J. Gralyn Stokes, writer, poet, and educator was born in Greensboro, North Carolina but reared in Richmond, Virginia. He is a former elementary school teacher for the City of Richmond Public Schools and an Old Dominion University alum. He developed a passion for writing in middle school, and learned to appreciate the power of language being inspired by the works of Langston Hughes, Nikki Giavanni, and musician / songwriter Stevie Wonder. 

Gralyn also developed a passion for web design and graphic arts. He launched Abstrakk Ink, a graphic design and creative arts company in 2019. He plans to pursue his passion for the arts through a series of children's books, short stories, novels and also developing short films.