Biography
Nahshon Dion Anderson aka K.I.N.A Born April 1, 1978 in Altadena, California, is an Afro-Latin American, and French Creole Trans woman. As a pre-teen, she was her family’s scribe and lector, both reading and writing for her illiterate grandfather, blind grandmother, and dyslexic mother. Raised in a cult, a career in the arts wasn’t encouraged. But inspiration appeared in Nahshon’s life at the age of 13. While attending the John Marshall JHS, the drama class arranged field trips to see a classmate working on a show called Family Matters. Steve Urkel was brought to life by actor Jaleel White. Nahshon discovered it was the behind-the-scenes activities of crew members that intrigued her the most.
During 1992, Nahshon's improbable career trajectory began after family friend Rodney Glen King was beaten by the LAPD and the aftermath played out in Nahshon’s driveway and front lawn. She then entered a Discovery Card-sponsored contest about community improvement. Her essay won $500, and she used the funds for a trip to NYC in 1993. She met Tupac Shakur at her senior prom in 1996, when he escorted a classmate to the event. Nahshon’s conversation with him focused on opportunities in TV and video production. Tupac suggested she should speak with the co-founder and President of his company Look Hear Sound & Vision that was producing his music videos at that time. Following her graduation, she secured a summer internship with Tracy Danielle Robinson of Look Hear Sound & Vision productions. That September, she enrolled at California State University Los Angeles.
During college, Nahshon worked as an extra on Moesha and The Steve Harvey Show. In 1997, she became a production assistant on Master P’s film Da Last Don and a late-night comedic production, The Keenan Ivory Wayans Show. In 1998 she worked as the production coordinator for Russell Simmons' One World Music Beat. In 2007, Nahshon was the production coordinator on the documentary 1 More Hit, about rapper J. Swift's descent into drug abuse and recovery.
During 2012, she relocated to New York, and began taking several writing workshops. In 2014, Nahshon received a Bronx Recognizes Its Own Award (BRIO) from the Bronx Council on the Arts’, for an excerpt of her memoir Shooting Range. It details an assault she survived as a teen in July of 1997.
She is also a former member of the Individual Artists Advisory Panel for the New York State Council on the Arts (2016-2018). And a BCA SUCASA artist in residence, were she facilitated a creative writing workshop for senior citizens. Her writing appears in several anthologies and literary journals and she’s a monthly contributing writer for Lambda Literary Review. During Spring of 2018, Nahshon interviewed former John Muir alumni Professor Jeffrey C. Stewart, for Lambda Literary for his Pulitzer prize 944-page book "The New Negro" on Alain Locke. “May some of the blessings of these remarkable two years open a bright light on your creative work, so that the powers that be will see its true value and brilliance.” Professor Jeffrey C. Stewart. Nahshon is currently developing a documentary, based on her literary journey of over a decade regarding arts and cultural institutions and individuals that have supported her since 1996.
During 1992, Nahshon's improbable career trajectory began after family friend Rodney Glen King was beaten by the LAPD and the aftermath played out in Nahshon’s driveway and front lawn. She then entered a Discovery Card-sponsored contest about community improvement. Her essay won $500, and she used the funds for a trip to NYC in 1993. She met Tupac Shakur at her senior prom in 1996, when he escorted a classmate to the event. Nahshon’s conversation with him focused on opportunities in TV and video production. Tupac suggested she should speak with the co-founder and President of his company Look Hear Sound & Vision that was producing his music videos at that time. Following her graduation, she secured a summer internship with Tracy Danielle Robinson of Look Hear Sound & Vision productions. That September, she enrolled at California State University Los Angeles.
During college, Nahshon worked as an extra on Moesha and The Steve Harvey Show. In 1997, she became a production assistant on Master P’s film Da Last Don and a late-night comedic production, The Keenan Ivory Wayans Show. In 1998 she worked as the production coordinator for Russell Simmons' One World Music Beat. In 2007, Nahshon was the production coordinator on the documentary 1 More Hit, about rapper J. Swift's descent into drug abuse and recovery.
During 2012, she relocated to New York, and began taking several writing workshops. In 2014, Nahshon received a Bronx Recognizes Its Own Award (BRIO) from the Bronx Council on the Arts’, for an excerpt of her memoir Shooting Range. It details an assault she survived as a teen in July of 1997.
She is also a former member of the Individual Artists Advisory Panel for the New York State Council on the Arts (2016-2018). And a BCA SUCASA artist in residence, were she facilitated a creative writing workshop for senior citizens. Her writing appears in several anthologies and literary journals and she’s a monthly contributing writer for Lambda Literary Review. During Spring of 2018, Nahshon interviewed former John Muir alumni Professor Jeffrey C. Stewart, for Lambda Literary for his Pulitzer prize 944-page book "The New Negro" on Alain Locke. “May some of the blessings of these remarkable two years open a bright light on your creative work, so that the powers that be will see its true value and brilliance.” Professor Jeffrey C. Stewart. Nahshon is currently developing a documentary, based on her literary journey of over a decade regarding arts and cultural institutions and individuals that have supported her since 1996.