Meet Lamar Neal | Author & Poet

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

Hi Lamar, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I’ve always been creative. Growing up, I wrote scripts and acted them out with my toys. When I was a teenager, I acted in church plays, wrote poetry and novels, and rapped.

An artistic career was inevitable, but growing up, I never saw it as an option. Everyone around me championed my creativity but downplayed the viability of a creative career. In turn, I looked at writing as a hobby, something that I do to pass the time and keep myself busy.

It wasn’t until my first love broke up with me that I pursued a writing career. Anime—DragonBall, Death Note, and Monster in particular—got through what was then the “worst time of my life.” When I was watching an episode, life itself stopped and I existed in this void, where I wasn’t hurting. I wanted my art to be that sanctuary for someone else. No matter what was happening in someone’s life, I wanted my stories could provide some respite.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m proud to call myself a published author of three poetry collections, two novels, and a handful of poems and short stories. Younger Lamar would have never believed that was possible. I’m proud to be able to say more readers enjoy my work than those who don’t. It’s humbling. I’m grateful for the opportunity to entertain readers across multiple genres. I think that’s another thing I’m proud of: being able to say I have several books of different genres.

I’ve written a contemporary fantasy novel (A Misc. Eden) and a contemporary romance (Stages). If a reader picks up either or a future novel, they can expect a lighthearted, fun loving, character driven story with sprinkles of drama. My default has always been leaning into humor and the oddity of life. To be honest, I’m most comfortable and secure when laughing, cracking jokes, and being random. Humor is my coping mechanism to the highs and lows of the humor condition. I consider it a staple of my work.

Whether that’s falling for someone when the entire world says it won’t work (Stages) or trying to find happiness through perennial tragedy (A Misc. Eden), my stories explore the human condition and internal struggle, but mostly through an offbeat, lighthearted tone. It’s my way of acknowledging the pitfalls of life while also saying “everything is going to be alright.”

Oh, another staple of my work is black representation in a contemporary or speculative setting. Blackness isn’t monolithic. My stories put black characters of different backgrounds and experiences to the forefront because we’ve traditionally been in the back. I plan on publishing a lot more novels in the future. Expect to see black characters in an array of spaces from Gods living in the afterlife to bored Uber drivers. I’m long winded as you can probably tell, so I’ll digress here.

There is a stark distinction between my poetry and novels. Whereas my creative writing is palatable, my poetry is not as easy to digest. I use poetry as therapy and social commentary. It’s my observation of society and expression of my emotions. My first published poetry collection, Charm Bracelet, is a collection of poems and songs I wrote to the women I crushed on, dated, or loved in my early twenties. My second collection, We All Need Therapy, tackles controversy or taboo subjects such as toxic masculinity, family dynamics, racism, and religion. I wrote another collection, Ruthless Aggression, in response to the civil unrest after George Floyd’s murder. My poetry is a reflection of my life and society. Much of my poetry is short, freeform pieces. I think of them as pages from a journal. Creative writing is my way of showing a world I want to see. Poetry allows me to observe the world I live in.

My journey hasn’t always been smooth sailing. To be honest, it rarely was. I probably sound dramatic, but as a creative I’m constantly questioning if I’m good enough or if I’m a failure. Though I’ve learnt how to combat negative thoughts , it was a hindrance early in my career. If it wasn’t for my insecurity, I would have started my career sooner than I did. That and not knowing how to maneuver through the politics and business of the book industry. My love for writing kept me afloat, though. I love what I do. I love telling stories. Creating is the air in my lungs, and nothing is going to stop me.

When it’s all said and done, I hope that the world remembers me as an author who wrote fun loving stories that entertained readers and inspired generations of creatives— especially those who look like me—to tell their stories.

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.
Oh man, you just asked a hermit to think about going outside.

Day 1 (Temecula): Hit up as many wineries as possible. Sober up at Be Good Restaurant & Experience in Old Town Temecula.
Day 2 (Redlands): Grab brunch at Batter Rebellion, grab some drinks at Hanger 24 Brewery, and Escape Craft Brewery, grab dinner at Taco Shack
Day 3: Day trip out to Joshua Tree
Day 4 (Riverside): Prohibition for breakfast/brunch. Tuxies Juices for lunch (get the torta 😊). Johnnys burger for dinner. Visit The Cheech Marin Center, UCR’s Botanic Gardens, Mission Inn.
Day 5: Head up to the mountains. Lake Arrowhead
Day 6: All day trip out to Palm Springs
Day 7: All day trip out to LA

I’m LA adjacent. I’m an IE baby. So, I Figured I’ll show off what I consider the hidden gem of Southern California.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
A handful of people were instrumental in my success.

My mom, of course. Her perseverance, longsuffering, an unwavering love and support always keep me going. I studied the creative process from my oldest sister, Sade. She’s probably the most creative person I know. My sister, Kanisha, has been my oldest creative partner. She and my friend Anthony were creating sports, board games, and anything you could imagine back in the day.

My friends Danielle and Lexi were the driving forces in me putting my work out there. Without them, I probably would have called it quits after my first book. I’ll never forget Danielle going out of her way of giving my first novel, A Misc. Eden, to a reputable animator and podcaster. Nor will I forget about the hours of conversations and late-night hangouts with Lexi discussing publishing A Misc. Eden. She was the first person to read my creative writings.

My wife, Ashley, and my sister-in-law, Zoe, have been two of my biggest supporters. Zoe is always championing me, although she hated my last book hahah. Ashey deals with my craziness, listens to my incomprehensive ramblings about stories, and supports me through much of the business of writing.

My high school English teacher, Mrs. Steenhausen, and counselor, Mrs. Taylor, helped mold me as a creative. I credit Mrs. Steenhausen as my first mentor. She helped me develop my voice as a writer. Through her mentorship, I wrote a poetry collection in high school.

I can’t forget one of my favorite musicians, JPEGMAFIA. I stumbled upon his music back in the Tumblr days (2011). Many of my stories have been written to his music. AND, he supported me early in my writing career by downloading some of my free poetry collections, and sharing my poetry collection, We All Need Therapy, to his IG story. That meant a lot.

Aside from people I know, I guess I’ll give a shoutout to the works of Ernest Hemingway. I studied his novels and short stories back in the day.

I dedicate my shoutout to all of them.

Website: Lamarkneal.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theghostcharades/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ghostcharades

Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theghostcharades

Image Credits
Professional Photo: Nathan Goodwin Personal pictures: Ashley Neal