Bruce George is the co-founder of HBO’s Def Poetry Jam As a  Peabody Award Winner he is a visionary, executive producer, writer, poet and activist. He was born and raised in New York City. He has written poetry/prose & articles for over 37 years. His work has been published in major magazines, anthologies, and literary publications. He has written testimonials from the likes of Essence Magazine, Emerge Magazine, Class Magazine, Harlem River Press etc…

“Bruce George was a pleasure to meet and spend time with. His presence fostered an environment of intellectual enthusiasm and intrigue for social consciousness. His life story has shaped a character that is both humbled and focused. His accomplishments only make up a fraction of what he has contributed to to the art of word for 30+ years. To have transcended from the inner city boroughs of New York, New York…his heart and soul will always be empathetic to the struggle suffered by the oppressed masses of The American Ghetto. With that said, we appreciated his dynamic presence, authenticity and unwavering support!” – Wesley College, Office of Student Life

 His newest publication: Street Smarts: An Anthology of Urban Survival Strategies is a literary first that focuses on how urban working class people enhance their earning power despite often being underemployed. How do lower paid workers make ends meet? How do the unemployed survive once they’ve used up their unemployment benefits? What happens to them once they disappear from official statistics? What tactics have they developed? Is there another economic system at work that is totally outside of mainstream standards? What does the underclass do to feed the family within a hostile environment? Are the strategies they devise parts of yet another working standard?

To what extent is there an underground economy that is not exactly illegal, yet for which there is no yardstick by which to measure its effectiveness? Given the current economic downturns and consistent losses of jobs, are the strategies and options that have long ago developed among the working poor still viable? What are they? Are they legal, extralegal or illegal? What common threads hold the underclass together? Do they bear their own ethics? How applicable are they?

The answers to these questions serve as the parameters for Street Smarts. The target audience includes the hundreds of thousands who, like never before, are faced with new challenges – unemployment, loss of homes, debts, etc., with homelessness and public shelters their potential options.

Bruce has won multiple poetry & talent contests. He has won several awards such as a “Peabody Award” for “Russell Simmons Presents, Def Poetry (HBO)”, a “Miky Award” for “Russell Simmons Presents, Def Poetry Jam (HBO)”, an “Upscale Showcase Award”, a “Trail Blazer Award” etc… for his outstanding vision, production, writing and performance.

Bruce is the Founder/Executive Consultant of Ebony Energy Talent Network (Booking Agency) featuring major talent such as Paul Mooney, Rev. Jessie Jackson, Amiri Baraka, The Last Poets, Malik Yoba, Dawn Robinson etc.

Bruce is the Co-Founder of the critically acclaimed award winning “Russell Simmons’s Def Poetry Jam.”  He’s also the Founder/Managing Editor of “The Bandana Republic, an Anthology of Poetry & Prose by Gang Members & Their Affiliates.”

Bruce is the Founder/Executive Producer of a spoken word documentary entitled: “Bone Bristle, A Spoken Word Documentary” which is in post-production.  The film features critically acclaimed writers, poets & spoken word artists.

As an activist Bruce has been and currently is associated with major grassroots organizations that fosters and uplifts people in struggle.

Bruce has served on numerous panels (Hampton, Harvard, The New School, Fordham University, Medgar Evers, Schomburg Center For Research in Black Culture etc…) and judged hundreds of poetry/spoken word competitions.

Bruce is a graduate of Niagara University in which he earned a B.A. degree in Psychology.