About Me

I am Tamera L. Wells-Lee, or simply Tam. I am from outside Charlottesville, Virginia, and have resided in the Washington, DC metropolitan area for most of my adult life. I spent my formative years surrounded by the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains  in the same hometown that served as the setting for the popular 1970s  television show “The Waltons.”

One of my earliest memories of being different from the idyllic family portrayed on TV was when a childhood friend and I were the first people of color to integrate a  pre-kindergarten program on the heels of the Civil Rights Movement. Upon  being told that I was one of the first Black kids to attend the school, I recall suddenly realizing that I, in fact, did look different than the other students but at the same time did not think it was a big deal.

Instead of letting those differences define me and create division, I relished in my small-town upbringing and close-knit community where people accepted and supported one another for who they were and not on the basis of one’s skin color. This mindset also extended to the education I received, where I had teachers who instilled within me a love for English and writing. 

I went on to hone my writing in college, leaving my somewhat insulated world with its bucolic backdrop and facing for the first time situations where the color of my skin did matter to some. It was during that period when I began to use writing as a call to action, putting “pen to paper” in the form of articles in my college newspaper to speak out against injustices and incidents of inequities.

I also began to delve into the poetic form of writing, but more so for general  interest. My poems did not begin to take on a social advocacy tone until years later, spurred on by my experiences both personally and professionally. My experiences also have served as the catalyst for my spiritual-based and other related poems.

Professionally, I have worked in the publishing industry for nearly 30 years, where I have held positions such as Managing Editor and Director of Publishing. Although I have worked in publishing for a number of years, I did not publish my own book until the  publication of Power to the Poems in 2019. That was followed by Surviving the Storms to See the Sun Rise in 2021.

As an aspiring poet, I have performed my poetry as part of Open Mic Night at Busboys & Poets in Washington, DC. Additionally, I have penned several poems for and about my beloved sorority. 

I have a bachelor’s degree in communication from Old Dominion University and a master’s degree in business from The Johns Hopkins University. I have been married for 27 years where I have been the “fire” to my husband’s “ice.” My husband and I are the proud parents of one daughter.