Connect
To Top

Meet Eric Jordan Campbell

Avatar photo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Jordan Campbell.

So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born and raised in Jamaica Queens, New York. I’ve been creative all my life. I started early with painting, then modeling/acting, and finally found a passion for writing. My first piece to ever be published is in a book we will never talk about because I was 11 or 12 years old at the time. I’ve been writing since I was ten so it was not a quick rise. I started working seriously at pushing my writing when I was 21 and overtime; my readers continued to grow. I released my debut poetry book The Error In Our Ways in December of 2018. I am always going to want to reach more people but I try to remember to be grateful for even making it this far.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It definitely wasn’t a smooth road. I took a break in high school from everything creative so I could have a normal life and just enjoy my teenage years. I picked writing back up at 18 and I hated everything I wrote. I felt it lacked creativity, lacked imagery, and even lacked purpose. Once I got back into writing something I didn’t hate entirely, I created a blog where I posted my work and that gained a few hundred followers over time. Of course, nothing I had was copyrighted and so some of my readers would let me know that my pieces were being stolen and that’s when I realized plagiarism is real. That situation really got under my skin but also let me know I was doing something right. It still happens and people still bring it to my attention. Even with my debut book, The Error In Our Ways, a top-selling poet used a very similar cover after my release and he would block anyone who brought it up. This is reality for creatives.

There have been plenty of times where I felt like giving up like I was wasting time and energy. It’s easy to compare yourself to others and wonder why you aren’t in that position. That used to eat at me. My readers keep me going. There is always someone who reaches out just when I feel like nobody cares about my writing and that is greatly appreciated.

What else should we know?
I aim to write poetry that allows people to be heard and let them know they aren’t alone in their emotions. I focused on mental health, self-love and social issues in my first book. The goal was to pinpoint our toxic traits and hopefully grow as people. It was tough to write because I had to be vulnerable as hell. I had to break myself down to build myself back up in order to be the person I wanted to be. It would be wrong of me to act better than thou and so sometimes the poems were about my personal journey but I also wanted to touch on other peoples day to day problems. Racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia xenophobia, depression, suicide, etc. are real life and so it was tough to write and so maybe I should have issued a trigger warning but this is reality. I am straight male and so no, I don’t deal with all of those but I felt it was necessary to touch on. That may be what separates me from others. I’m not only concerned with my problems, I am checking for everybody.

I, myself, am not a company or business but eventually, I plan to create a publishing house. As of right now, I am most proud of publishing my first poetry book, The Error In Our Ways. I am focusing on poetry right now but I dabble in other creative writing.

What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was just very creative. I was acting and modeling, doing my own science experiments in my room (very bad idea), I was painting, writing and singing very terribly. I also played every sport but focused on basketball eventually so I was constantly busy. I’ve always been both introverted and extroverted and I never know which side I’m going to see on any given day. I could be completely outgoing or I may not want to speak to anyone. I always loved music and that’s what inspired me to write poetry. Gym Class Heroes, Jay-Z, Nas, Usher, Beethoven, Bach, Kanye, Kid Cudi, Lupe Fiasco, Eminem, etc really helped me focus on what I wanted to say and how to deliver the message. The only poet I look up to is John Keats. Thats it.

Pricing:

  • The Error In Our Ways – 12.15 on Amazon and Barnes and Nobles

Contact Info:


Image Credit:
Andre Neptune – @neptunezwave
Rebecca Lee – @bcccalee / @lilladylocs

Suggest a story: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.

Related Items

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in