Meet Robin G | Poet & Spoken Word Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Robin G and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Robin, what inspires you?
I am inspired by my struggles, both past & present. I am inspired by those times I had to be hungry because I couldn’t afford to feed myself, let alone my children. Those years I slept on a bunk bed with my babies in a one bedroom apartment, those days that I had to walk a mile to get to the stop for the TARC transit (public transportation) & those hours in which I had no idea what to do next.

I grew up in housing projects with next to no money. I am one of four children that my mother raised on her own after my stepfather prioritized his addiction & left. The only extraordinary things that I was afforded the luxury of were books. I had this big blue dictionary & my mother’s subscription to romance novels and the gift that had been since birth finally presented itself & I began to write.

The subject matter was pretty risqué for my then 10 yr old self, lol, but it was all I had to work with. My writings were inspired by romance, love & sex. Yea, that’s how I fell in love with erotica poetry, before I even knew that it was an actual genre (& before I knew where babies came from) but that’s another story for another time!

But yes, those struggles inspire me. High school drop out, teen mom, abusive relationships, homelessness & hopelessness. In the midst of all the chaos, writing was my calm. Journals, the back of transfers, envelopes, any blank canvas I could get my hands on, even in the midst of turmoil, my creative outlet never failed me. I wrote about the pain. The discomfort. & it helped, for the most part.

& when I began to evolve into myself, more confident with sharing my pieces, I discovered that I had never been alone in my struggles. That there were so many other women in that darkness with me, but didn’t have the means to release in the capacity that I did. & then, their struggles inspired me. I could be a voice, poetic so that others would listen who would nit otherwise, & those conversations could ne had.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
So, I am a poet & spoken word artist that owns Robin G LLC, a business made in my name. I offer services such as hosting, custom writing, performance poetry, features & original creative writing & self reflection workshops.

I am also the owner of The Stanza Collective, statement apparel inspired by original poetry & positive affirmations.

My poetry is a voice, uncensored & uncomfortable. I utilize my gift to shine light on the darkness that everyday women endure, but are unable to express in fear of retaliation at any capacity.

I’ve won urban entertainment awards & have been blessed to perform in spaces that I could only take field trips to as a child. My community supports and pushes me & that gives me life.

I am most proud of the fact that I took nothing, put it with my something & created this entity that has evolved into something bigger than I had ever imagined.

I walk into spaces where young girls remind me of myself & I converse with them, workshop with them & affirm with them & we all leave those spaces better than we were.

I’ve learned that anything worth having is going to take work. Not in the cliche sense, but like, in real life. None of this has been easy. I’ve sacrificed time away from my children, money, my sanity & so many other things. I don’t know what any of this is supposed to look like, but I know how it feels. & as long as it continues to feel this way, I’ll keep doing the work. My biggest hurdle has been transitioning my passion & “hustle” into a lucrative business. I’ve applied & have participated in many business cohorts to assist that. So, asking for HELP is another lesson I’ve learned, & acknowledging that it doesn’t take away from what I’m doing & who I am.

My brand is all about creating your own existence. With words, affirmations, manifesting, work & prayer. It’s about the journey & staying the course, in spite of & because of every obstacle that presents itself. It’s about empowering & being empowered. It’s about normalizing uncomfortable conversations & having them in rooms where they “don’t belong”.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Ok, so Louisville!! Lol!

We are gonna most definitely visit Virtue, it’s like kickin’ it in the living room! Good drinks, good vibes! We are going to do Sunday brunch at Luxe… take in some dope art at KULA Gallery. Grab some dinner at The Seafood Lady or The Drippin Crab. Hit up Longshots for some karaoke & wings! Do a little shopping at All is Fair! Have drinks at the Black Jockey Lounge.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Oh my goodness, where do I begin?! So many people, mostly women, have helped me on this path to revealing myself to myself!

Ok, so shoutout to Hannah Drake, Rheonna Thornton, my sister Adee, my mom, my big cousin Stephanie. Lance Newman, B Shatter (ALL of the Roots & Wings folk). My babies, Cherokee, Chance, Brooklyn & Lil Meechie. RaeShanda Lias-Lockhart, my Winning Circle, my Soulmates, Bmore 1st Klass….. I don’t think I have enough time nor space to shout out who I want to shout out, LoL.

But TO ANY & EVERYONE that has been a part of this journey with me! I love you!

Website: robingpoetry.com

Instagram: @robingpoetry

Twitter: @robingpoetry

Facebook: Robin G Poetry

Youtube: robingpoetry

Other: thestanzacollective.com @thestanzacollective

Image Credits
Echillian Images Chanel & Co Speakthrough Photography