We recently connected with Jherelle Benn and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jherelle thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I knew I wanted to be a writer since I was a kid. From a very young age I knew I was a talented. I could weave together engaging stories and poems in ways that would impress my family, teachers, and my peers. But it was not until I started sharing my poetry on stage that I realized the impact my writing could have on others.

The very moment I knew I wanted to pursue this path professionally, I wasn’t even performing. I remember going to see a show with friends that night. There was this spoken word artist from the Bronx. She was so powerful. Her words, the delivery, the entire performance was so memorable for me. I was impressed but more importantly, I was inspired.

It was then that I knew I wanted to inspire others like that. I knew I was capable and it wasn’t long after that I began performing and polishing my skills as a professional poet.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

To proliferate is to multiply. Jherelle Benn, best known as Relle the Poet, uses her natural talent and adoration for the art of poetry to multiply opportunities for herself and other artists in her community.

Relle began writing at a very young age. This expression became her outlet of choice and a form of therapy to cope with trials in life. Being born in Trinidad and raised in Brooklyn, NY created a strong sense of culture and birthed a colorful perspective sewed into the lines of her poetry.

“Think of these bars as the walls of your natural cocoon, and when they thought you was finished, just tell them STAY TUNED”

Relle evolved into a spoken word activist when she began to perform and use poetry as a medium (along with journalism) to speak out against social injustices.

Working as a Program Director with Green Earth Poets Cafe put Relle in a position to bring poetry workshops and art therapy to incarcerated youth on Rikers Island. In the same position at the Brooklyn Arts Council, she was able to connect young artists with the resources in their community.

Relle the Poet went on to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in journalism from Brooklyn College and serve as News Editor for the school paper during her senior year. During this time she received awards and recognition for writing an in-depth article on, Eric Adams, the current mayor of New York City.

Relle is known to speak with a fiery passion and is dedicated to sharing not only her own voice, but uplifting the voice of others. She brought these words of fire when she blazed the stage opening for the inauguration of NYC Senator, Jesse Hamilton.

She has been published in The Brooklyn Reader, Odyssey online, Reveal Mag, Red Hook Star-Revue, Voyage ATL, Fame Live Magazine and a host of other online / local publications. She has performed internationally on stages in Trinidad and Tobago and Amsterdam. She took her poetry on the road as part of the “Am I Next?”, inter-state poetry tour, which hit NYC, Philly, and Detroit.

“The next time I go forward or need to back up in life, I’m gonna eliminate the distractions. Those insecurities that pit sister against sister and cause unessacary collisions.”

In 2017 Relle self-published her first collection, In Disarray, an anthology of poems, short stories, and letters. She worked her growing network to self-promote and organized several solo tours pushing herself on foot and selling hundreds of copies of her book in the years following its release. In 2021 Relle took her poetry to the big screen and her video poem “Crazy Black Woman” was selected and showcased in the Cadence Film Festival as well as the Divine Feminine Arts & Film Festival. In 2022 “Crazy Black Women” received international acclaim when showcased in the Zebra Poetry Festival in Berlin. Ask the poet what she is most proud of, she’ll tell you it’s her twins, who were born shortly after she released her book and were the inspiration to finally publish. The twins have inherited her love and passion for art and music.

Recently Relle has joined Von Trapp Network and is fostering relationships with various non-profits and community initiatives. Through this collaboration she recently released her debut poetry album, 627: Rebirth. She is looking forward to all the possibilities her poetry will create.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When I published my book of poetry I was pregnant and homeless. Following an illegal and unexpected eviction from the apartment I was subletting, I was sleeping on various friends couches while carrying twins. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, but I never stopped writing. After writing and sharing a short story with friends I was inspired to compile all my poems from all those years and publish my first book.

I wanted to build a legacy to leave to my children. Even though things seemed so bleak it was so important for me to keep writing, keep sharing, and keep working towards my goal of using poetry to change the world for the better.

I self-published, In Disarray, and hosted a poetry workshop / book release on the same day I moved into my apartment. A few months later I gave birth to a healthy boy and girl.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

There are so many rewards to living authentically in my truth as a creative. I would say one of the most rewarding things is being able to change people’s minds about poetry. A lot of times I would hear people say they aren’t into poetry or it’s just not their thing. Then when I spit something real quick I can see the lights going off in their heads. They don’t realize poetry is in everything, ad everything is poetry. Seeing how I spread awareness, teach, and heal through poetry has definitely been the most rewarding on my journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rellespoetry.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/relle.the.poet
• Facebook: facebook.com/rellethepoet
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jherelle-benn-02400790?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2F

Image Credits
Images were taken by Queen Tutt Photography, Altered Ego Photography, Ikahnic Photos, and Shot by LaDee.