1. On the nightstand: An unfinished glass of wine and Passing by Nella Larsen.

2. Can’t stop/won’t stop: Loving my beloveds.

3. Jam of the minute: WAP.

4. Thing I miss: Living among Black people.

5. ’80s crush: Prince.

6. Current crush: Arthur Jafa.

7. Latest fave find: Timberland sneaks and Quay eyewear.

8. Last thing I lost: My cool.

9. Best thing that happened recently: Receiving a playlist based on my story collection as a “thank you” from Willamette students.10. Looking forward to: The last piece of my Trader Joe’s Chantilly Cream Vanilla Bean cake.

Originally Published October 22, 2020. Updated April 2, 2021.