J. Malaika Beckford-James is a poet/lyricist from Inglewood, California. She is the creator of The Inglewood Poetry Project, a public art project for the city of Inglewood and was named the June Jordan scholar in poetry during the Inaugural Pan African Literary Forum. James has taught poetry and creative writing in schools, and community centers for the past ten years. She also performs under the rap moniker “Eagle Nebula” under which she has released the albums “Cosmic Headphones” and “The Tiger in My Backyard, Poems and Sounds for Inglewood”. A graduate of Howard University, she currently lives in Inglewood with her husband and garden.