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By: Lamourie Media
Emerging from the heart of Harlem, Pamela Joyce Hayes has become a beacon of hope and change. Born and raised in the Lincoln Projects, Pamela is the oldest of three siblings and is the proud mother of two sons.
In her role as a captivating author and speaker Pamela has truly found her professional stride.
An avid writer since the age of nine, Pamela has always had an affinity for the creation of stories. However, her bittersweet journey to becoming a published author was intricately intertwined with her family’s personal tragedy. In February 2003, Pamela’s life was shattered when her then-husband was arrested, sending her life into a spiral. It was a devastating blow that left her grappling to navigate the complex and dauntingly disguise of the prison system.
Pamela, who lost everything in the aftermath of her husband’s arrest, found solace in the world of letters. She channeled her pain, sadness, and raw, intense emotions into her writing. For Pamela, being an author meant opening the world to her personal experiences, her inner-world of feelings, and her interpretation of life along with cathartic experiences. It was about fostering a connection beyond surface-level interactions, granting readers an intimate understanding of her perspective.
A beacon of innovation, Hayes made waves as one of the first urban authors to convert her written work into an audio format, akin to a “movie without pictures.” Pamela’s first audio book left an indelible mark in the literary world, marking her as a trailblazer among her contemporaries.
Pamela’s upcoming series, “I Am Not Defined By My Address,” expected to debut in Spring 2023, is predicted to storm the literary world. Just as she expanded her authorial reach in August 2019 with her first children’s book, “Brown Girl,” marking her entry into a new domain. Pamela seeks to project her love for story creation onto children, inspiring self-love and promoting cognitive learning.
Her works are not limited to the world of books. Together with Spank Payso, whom she met in October 2019, the now power couple established The Wall magazine. Named after Payso’s experience of incarceration beginning at the age of 19, The Wall aims to illuminate the often overlooked stories from the confines of the prison. Despite the odds, they fell in love and married, exactly 98 days after their initial meeting.
Together, they use this platform to spark conversation and bring about societal change. Their mission is to reconstruct families, build supportive communities for returning individuals, promote change, cultivate self-love, and restore hope within the once forgotten community.
Spank’s powerful declaration of “I Am Not Defined By My Address” echoes throughout his life. Today, he holds a high school diploma, a barber license, and is aspiring to enter college to create programs that would help more individuals like himself.
Together, they share their stirring narratives and inject life into often bleak accounts from behind the wall. They offer a voice to the silent, help develop income-generating programs, and provide essential life skills to individuals making the transition back into society.
Combining their resilience, determination, and faith, Pamela and Spank are committed to altering the narrative for those who have been embroiled in the justice system. Their mission is ambitious, but they firmly believe that with God, all things are possible.
In sharing this inspiring journey, the reader is reminded that adversity does not limit potential.
