Meet Penny
I write the things
we’re told to whisper.
I’m Penny Simmons—a poet who doesn’t flinch, a mother who doesn’t break quietly, a speaker who doesn’t sugarcoat survival.
I speak the things we’re warned to swallow. I turn pain into pages. I turn truth into power.
I started with notebooks. Open mics turned into lifelines. Books turned into mirrors. And the voice turned into something bigger than survival.
I’ve written through mental health storms, toxic love, NICU grief, addiction shadows, single motherhood, and resurrection. Not to be inspirational. But to be honest.
Readers call it “raw.” Stages call it “electric.” I call it necessary.
“I grew a voice
in the dark.”
Cleveland, Ohio—where the grind meets the grit. Writing kept the pieces close enough to rebuild. What began as a voice became Penny Speaks, Penned Down, and Branding Your Artistry: different rooms for the same creative fire.
The work has
left the notebook.
I’m a multi-genre published author, with books sold in multiple local bookstores. I’ve brought my work to Loganberry Author Alley, Black Poets Festival, and Northcoast Indie Author Book Expo.
Next table: Mahoning Valley Book Bazaar · November 7, 2026
The vision, 2026–2030.
More books. More stages. More impact. More women rewriting survival in their own voices.