Indie Artist Spotlight: Author George Lee
“Write from your heart and your experience. Find a different way to say what has already been said.”
~Author George Lee Jr.
Q. Tell me about the moment you knew that you needed to be an artist?
A. Regarding the writer in me, I was 12 and had written my first poem titled, “A Quiet Noise”. I wrote it in the middle of the night just out of frustration with some things that I was going through at home. I remember reading it to my mother the next morning as she instantly started crying upon me finishing it. It was at that point that I knew that this was a gift.
Q. What were you like as a child?
A. I was always busy either reading, drawing or writing. Never bored as long as I had pencils and paper. I always had a lot of friends and because of that was outside a lot but also loved to be in the house writing when I got the chance. I was always curious asking a LOT of questions. While I was mild mannered and rarely did anything to get in trouble, I often challenged my extremely religious parents.
Q. What do you bring to the poetry table?
A. I feel as though I bring a different perspective within what I write about...especially as a man saying it as we tend to steer clear of the more “sensitive” way of saying things.
Q. How has the pandemic affected your artistry?
A. It has definitely placed an urgency within me to write more since so many folks I know did not make it out of 2020. Prior to the pandemic, it had been a while since I’ve written anything consistently as I am now writing at least weekly.
Q. Tell me about your new book LOV(H)ER.
A. This is the book that I wrote as a plea to my fellow men on sharing my thoughts as to how we can treat our women better after seeing so many dysfunctional relationships when I was younger. The chapters are constructed as letters or conversations. Among the letters are the letters of “Devotion”, “Honesty”, “Communication”, “Parenthood” among many others. In each of these I simply suggest ways to better our practices within those areas within a relationship.
A. I do have several poems in the book that are placed between several letters, with my favorite being, “Plush”.
Q: What is your favorite part about being an artist?
A. I would definitely say having the opportunity to remind someone that they are not alone in what they are going through. It never ceases to be amazing when someone reaches out to you to let you know how your work spoke or speaking to their experience.
Q. What does it feel like to be on stage?
A. Nothing short of an adrenaline rush. I feel at home.
Q. When people see you perform what do you want them to take away?
A. I want them to feel as though, “wow, I never thought about it like that!”
Q. What is your absolute favorite piece to perform live?
A. An erotic I wrote over 20 years ago called, “My Lips Hurt”
Q. What has been your biggest challenge as an artist?
A. I would say to get the opportunity to reach a wider audience.
Q. If you had the power to make one major change for Black people, what would it be?
A. For us to get on the same page in seeing that if we supported each other economically as we support everyone else, we could get so much further ahead.
Q. Any advice for other artists that are thinking about getting into poetry or writing professionally?
A. Write from your heart and your experience. Find a different way to say what has already been said.
Q. Who is George Lee?
A. George Lee is someone who feels the need to live within his gift as it was that saved gift that literally saved his life. He is someone who loves openly and on purpose as he knows that life is fleeting. He is someone who is grateful to God for everything under the sun and above.
Order you copy of “LoveHer” HERE
Connect With George:
Instagram: mrlee_1973
Facebook: Author George Lee Jr./MouthPeace Publishing
Twitter: @echo73
Youtube: George Lee Jr.
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