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Tamu Smith

Tamu Smith is the co-founder of the blog Sistas in Zion. She is a freelance writer and film producer. Her most recent projects include the book Can I Get an Amen? Celebrating the Lord in Everyday Life, formerly known as Diary of Two Mad Black Mormons, as well as the Jane and Emma movie, in which she and her Sistas in Zion cohort (and partner in crime) Zandra Vranes helped write and produce alongside seasoned writer Melissa L. Larson. While she enjoys participating in the type of tongue-in-cheek humor found her website sistasinzion.com, Tamu finds true fulfillment in looking beyond the surface and "celebrating the Lord in her everyday life." Tamu is ever known as a "busy body," she finds a way to squeeze every second out of every hour daily. She feels fortunate to have the type of husband who supports her “crazy." It is because of his enduring support she's able to wear the many hats she wears: writer, actress, committee member, activist, teacher, wife, mother, and her favorite to date, Ya-Ya (grandma). Tamu resides in Provo, Utah, with her husband, Keith, and a few good kids.

December 03, 2016 05:00 AM MST
I do not come from money. I come from whatever the opposite of money is. My siblings and I joke with our parents that we are in a first world country living a third world life. Coming from humble means has made me a lot of who I am today, and it makes me grateful for even the smallest of things. But when I was younger, I didn’t have such an appreciation for my family’s meagerness. We were blessed because a lot of people served us and showed kindness, but there are experiences I have had that make it hard for me to accept service. I had a love-hate relationship with the Christmas season when I was younger. I loved focusing on the birth of the Savior, seeing the lights and all the festivity, but Christmastime was always a reminder of how poor I was and of what would not be under my family’s tree.
5 Min Read
August 31, 2016 09:00 AM MDT
Dear Diary,
6 Min Read
By  Tamu Smith
April 27, 2016 09:00 AM MDT
“Excuse me. Can you spare any change?”
2 Min Read
By  Tamu Smith
March 24, 2016 09:00 AM MDT
Usually we don’t write in our diaries one day and then read what we wrote the next. Some time usually elapses between when we record and when we look back. But we should evaluate our lives regularly and be performing spiritual background checks on ourselves.
2 Min Read