Thursday, February 01, 2007

Gary Lloyd James

33, of Carteret

James' first CD of poetry, "Stone Pillow -- Speaking Out Against Domestic Violence in Poetry," was released in October. The CD, with 14 spoken-word poems, was issued by recording company Kunaki of Brooklyn, N.Y.

Family

Wife, Yael, and two stepdaughters, Dior and Chelsea. James also has a step-granddaughter, Nia, who is 2 years old.

Occupation

James is a passenger service agent at Newark Liberty International Airport. He works for Hallmark Aviation, where he handles baggage problems and inquiries.

Education

James graduated in 1994 from Montego Bay High School in his native Jamaica.

A startling revelation

Before James started writing poems, the only poet he knew of was Maya Angelou. Even then, he wrote very little and was not interested in the art form. But it all changed for James on June 18, 2004, when he had a nightmare of a woman being abused by a man, he said.

"I realized that I got very angry. I was beyond angry. I got upset," James said. "I was frustrated that I couldn't do anything about it."

James had not seen such abuse in his own experience, but the dream was a wake-up call for him. When he got to back to work, he went on the Internet and started to look up statistics on domestic violence to see what he could do to help.

That was when he wrote his first poem, "A Woman's Tears." He entered the piece into www.poetry.com, an organization that sponsors poetry contests, and won the designation for Editor's Choice in 2004.

"I felt pretty good about that. It was my first time," he said.

A torrent of poems followed. James wrote 100 poems on every conceivable subject for three months. He said he was like a sponge, absorbing details of his life and finding a message in what he saw.

"I wrote poems about how to uplift people," he said.

He shopped around the CD and put up a Web site, www.garyjamespoetry.com. He also wrote a book, "Untied Feelings: Poems of a Different Kind" in 2005.

Portions of the CD sales go to the BabyLand Family Violence Program, a nonprofit advocacy group for battered families.

An impact

James said his wife was skeptical of his sudden transformation.

"I woke up one day and I was a poet," he said.

But she soon came around when she saw the impact his writing was having.

He has given readings at Bloomfield College. He had an emotional reading at the National Organization of Black Women in Law Enforcement convention at Newark airport's Marriot Hotel. Women approached him with tears in their eyes.

"She (Yael) realized that I was doing something that was real," he said. "People were affected by it."

He has also been invited to the "Reggae Vibe" show on channel 27, hosted by Jeff Sarge, a famous Jamaican who knew Bob Marley.

"It was overwhelming," James said. "The response has been great."

Next on his agenda is to talk to schools and write another book of poems.

Hobbies

James loves to play soccer or basketball when he gets the chance. He roots for Jamaica in the World Cup and the Liverpool, England soccer team. He also likes to travel and go on cruises. He's recently been to the Bahamas and Aruba

Favorite movie

"Remember the Titans"

Favorite book

The Bible

-- Sharon Adarlo