Owen Bryan Jr. is an American poet, author, and construction project manager of Jamaican descent. Owen did not realize his interest in poetry writing until later on in life, at the age of 27, after graduating college. Growing up, Owen was more of an analytical thinker. Excelling at math and science in school, creative writing or fields in the arts was not Owen’s strong suites. However, Owen used to listen to a lot of hip-hop music growing up. The poetic rhyme schemes, wordplay, storytelling, and lessons he learned from hip-hop artists have been a tremendous influence in him delving into writing poetry. As Owen progressed in writing more poems, he started to see how powerful poetry can be. One story, Owen was at a Barnes and Noble café one night, where he decided to craft a poem relating to social issues going on in the world today. Crafting the poem later titled, “Conflict Attracts Profit” in about 10 minutes, Owen showed the poem to the gentlemen who lend him paper to write on. The gentlemen were highly impressed with the work and began engaging in conversation with Owen about social injustice, Colin Kaepernick, police brutality, etc. that lasted around 25 minutes. Crafting more poems, the likelihood of publishing a book become more of a possibility. Officially releasing his debut book, Observation of The Moment, a collection of contemporary free verse poetry that delves into inspiring lessons learned from everyday life, commentary on social issues, and seeking of oneself. Incorporating influences from influential authors, musical geniuses, and podcasters, Observation of The Moment takes readers through a lyrical journey on the importance of finding validation of self from within and not through others. Currently residing in the Tampa Bay area, Florida navigating his love for poetry, Owen holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Central Florida. Instagram: @OwenBryanJr Twitter: @OwenBryanJr1 Facebook: Poems by Owen Bryan