Amaya Sunn’s Ethiopian and Eritrean heritage growing up in Harlem inspired her Amazon Bestseller “Things Unsaid.” A body of work broken down into five chapters – each its own world – each its own story, the book debut # 1 on Amazon’s New Releases in African Poetry. Born in Addis, Ethiopia, Amaya immigrated with her mother and sister to New York City amid the country’s most violent and longest civil war. Harlem became the family’s new home where Amaya’s cultural practices and the community’s rich history ignited her self-expression through writing. Penning her first poem at age ten, Amaya credits discovering her love for writing as life-changing. It gave her the outlet she desperately needed to exercise her voice. As a teenager, her high school’s poetry club involvement participating in various youth competitions throughout the city at venues such as Watley High School and the legendary Nuyorican Poets Café reinforced her passion. Amaya went on to attend Wesleyan University where she earned a Bachelor in Sociology. It was there she further cultivated her craft and growth as an artist, continuing to write and perform at showcases and campus-wide events. After college she began a career in youth development education running arts-based programs and developing curriculum for black and brown youth. As an educator, Amaya focuses on creating methods of teaching and empowering young people through mediums of theatre and creative writing. She has worked with numerous non-profit organizations such as Kids Creative, Children of Promise NYC and the Brotherhood Sister Sol to bring forth innovative ways to inspire and teach life skills to the next generation of youth. Drawing from her journey as a black woman, immigrant, and mother who has experienced love and loss, “Things Unsaid” represents our fears, our demons and the things that hold us back when we don’t use our voice to set us free. Amaya conveys these messages from a deep and personal place of cutting vulnerability vividly illustrating the many facets of humanness. “My Eritrean and Ethiopian heritage fused with growing up in Harlem influenced me as an artist and educator. Having such a strong history and culture gives me a sense of confidence and pride that runs through my artistic work” Amaya shares. Readers will feel inspired, challenged and moved as “Things Unsaid” sheds light on injustices and raises consciousness so that people can be social change makers in their lives. The “Things Unsaid” tour kicks off this month in New York City with performances at the iconic Langston Hughes House, Columbia University and several other venues.
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