Beyond the Spotlight: Getting to Know Jaylene Clark Owens

The actress, spoken word poet, and children’s book author shares the personal passions, creative challenges, and experiences that shape her artistic journey.

Intellectual Ink Magazine | Black Girl Magic Spotlight

Jaylene Clark Owens has been creating stories since childhood. From imaginary characters and poetry to theater performances and children’s literature, the Harlem native has built a career around her love of storytelling.

Now living in the Greater Philadelphia region, Owens proudly embraces her Virgin Islands and Southern roots. Her life is filled with family, longtime friendships, laughter, dancing, and creative pursuits that extend beyond her professional work.

As a cover subject of Intellectual Ink Magazine’s Black Girl Magic issue, Owens invites readers into the personal side of her creative journey.

Beyond the Titles

Intellectual Ink Magazine: For readers meeting you for the first time, who is Jaylene Clark Owens beyond the titles of actress, poet, performer, and author?

Jaylene Clark Owens: I am a Black woman from Harlem, New York, now living in the Greater Philadelphia region. I proudly embrace my Virgin Islands and Southern roots. I value time with family and friends. I take pride in the circle of friends I have cultivated over the years, with some friendships stretching back over three decades.

I love being silly and laughing, and I love tearing up the dance floor, especially with my husband. Although I often don’t make enough time for it, I love doing crafty things, like scrapbooking, altering my clothes with rhinestones and paint, and drawing.

Finding Rhythm on the Page and Stage

Intellectual Ink Magazine: How does your creative process change when performing your poetry for an audience versus writing for readers?

Jaylene Clark Owens: When writing for the page, I have to be really intentional about the way I infuse rhyme and rhythm into the lines. When I am on stage or on video, it is much easier to bring my rhythm to the words. I embody the poem fully in my tone, tempo, body, and movements.

When the text is on the page, I have to imagine how it will sound when someone else reads it. There is also an adjustment when writing for the page because I have been writing for children. I have to find the right balance of making the figurative language simpler while still staying true to my poetic style.

The Reality of Being a Multihyphenate

Intellectual Ink Magazine: Has embracing multiple creative paths always come naturally to you, or have you felt pressure to focus on one?

Jaylene Clark Owens: Since I was a child, I have always embraced being a multihyphenate. I have been acting and performing my poetry since middle school. I now fully embrace being an actress, spoken word poet, and author. While I won’t say I felt pressure to choose one identity, it has been challenging to navigate all three. Being a multihyphenate, for me, means that I can’t put my all into all three professions at once.

If I say, “I’m going to dedicate myself to doing theatre for an entire year,” it will mean I can’t do as many poetry performances or author visits because theatre is typically a commitment where you are unavailable six days of the week. It doesn’t mean I stop doing poetry and author events entirely, but it does mean I won’t have as much time to dedicate to those parts of my career.

I love all three professions, so I do my best to make sure I’m dedicating my time to all of them, though inevitably, at certain times, one will get more attention than the others.

Connecting With Audiences of Every Age

Intellectual Ink Magazine: What do you enjoy about connecting with children through your books and adults through poetry and performance?

Jaylene Clark Owens: It means the world to me that I create work that can resonate with all ages. I love performing for both adults and children.

With children, I get a raw, unfiltered response. They don’t sugarcoat how they feel, so I always feel honored when I’m able to present them with a performance or reading or activity that they like.

When I’m performing for adults, I’m able to go deeper and get more intricate with my figurative language and wordplay, which I love to do!

Explore Jaylene’s Cover Story

In Intellectual Ink Magazine’s Black Girl Magic issue, Jaylene Clark Owens discusses the inspiration behind A Black Girl and Her Braids, her path to traditional publishing, creative ownership, and the importance of celebrating Black girls and their identities.

Read the full cover interview in Intellectual Ink Magazine, Issue 32: Black Girl Magic.