Alia Mariah Watkins was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She believes that her family and the city's rich culture in art, music, and entertainment inspired many of her extra-curricular activities and talents throughout her life. Her love for language, writing, and people ultimately led her to Savannah, Georgia to study at Armstrong State University. On September 25, 2011, her mother, Ava Clarissa Battiste-Watkins, suffered an untimely death. Despite her struggles with the loss, she returned to the university to continue her education and honor her mother. She published several works, including writing various articles for the Armstrong Magazine and edited for Calliope, a collection of art and literature created by the Armstrong community. In 2014, she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. majoring in English-Communications and minoring in Spanish. She returned to Atlanta to assist her late mother's parents and discovered that she wanted to revisit some of her childhood dreams, including acting, modeling, and writing. She recently was accepted into Full Sail University to obtain her MFA in Creative Writing, and her expected graduation date is October 2018. Her first book, Reflections of a Twenty Something, depicts both the trials and triumphs we all experience in life through a series of poems. Through her writing, she hopes to not only relate but encourage her readers to persevere and grow despite the difficult times. "I am beginning to see that I am a vessel because someone has to be able to rationalize life into words." - Mariah
