About the Author
"LEARN TO LET GO AND LET ALL THINGS BE THEN YOU WILL KNOW FROM WHAT YOU SEE."
Once upon a time, in the bustling city of Oakland, California, there was a man named J.R Rice. He was a Black man with a passion for writing, teaching, and spoken word artistry. J.R had always been captivated by the power of words and their ability to inspire, motivate and transform lives. As a young man, he knew that he wanted to make a difference in the world through his writing and his ability to connect with people. After receiving his B.A in Creative Writing and an English Education teaching credential from California State University of Long Beach, J.R set out to pursue his dreams. He traveled abroad to Greece, where he had the honor of being mentored by the renowned author, George Crane. It was there that he honed his skills and developed his unique voice, which he would later use to inspire and empower countless others.
His novella, Broken Pencils was the recipient of the 2024 Literary Titan Gold Book Award, Literary Global Gold Award, Hawthorne Prize shortlist, and earned Third Place in Best African-American Fiction and Best New Fiction in the 2024 Speak Up Radio International Firebird Book Award Contest, Third place in Best African-American Literature and an Honorable Mention in Best Quote for the 2023 Outstanding Creator Award, an Honorable Mention in both the 2023 San Francisco Book Festival Award and New York Book Festival Award for Best Wild Card entry, and was a top finalist for Hidden River Arts’ 2023 Blue Mountain Award. His poetry collection, I WAS, AM, WILL BE was a semifinalist for the 2023 St. Lawrence Book Award through Black Lawrence Press. His short story, “Depends (Good Night)” made the shortlist for the 2023 Letter Review Prize for Short Stories. His travel essays, “No Pasa Nada” earned Third place in the 16th Annual Solas Award for Best Men’s Travel Story. His poem, “Righteous Rage (P.T.S.D)” was published in the poetry collection, The Town: An Anthology of Oakland Poets by Nomadic Press.
In addition to his writing accolades, he earned the Rookie of the Year award at the 2005 National Collegiate Poetry Slam in Philadelphia. He was a Semi-Finalist in the 2023 Berkeley Poetry Slam Finals. He is also the author of I WAS, AM, WILL BE #1 and I WAS, AM, WILL BE #2. You can follow J.R Rice on platforms like his website, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn to learn more about him and his work.