We were lucky to catch up with Kwamise Fletcher recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Kwamise 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 have worked in corporate America for 20 years and at about the 16 year mark, I found myself in a position within my company that I was completely unhappy in. I was being unsuccessful in getting out of the position so I turned to poetry & spoken word as a form of work life balance…While it originally was just a creative outlet & de-stressing technique I quickly realized that I wanted more from it & I began to see I COULD do so much with it…So within two months I just kept learning more & more about the poetry & spoken word professional options available & I literally kept saying oh you can do that with poetry & performing, let me try that…I had always written short stories, poems etc since a child but never anything seriously….I performed sporadically at events for friends that knew I wrote poetry but it was extremely random when it did happen…In late 2022 is where I fully immersed myself within the art form…

Kwamise, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Well I started writing as a child…My most core memory with writing & poetry was my senior English class and we had to do a portfolio of different poetry & fictional short stories…This really unlocked my love for the art form…Like I said in the previous question, while I have always enjoyed writing, I never really did it consistently…It was just a hobby and those that knew me well, knew that I wrote & I have friends in the entertainment industry that would sporadically invite me to participate in their events…At the end of 2022 after VERY persistent urging from those same industry friends I finally decided to take my art seriously and LadyK was born…I am a poet, spoken word artist and poetry workshop facilitator…All of these things really just came from wanting to tell my stories…Culturally orators and storytelling have been a core practice for centuries within all african diasporas & since many of our native practices & traditions have been lost I find it necessary to learn about these traditions & then use my gift of spoken & written word to communicate things that I am passionate about…Mental health, cultural identity, self esteem issues & political/social awareness are all areas my spoken word tends to lean towards…Poetry & expressing myself through poetry has been very cathartic & healing for me so I have committed myself to helping others realize those same benefits…I have been blessed to be able to get paid for doing what I love and I want to share my knowledge for anyone else that may be interested in these same paths….While I feel everyone has valuable things to share about the game, I have been able to utilize my analytical skills gained in my 20 years federal government career to really study the craft & monetize it in a way that I have been successful…Focusing on the healing power of poetry and it’s therapeutic aspects is key to maintaining your authenticity which will always set you apart…

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I want to be able to use my God given gift to reach the most people so that collectively we can begin to heal which will facilitate our growth & nurture us having a better understanding of our inner connectivity…So everything I do is calculated in a way to achieve those goals and reach those audiences. I am a firm believer in, all I need is to get in the door and show you what I can do…Once you see, you won’t forget me so let me just get in the door…Many of the stories I tell through poetry cross racial, gender & social economical preconceived barriers & stereotypes…So if I can get people to see how much we have in common, maybe we won’t be so divisive & hellbound to destroy eachother…We have dehumanized eachother in my opinion & we need to bring some of our general humanity back…I want my creative journey to be whatever it is meant to be and have an impact on as many humans as I can…

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I really get to meet some amazing human beings that have such rich, heartfelt & diverse stories to share…People are great storytellers and I really just have a genuine love for the art form in all of its iterations…It’s rewarding to have people come up to me and tell me how my pieces affected them, how they had similar experiences and thank me for giving them a voice…The most rewarding though is having someone tell me that hearing my spoken word makes them want to do better or try harder to be a better father, mother or just overall human being…Seeing young people get interested in the art & the spark of creativity being ignited in them, those are the moments where I am most fulfilled…

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ladykpoetry?igsh=YTQwZjQ0NmI0OA==
• Facebook: Kwamise Fletcher
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ladykpoetry?si=AXCVG2lktfeWRGEB
• Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/oB8TB
• Other: ladykpoetry@gmail.com