Who is Lawanda K. Lee?
I am the daughter of Larry and Wanda Lee
and grew up a major tomboy with my three brothers. Although I was born in
Norwood, NC (outside of Charlotte), I lived most of my
life in Selma, NC. I graduated with honors from Smithfield-Selma High school
and later received my B.A. in Communication Studies at the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill. Presently, I am working on my Master's in Agency
Counseling at NC Central University and I am
an Instructor for the Continuing Education Department at Durham Technical
Community College, in which I teach computer and job seeking skills to individuals who are
between the ages of 28-55.
How long have you been writing?
I have only been writing
since 2003, but
most of the poems that God gives me can be classified as motivational,
realistic and are purposed to provoke thought and spiritual growth within an
individual.
Tell us about your interests.
In my spare time I enjoy doing the following: Writing and performing poetry, singing, dancing,
playing multiple sports, witnessing to the residents inside of the prison and
challenging youth to walk in excellence through presentations on sexual
abstinence, college preparation and leadership skills.
What
exactly is "The Aspiring Writers Info Session?"
In order to reach
the community and help other minorities who desire to become writers, I
organized an "Aspiring Writers Info Session" on April 23, 2005 which featured a panel of
publishers, playwrights, authors and others to share tips on getting started, copyrighting,
publishing and marketing your talent, as well as, answering questions from
the audience members.
In realizing the
success of the program, I received requests to put on another one. So,
on April 26, 2008 at the Hayti Heritage Center in Durham, we will host our 4th Annual "Aspiring Writers Info Session."
With your poetry, how does
God fit into your writing?
Interestingly, I never
really liked writing, especially in college. However, I can honestly say that
during my 3 months of being unemployed in 2004 and having to entirely rely
on God, I began to really seek Him like never before. He began to wake me up
in the middle of the night with poetic phrases running through my mind. Many
poems like, "A Word from the Lord," "Endure" and others were birthed during
this challenging moment in my life.
I suddenly noticed that
writing poems became a way that God could communicate and minister to me and
others. Also, I was able to express my emotions, while addressing issues
that were affecting other people. So, ultimately, I see the poems as a
witnessing tool, which is my reason for distributing so many copies to people
that I meet outside of church.
What is your most proud moment?
Graduating from college was my most
proud moment. I told my parents that I didn't want to go to college, because
I knew that if it was difficult for me to retain information in high-school,
it would be even more challenging in college. God proved faithful and as I
began to rely on his strength and guidance, in addition to studying,
attending office hours, utilizing help resources on campus and sitting in the
front of all my classes, He blessed me to make the Dean's List four
semesters. Nobody but God!!!
Who is your role model?
In addition to patterning my life after Christ, the individual that I model
myself after is my mother, Wanda Lee. She is an intelligent, ambitious,
spiritual and beautiful black woman. I am most impressed by the way she
juggles so many hats with her family (4 kids), working on her doctoral
degree, being an administrator in the school system, being active in her
church and preaching revivals (Evangelist), constantly helping people in the
community, etc. She has always encouraged me to be the best and to do my
best realizing that "Greater is He that lives on the inside of me than he who
lives in the world."
