At 21, Lamonte Lewis has the enthusiasm of a young man and the growing wisdom of someone a little older. He has published two books of poetry: Heal All My Wounds and Changing the World. (You can contact Lamonte or check out the Creative Space in St Paul to buy your copies.)
Lamonte comes to us as a recommendation from Lewiee Blaze. They are both involved with N4 Collective.
Originally from Chicago, Lamonte moved here when he was quite young. He is the youngest of eight brothers. Sounds like he found his love of poetry, his calling in high school. He started writing. He writes every day. He also performs spoken word. His face lights up when he talks about performing in front of people. He’s very motivated yet had the good judgement to let the poetry take back seat until he graduated from high school.
He patience paid off and he has found that the his graduation and his poetry have opened doors. He is driven by his desire to make the most of the opportunities and to return the favor and open doors for others. He is also driven to help people living in poverty – through direct giving and sharing his talents.
Lamonte’s first book was published last year and the second was published this summer, after the murder of George Floyd. He has found that he voice has shifted from poet to preacher. It’s a good role for him. He’s eloquent and has a clear view of personal responsibility balanced against that which we can’t control and that which we need to continue to try to change. It’s a difficult and scary time to be a young black man. It’s also a time when real change can happen – Lamonte is poised to be a voice leading that change.
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