George Masao Yamazawa

At 25 years old, G Yamazawa is widely considered one of the top young spoken word artists in the United States. Born and raised in North Carolina, he is a National Poetry Slam Champion, Individual World Poetry Slam Finalist, and 2013 Kundiman Fellow. His work has been featured at the Sundance Film Festival, the Pentagon, and the White House Initiative for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. G is currently touring full time, and has performed at over 150 universities including Princeton, University of Guam, and NYU ,Abu Dhabi.

Born in Durham, NC and raised by Japanese immigrants, George Masao Yamazawa, Jr. is widely considered one of the top young spoken word artists in the country. George is a National Poetry Slam Champion, Individual World Poetry Slam Finalist, and Southern Fried Champion, and has toured in over 50 American cities and 5 European countries. Winner of Kollaboration DC 2012, Audience Choice Award Recipient of the Inaugural Kollaboration Star and 2013 Kundiman Fellow, George has been featured at the Sundance Film Festival, Bonnaroo Music Festival, TV One’s Season 3 of Verses and Flow, the Pentagon, and the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

His poetry has been published in Beltway Quarterly, Asian Fortune Magazine, and 27 Views of Durham, and has shared stages with Sonia Sanchez, Michelle Kwan, Danny Glover, and VP Joe Biden. An advocate for youth empowerment, George also has extensive experience as a teaching artist facilitating writing/performance workshops for inner city youth in the Washington, DC public school system through Split This Rock, a nationally recognized non-profit organization with a focus in political poetry.

Poems by George Masao Yamazawa

Videos of George Masao Yamazawa