Black, gay, feminist, POZ, and working class, Tim'm T. West has embraced all of who he is and, with laser-beam precision, harnessed the power of his truth to illuminate, celebrate, inspire, provoke, and bear witness. As a teacher, performance artist, author, and culture producer, Tim'm has become an exemplar among contemporary Renaissance personalities of the early 21st Century as he brings others to voice through education for critical consciousness. Indeed, that Tim'm has been interviewed by such dizzying array of media outlets from Newsweek to the New York Times is a testament to his importance to the spirit and history of the times as a foundational maverick among black, multi-disciplinary artists. Even a restricted Google' search of just his name yields over 1000 Internet occurrences.

It was in 1999 while still juggling arts and graduate studies at Stanford that Tim'm co-founded Deep Dickollective (DDC). In Spring 2007, DDC released its third, full-length studio and final project, 'On Some Other,' on Sugartruck Recordings. Widely published and anthologized in both academia and the mainstream press, Tim'm occupies a unique position among the provocative voices and critics of the contemporary Hip-Hop landscape. He is featured prominently as one of the critical voices in the acclaimed 2005 Hip Hop documentary, "Pick Up the Mic". Tim'm also appears in Byron Hurt's critically acclaimed Hip Hop documentary 'Beyond Beats and Rhymes.' He will also be appearing in the forthcoming Mario Van Peebles documentary about Black Manhood called "Bring Your "A" Game".

In 2004, Tim'm released "Songs from Red Dirt" on Cellular Records, a musical complement to his first book, 2002's "Red Dirt Revival: a poetic memoir in 6 Breaths." "Flirting", Tim'm West's most recently published (2007) book follows his chapbook, "BARE: notes from a porchdweller" (2005) which chronicles his move from California to DC, his new hopes, and his new loves. In the same year that "Flirting" was published, Tim'm completed his second solo album "Blakkboy Blue(s)" which was met with great critical acclaim. In Fall 2008 and in support of the campaign against CA's Proposition 8, Tim'm created a chapbook "Love In Full Color" that is also available upon request. It contains work not yet published as well as a compilation of work on the subject of loving from the other collections.

The foundation for his work as an Educator and Scholar can be found in the red dirt of Taylor, Arkansas where Tim'm grew up before leaving for Duke University where he completed his BA. From there, he went on to earn an MA in Liberal Studies/Philosophy from the Graduate Faculty of The New School for Social Research in 1998 and another MA in Modern Thought & Literature from Stanford in 2002.

On the secondary level, he served as the Department Chair of English and Creative Writing at the Oakland School of the Arts before relocating to Washington, DC where he taught in the English Department of the Cesar Chavez Public Charter High School for Public Policy. In various capacities, since 1995, Tim'm has also worked for College Summit, Inc. notably as a High School Coordinator in DC in 2006-07 helping to the build capacity of high schools to get more of their students into college. Known for his engaging teaching methods, Tim'm has taught on the post-secondary level as an instructor of Writing Pedagogy classes at Eugene Lang College of The New School (NYC) and as an instructor in Stanford University's first-year Writing and Critical Thinking Program. Continuing his work in academia, Tim'm remains a Visiting Lecturer in Ethnic Studies at Humboldt State University (CA)..

Most recently, Tim'm has been hosting the 'Front Porch' series, a Spoken Word/Hip-Hop/Soul showcase that has been held in DC, Chicago, Oakland, Brooklyn, Atlanta, and at various colleges and universities. He continues to teach, perform, and raise consciousness and looks forward to developing a community of progressive artists and intellectuals in Houston, TX which is where he now resides.

Visit the Press Kit page or download Tim'm West's Artistic Bio [.pdf] and CV/Resume [.pdf].