Lorenzo Wesley, Jr., who is a preacher’s kid and military brat, follows one creed in life: Be Ambitious. He often quotes, “The only thing impossible for me is failing.” He has lived up to everything that strangers and loved-ones have ever expected of him, yet he remains humble and strives for perfection in every task that he pursues. He is persistent. By far, Lorenzo is his own worst critic. Since about the age of 9, he has been writing and has found immense fervor in literature. Needing ways to escape from the experience of his initial feelings of love/heartbreak, need/neglect, happiness/pain, joy/anger, laughter/sadness, and many other contradicting struggles, his relief from muddled and chaotic emotions evolved on the pages of several empty black notebooks. Using intricate word structures in his poetry that gives the phrases rhythm and the factual experiences breath, he doesn’t attempt to fit into the crowd of other poets by reciting his art with complex and twisted metaphors that are usually too difficult to comprehend. Instead, his work is blunt and straight to the point, exuding incomparable logic and messages for the reader.

Referred to as “ZO!”, you can catch this Mississippi native performing and perfecting his craft on Sundays at Cultural Expressions Open-Mic Night in Jackson, Ms. In addition, he travels and aims to spread his knowledge and talent, while absorbing intellectual literature from neighboring cities and states. Aspiring to entertain, Lorenzo “spits” his poetry in the same manner he writes, “with raw emotion.” Whatever type of emotion is being portrayed in his poetry, you can savor each word that he expresses as he is delivering his work. “ZO!” conveys R.A.W.E. (Real Ardent Words &Emotion) poetry. A self-proclaimed R.A.W.E Poet and Writer, “ZO!” forces readers and listeners to do more than just read and hear his poetry. He forces his audience to feel it.