J.R. Rice

Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve carried a passion for creative expression and used writing as a coping tool for my rollercoaster of emotions. I was initially drawn to poetry as a way to help me vent the anger and sadness I felt after losing my best friend in a car accident when I was thirteen. Writing served as my outlet and tool to deal with my mental health struggles.

As I grew older, I learned to develop my writing skills and use my vivid imagination and raw emotions to create thought-provoking narratives that would resonate beyond my small bubble and reach a wider audience. I pursued this career out of a desire to share my stories with the world, in hopes that my work will inspire light in the lives of others.

I really enjoyed my five-plus years at CSULB (Long Beach!). Although I spent most of my life in the Bay Area, my world grew tremendously during my time in SoCal. I was a member of the Poetry Slam team for two years and was fortunate to travel to the National Collegiate Poetry Slam in Philadelphia, where I earned Rookie of the Year. This experience broadened my awareness of poetry, as I hadn’t realized the art form was such a national and worldwide phenomenon.

After I graduated and moved back to the Bay Area, I used my experience to develop my writing into an actual full-length book, while also developing my career as a newbie English teacher. In spite of many ups and downs, I have found success as both a writer and a teacher and continue to find new wins each day.

I was very blessed to live and study in Paros, Greece, where I was mentored by George Crane, author of “Bones of the Master”. I would often call him "Yoda" because he spoke so poetically and wisely, nearly all the time, as if I were his Black Jedi. He taught me about minimalism and removing excess as much as possible. Every sentence and word must have a purpose for being placed there. If not, he would say, "cut it." Also, try to use "it" as little as possible by replacing it with specific nouns. These small suggestions ended up proving effective in developing my writing style.

I developed my writing voice by experimenting with different styles and genres and blending together a variety of them. Within my poetry, I incorporated narrative elements such as plot, imagery, and dialogue to emphasize storytelling. In my novel, I incorporated many spoken word elements like repetition, similes, extended metaphors, and rhythmic language so that the story felt engaging when read aloud.

As for my biggest influence, it would have to be the late, great Langston Hughes. He was a brilliant writer capable of creating masterpieces across all literary genres, including poems, short stories, plays, essays, and so forth. Due to his heavy influence from the Harlem Renaissance, Hughes incorporated jazz into his writing, allowing the reader to dance to the rhythm and beat of his narratives about the Black experience. Like Hughes, I try to incorporate hip-hop and rap into my writing because of my deep roots in the Bay Area music community.

The inspiration for “Broken Pencils” came from my favorite books: J.D. Salinger’s “Catcher in the Rye”, and a poem called “Teacher” by Langston Hughes. Both works addressed the issue of life’s purpose, which is the central theme of the book and title: “Broken Pencils.”

If you take a pencil and break it at the end, usually the tool is pointless. In the novel, the dark coming-of-age story revolves around the protagonist, Jonah Tarver, a troubled Black teenager from Oakland, who believes that all lives are like broken pencils and life is pointless. On the night of his senior prom and the anniversary of his best friend's death, Jonah tries to discover his point in life or uncover the idea that we're all a bunch of broken pencils.

The story itself was inspired by my own struggles with mental health. Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve dealt with bouts of depression and manic episodes. Despite my successes with therapy and medication, I always carried the shame of not being understood and guilt from feeling misunderstood. Through the protagonist’s heroic and chaotic journey, I wanted to take the reader along this emotional rollercoaster so that they may gain insight into the challenges and beauty of living with Bipolar Disorder.

Not surprisingly, my book has captured the attention of several contests and reviewers. With the many prestigious awards came the pure joy of knowing that others recognize the beauty of “Broken Pencils” and agree that the book has a story worth reading.

I felt very honored to win the award because it was the first award I’ve ever received for my writing. The award has motivated me to continue submitting my book to more reputable contests so that the story receives the recognition it deserves. However, I learned very quickly to do my research on online writing contests because several of them are scams, and I’ve learned my lesson on a few occasions. Nonetheless, I am seeking to push my book as much as possible. My next goal: win a 1st place cash prize in a writing contest.

One of my biggest challenges has been balancing my roles and staying effective in each one. A fear of mine is becoming the "Jack of all trades, master of none," so I often have anxiety about which role to dedicate the most time to. The gift and the curse lie in that I am blessed to be talented as a writer, teacher, and spoken word artist, yet burdened by the inability to fully commit to one without regretting the others. Oftentimes, I repeat this quote from Henry Thoreau: "My life has been the poem I would have writ. But I could not both live and utter it."

My experience as a Black writer in the literary world has fortunately brought more opportunities than challenges. Given the shortage of Black young adult authors, my book and persona have proven beneficial in standing out among my writing peers. By reaching out to local bookstores and libraries and sharing my story, I have been able to conduct a series of author events to promote my book and connect with new readers.

Poetry slams are brutal. If you've ever participated in a slam, then you know how it feels to be on stage, pour your heart out for three minutes, and get judged by five random strangers. Slams are not for people with thin hearts. The experience taught me the importance of revision and practice. I would go through countless drafts and then rehearse every chance I had so that I could master the piece. Within one year, I had gone to over fifty poetry slams. Although I received low scores in many cases, I used their feedback to get better, a habit I also adopted while developing the novel.

I try to use my writing and spoken word artistry to expand beyond the literary world and create events that bring the community together. I host an artist showcase series called “Social Saturday” with my business partner and friend, Wid from Athingtotalkabout productions. We bring in local poets and artists to engage with members of the community in a safe space. In addition to Social Saturday, I have also hosted and performed at a charity event for the Contra Costa Crisis Center, where we raised over $2,000 in a single evening.

I always aim to be the kind of teacher I would have wanted when I was a young student. My teaching style is difficult to describe, but I would probably sum it up as a mix between Mr. Keating in the film “Dead Poets Society” and Mr. Tolson in “The Great Debaters”.

Motivating students has been a major challenge. Despite my lively persona and passion for writing, I have found it difficult to engage my students, especially with "traditional" old-school methods of indirect instruction and packet work. Many of my students have developed social anxiety after their COVID experience, and they are still coping with their identity in this confusing world.

I try to build a safe environment in my class where my students feel respected and comfortable expressing themselves. My assignments are personalized so that students give their own interpretations and reflect on parts of their lives they hadn't thought of before.

I feel deeply grateful for my time traveling around Europe, living in Greece and Spain, and meeting so many wonderful people. For so long, I remained in a small bubble in Oakland, but I yearned to see what else was out there. This experience abroad opened my eyes to what was possible, playing a major influence on my poetry book, I Was, Am, Will Be.

Within my poetry book, the reader follows the same Jonah Tarver from Broken Pencils, but now he's a twenty-five-year-old Black American on a three-month journey throughout Spain, Greece, France, and Amsterdam. Jonah ventures alone into the unknowns of determination, destiny, and death, taking the reader along on his heroic journey, continuing the Broken Pencils series.

My personal and professional journeys have both grown to coincide with each other like twin brothers. Over the course of writing my novel and releasing the book to the world, I felt deeply impacted by the amount of my personal life reflected in the story. Much like Jonah Tarver, I too struggle with bipolar disorder and carry a long history of mental health issues such as depression, mania, panic attacks, and suicidal ideations.

At first, the intent was for the book to shed light on mental health from a young Black teenager’s perspective. However, upon completing the story, I found myself confronting my past traumas and reflecting on the cause and effects of my personal issues.

In the past few years, I have taken my self-care more seriously with therapy, support groups, and wellness activities like walks, meditation, yoga, and connecting more with my family, friends, and community. In a sense, I have been following the lessons from the novel, and learning to value the life that I have while I still have it. Due to my professional journal, I have gained a deeper understanding of the past and more love for my true self.

I do plan to develop Broken Pencils even further with an audiobook narrated by yours truly, along with a student reader's guide that could be implemented within the classroom. Also, I plan to continue the Broken Pencils by showcasing Jonah's journey within a poetry collection called, I WAS, AM, WILL BE. Finally, stay on the lookout for Broken Pencils Part 2, but instead of the Bay area, this time Jonah is searching for his purpose in Europe…

I was lucky to have found AllAuthor on the IndiesToday listings and the website has been amazing with consistently promoting Broken Pencils through tweets and providing a much needed support with my online following. I truly appreciate all of your time and energy toward helping authors like myself with their careers. Please continue your great work!