Akil Smith was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, and has lived in various different cities, from Frankfurt, Germany, to Montréal, Canada. He grew up in a geek-filled family of comic book and sci-fi fans. Growing up he watched and read anime and manga, had a passion for art and poetry, and took up both expressive forms. What began his writing career was the support of his parents, the push coming from his mother. From time to time he would tell her about his dreams of the characters and events he would see. She would tell him to write them down so that he wouldn’t forget. Those tales are being told now, Alam Beginnings is the first of many. To stay in touch with Akil you can follow him on Instagram @ao.smithofficial and YouTube as “That Writer Akil.”