I’m a former college basketball player for both Penn State University (2010-2013), and the University of Maryland (2013-2015). Poetry for me really started when I was about 16, my sophomore year in high school. It was something that in the beginning I did not take seriously. As I grew, my writing would grow with me, but I was afraid to share what I wrote because I grew so worried about what people would think and how differently they would look at me. Being 6’8, and a black man from Baltimore who plays basketball, I didn’t want people to think I was soft and emotional, or weak. I want to thank the people that gave me the comfort and confidence to open up and feel more comfortable than ever about my writing. You all showed me that to open up is showing courage and accepting everything about who I am as a person beyond the game of basketball. I can say with confidence that I feel a weight lifted off of my shoulders. Give yourself a chance and be who you are. Big Love, JG