Today we’d like to introduce you to Nerra Muhammad.
Hi Nerra, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Talk about a heavy ask right out of the gate—where did I start? As far back as I can remember, I was always somewhere writing poetry, drawing, or completely lost inside a book. My creative journey truly began in the 8th grade when I started pouring my heart into my diary, writing poems that became my first form of self-expression. By 12th grade, a classmate shared my poetry with the entire school—without my permission. I was mortified… until I started hearing things like, “Yo, your poetry is so dope! You should publish it one day!” That moment planted a seed.
Years later, I turned that same diary into my first self-published book, Rebel Rebel, and from there, everything blossomed. I began painting—large, four-foot canvases full of bold color and meaning—and had the opportunity to show and sell my art across Baltimore and to women from across the country at the Women’s March. At the same time, I became active in the fight for social justice, speaking out against police violence, gun violence, and systemic neglect in urban communities. My activism gave me the honor of working alongside leaders like Tamika Mallory, Tarana Burke, Farajii Muhammad, and Pastor Jamal Bryant.
All of this energy birthed I Call Her Queen LLC, a creative platform through which I sold art and books, launched an etiquette program for young girls called Queens in Training High Society, co-hosted on WEAA 88.9FM, and started my own podcast, Queen Talks with Nerra. I’ve guested on countless shows, but at my core, I’ve always been a storyteller—one driven by love, truth, and a desire to create meaningful art that reflects real people.
In 2023, I made a leap of faith and moved to Los Angeles to pursue my lifelong dream of becoming a filmmaker. I was accepted into the MFA program at Mount Saint Mary’s University, where I’ve studied directing and was chosen to helm our budgeted, student-led short film, shot in November 2024.
I’m currently directing my most personal and ambitious project yet: Love and the Gender War, a thought-provoking docuseries that follows my journey as a newly single woman—and mother—exploring how gender shapes love and relationships today. Part documentary, part reality, and wholly emotional, the series is a mirror held up not just to me, but to all of us searching for connection, clarity, and healing.
Stay tuned—this is just the beginning.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Has it been easy?
(Laughs in Disney villain)
Absolutely, unequivocally NOT.
From financial struggles, marital heartbreak, and the stress of parenting—to the chaos of the political world, my mother’s battle with brain cancer, and losing my father to an overdose I never saw coming—it’s been anything but a smooth ride. No, this journey has been full of sharp turns, grief, and gut punches.
But what has kept me going is the belief that even in pain, there is beauty. That joy and sorrow are two sides of the same coin. I’ve always tried to live with a “cup half full” perspective, not because life has been easy, but because I’ve had to fight for the light.
That’s why I tell stories—for the people like me who know struggle intimately, but who still dare to love, to dream, and to heal. I don’t create from a pedestal. I create from the trenches—with honesty, with humor, and with heart.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
There’s no simple answer to the question, “Where does your creativity come from?” because there are so many layers to who I am as an artist. But if I had to name my first love—it’s writing. Writing has always been my escape, my safe space. A place where I could be brutally honest, explore my imagination, and tell the truth without fear of judgment, because for so long, the words were mine alone.
I have a vivid imagination. Give me a concept, and I’ll give you a story. Even when I’m directing something I didn’t write, I naturally build backstories and emotional landscapes for characters that help actors fully embody their roles. I see the unseen—connections others might miss. Sometimes a single image inspires both a painting and a poem, like they arrive from the same breath. Words and visual art have always existed side by side for me, as if I’m floating between dimensions.
Over the years, I’ve hosted paint parties, sold poetry, and taught art to everyone from babies to elders. But it was through all of those experiences that I realized where my heart was ultimately pulling me—filmmaking. More specifically, writing for television. My dream is to become a showrunner and create stories that are layered, emotional, imaginative, and reflective of real, often-overlooked perspectives.
But first, this docuseries.
Love and the Gender War is my bridge—a project that allows me to pour everything I am into one narrative: the writer, the visual artist, the mother, the seeker. And just like my taste in books or school subjects, I don’t stick to one genre. I create based on feeling, on instinct, on where life takes me creatively next.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
If you saw me walking down the street, you might think, “She’s super girly.” And you wouldn’t be wrong—I love pageantry and even held the title of Mrs. Maryland Petite 2020. But don’t let the crown fool you—I’m also a die-hard American football fan. I’m talking stats, strategy, screaming-at-the-TV-on-Sundays kind of fan. I even started my own all-women’s fantasy football league called The Queens League. Because yes, women love football and a good heel.
I like to think of myself as well-rounded: part queen, part coach, all heart.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/icallherqueen?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=5928fcc4-94a3-440c-b0f9-80cf95b7ca06&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAadL9J1Z52R8ToMe1LUGv5ElOYYI46qCMGYabFA49wSVjH58_57F2Y4z_LyQdQ_aem_NPedT2mmMihoqKSGZQaA1g
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nerra_the_queen/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nerra.matthews/
- Other: https://fnd.us/Loveandthegenderwar2025?ref=sh_eEB8Qf
Image Credits
Jeff Butler
Matt Harbicht
