Born in Phoenix, Arizona and nurtured in Washington, DC, Simone Jacobson is a performer and independent curator of artistic talent, projects and programs. She is founding co-director of Sulu DC, a monthly showcase of Asian and Pacific Islander American performing artists in Washington, DC. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in French Language and Literature from the University of Maryland. Her writing has appeared in Beltway Poetry Quarterly and on multiple blogs including The Root, IHM9to5, The Lantern Review and The Couch Sessions. Her project and arts management spans from nurturing independent artists to advising major institutions. She is a proud Burmese-American gypsy who earned her Master of Arts in Arts Management at American University. The current managing editor for Words. Beats. Life: The Global Journal of Hip-Hop Culture, her Master's thesis, "America's Cultural Illiteracy: Is Hip-Hop the Best Tutor?" addressed hip-hop history and culture, cultural diplomacy and the overlap of the two: hip-hop diplomacy. In 2010, she led a group of eight international hip-hop dancers on a four-city U.S. tour (sponsored by the U.S. Department of State) and choreographed and directed their final performance at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Simone's writing interests include: Music, Food, Travel, Performing and Visual Arts, Arts Management, Accessibility to the Arts and Highlighting People of Color in the Arts. PHOTO CREDIT: Les Talusan.