Joe Irizarry was born into a blue-collar family and grew up in Park Slope, Brooklyn, in the 1980s. He began writing poetry after a moment of reflection during George Floyd's protest.  

 George's death hashed up many of the inequalities that Joe saw growing up in Brooklyn. It opened up the anger and pain that he saw and also felt. Joe felt a sense of responsibility to his people by telling their story and his own. Joe's discovery of poetry in his 50's has been uplifting and has given him a new perspective on life.