J.R. Rice Shares His Journey Through Writing, Poetry, and Storytelling

PHOTO: Award-winning author and spoken word artist J.R. Rice, sharing his journey of resilience, creativity, and the transformative power of storytelling.

Exploring Identity, Mental Health, And The Power Of Words

J.R. Rice reflects on his writing journey, weaving personal struggles, global experiences, and spoken word artistry into stories that illuminate mental health, resilience, and the human condition through Broken Pencils and I Was, Am, Will Be.

J.R. Rice is an award-winning author, poet, educator, and spoken word artist whose work resonates with raw emotion and unflinching honesty. His acclaimed novel Broken Pencils and poetry collection I Was, Am, Will Be have both captured readers with their deeply personal explorations of identity, mental health, and resilience. Rice’s unique voice, shaped by his experiences abroad and in the classroom, continues to inspire readers around the world.

“Give a voice to the voiceless—the people whose stories show resilience through struggle.” – J.R. Rice

Inspiration Behind the Broken Pencils Series

The loss of his father, a breakup, and professional setbacks prompted Rice to travel through Europe, experiences that profoundly shaped his writing. These journeys became central to his poetry collection I Was, Am, Will Be, which continues the story of Jonah Tarver, the protagonist of Broken Pencils, on a transformative quest through Spain, Greece, France, and Amsterdam.

Lessons from Greece

Living and studying in Paros, Greece, under the mentorship of George Crane, had a lasting influence on Rice’s style. Crane taught him minimalism, the discipline of stripping away excess, ensuring every word carries meaning. Rice describes himself as the “Black Jedi” to Crane’s “Beatnik Yoda,” a mentorship that continues to define his precise, lyrical storytelling.

Spoken Word and Community

Spoken word artistry is central to Rice’s craft. Its rhythm, metaphors, and repetition permeate his prose, making his novels particularly engaging when read aloud. Beyond the page, he fosters artistic communities by hosting poetry slams, curating events like SOCIAL SATURDAY, and supporting fundraisers in the Bay Area, using art to connect and uplift.

Balancing Roles

Rice admits that managing a teaching career alongside his creative pursuits is both rewarding and challenging. Working full-time as an English teacher while writing, performing, and hosting events leaves him torn between passions. He reflects on Henry Thoreau’s words—“My life has been the poem I would have writ. But I could not both live and utter it”—as a reminder that his varied roles enrich rather than diminish his journey.

Writing Through Struggle

Broken Pencils was one of Rice’s most personal challenges, shaped by his own experiences with bipolar disorder, depression, and suicidal ideation. Writing became both therapy and a way to shed light on mental health from the perspective of a young Black teenager. The novel allowed him to confront trauma while inspiring readers to see the strength in vulnerability.

Characters That Carry His Truth

Jonah Tarver, the protagonist of Broken Pencils, reflects Rice’s own struggles, seeing life as “pointless, like a broken pencil.” Through Jonah’s journey, Rice explores the pain and beauty of mental illness, resilience, and self-discovery. His characters are vessels for lived experience, offering readers a chance to step into the rawness of survival and the triumph of endurance.

Advice for Writers

Rice urges aspiring writers to remain authentic, draw on their own experiences, and give voice to those often unheard. He stresses the importance of carrying ancestral stories forward, preserving legacies of struggle and triumph for future generations. By writing truthfully, he believes storytellers can connect across cultures and create lasting impact.

Originally published in Reader’s House Magazine.