Check Out Gregory Murray’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gregory Murray

Hi Gregory, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was born & raised in a small town called Neptune, NJ. I started writing in 2006 because of peer pressure from friends in college. I wound up taking poetry classes at that school the following semester. I moved to Orlando, Fl for an internship from 2007 to 2010. I still was writing a lot during that time but wasn’t performing much until I moved back to NJ after a severe car accident. Once settled back home, I started to perform in a poetry community called Loser Slam where they held Spoken Word competitions. I won enough to be placed on a team representing NJ in what was known as the National Poetry Slam in 2012. The week-long competition was held in Charlotte, NC. I then moved to Charlotte about 2 weeks after I got back to NJ. I started attending different open mics and meeting different poets and hosts from around the city, until I had inspiration to start my own event called Release Therapy. Through that platform, I was able to meet more poets and artists from around the world. Also, I was granted opportunities to travel around the country to perform my work. Since then, I’ve won numerous awards & competitions and have been labeled a leader in the Charlotte poetry community.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Sometimes it’s been smooth. (haha) A lot of the struggles were personal, internal. There was a point where I lost a job, my car, and my home all in the same year. I also lost the family member that invited me out to live with her in Charlotte, to a brain tumor. My confidence had taken a huge hit as well. It took a lot to bounce back from that. However, poetry was always present throughout it all.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My name is A Poet Named Superman and I’m a poet/spoken word artist. I also host/curate “poetry based” art events. I’m probably most known as the founder and host of a weekly event called Release Therapy. It’s held every Wednesday at a lounge/restaurant called Red@28th. It consists of a writers’ workshop and open mic for adults. I’m probably most proud of this event being one of the longest running (and now award winning) events in Charlotte. We just celebrated our 9 year anniversary last month

I’m also proud of being named a nominee for the first Poet Laureate of Charlotte in 2022. My mentor Jay Ward earned the title. I was just happy to be considered.

I actually have a poem about “what sets me apart from others” (haha) In it, I say, “I’m just me..” My work is mainly based on my experiences and how they’ve affected me. (Good, Bad & Ugly) I’m very much focused on trying to help others in their journey of self awareness, growth, and encouragement. Life already has so much that comes with it and I just try to be relatable about that with my poems. I also believe it’s important to share that notion to help others by providing a platform for poets/artists to express themselves.

Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
A good YouTube binge of Tiny Desk Concerts and spoken word performances never hurts me. (haha)
I’m also reading a book by Rick Rubin called The Creative Act: Way of Being.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @apoetnamedsuperman
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greg.murray.338/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/poeticsuperman
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@gstizzax15/featured