How did you get your name?

Self appointed. It reminds me of my own mortality. That every single day, life takes a bite out of all of us in varying degrees.

What Kind of Poet are you?

Hard to answer. I enjoy the written word and spoken word theatrics. I don’t really do the academic formatting of poetry, even though I enjoyed studying it in college. I base everything in feeling and follow that. A lot of what I wrote or perform stems from my wrestling with time and mortality. It’s a well of thought I can constantly change my opinions on and challenge. I’m also big on using my poetry as a vessel to process my anger in healthy ways. I don’t like to let the word “poet” box me in. I enjoy constantly pushing my own boundaries and stepping out of my comfort zone.

What drew you to Poetry/writing?

I kept a journal as a kid and the entries started morphing into poetry over time. I had a lot bottled up in me when I was younger and never understood why boys weren’t allowed to cry or feel. So I did both of those things in my journal. I started getting more creative with how I was writing about a particular day or moment or feeling. One day it just was poetry.

Where are you from?

Born in Mount Vernon, NY, raised there until early teens. Then, I bounced between northern westchester and Putnam county, eventually settling in the Bronx about 7-8 years ago.

Where do you go to create? Tell us about one of your favorite creative environments

I enjoy going for walks at night and listening to music. Music helps me define what I’m feeling. I need a soundtrack at all times when I write. Long drives in the car are also great for mulling over thoughts that are itching you. But, once I’m ready to write, I like to be inside like a hermit.

What inspires you?

Regular people and their lives. Learning the similarities between us that outweigh the differences. Compassion inspires me a great deal, especially when I’m graced with someone more compassionate than myself. I look for the angle with which I can take some evolution from them. Less profound inspirations are film and music. I love overloading my senses with emotion and it’s beautiful when other art can do that to you.

Who inspires you?

Again, I think the regular people in my life and their stories of loss, love, pain and joy.

Who are some of your favorite poets?

Richard Siken, EE Cummings, Plath, Leah Tansey, and every single poet I know in my life. I’m also big on analyzing musical lyrics as a form of poetry.

Which Poems inspire you? Why?

I feel like a broken record with this question because I always give the same answer. Scheherazade by Richard Siken from his book Crush. It floors me every time I read it. Knocks the ins right out of my sails. I am constantly discover new gifts in it and it’s because it captures this inexplainable feeling of love for another in an all encompassing way. It’s constantly warring with the opposing forces within love. The magic of it and feeling of insignificance. The way it carries across the mundane and hides for us in intimate, quiet moments. The abstract violence of love. The fullness of it. The journey. That whole books approach to the idea of love as this beautiful, violent thing blows me away.

If you could work with anyone in the world (alive or dead) who would it be?

I’d like to attempt to write a song with Jimi Hendrix.

What’s a piece of advice you have for anyone trying to delve more into poetry?

Be yourself. Never write for others, especially in this digital age where we feel the need to have more fucking content. Fuck content. Fuck algorithms. They dilute you over time. Sure, some mass appeasing pieces might get a lot of likes, but writing or performing your truth will find you lifers that truly love what you do and will support it beyond the edifice of social media. Be dedicated to it. Rework, edit, have patience. Be open to new practices and ways to approach your writing. Allow room for constant growth and don’t let rejection get you down. Keep at it for yourself. That’s what matters, do the words feel good to you?

What advice do you have for poets to keep their audience engaged?

Again, be yourself. Do not become a robot. An audience should like you and your truth, not whether or not you post enough times in a day, or at the right time. Promotion should also feel truthful to you and your art. People that really love what you do can see through the falsehoods if you drift away from the core of who you are and why you create. Authenticity is the only reason I have any sort of true audience.

What's your dream?

It used to be crazy, unrealistic things. But now, my dream is to keep growing as a person and artist, and to always have time in my life to create in some capacity.

What advice do you have for anyone chasing their dreams

It’s not a race and there is always time to create if you’re willing to make it. Most creatives are plugging away at their dreams between other life responsibilities. You have to be willing to do the work. There’s no magic answer. It’s blood, sweat, tears.

What is your poetic legacy/ life legacy you are trying to create?

None, really. But, if I had to choose something, I guess that a reader or listener feels a little less alone through something I’ve done.

What is the best advice you would give someone with a dream?

Set a ladder of attainable goals on the way to the dream. And be open to not achieving the dream in the exact way you wanted to. Be malleable. Recognize and celebrate all the sacrifice and small successes along the way.

Tell us about your most recent release

In March, I released my debut spoken word album, I Wear Another Man’s Name. It’s a meditation on my relationship with my father, who I was named after, that unfortunately succumbed to cancer when I was a teen. It explores who he was and my individual truth about him, through the often raucous times in our household. It’s also a rumination on death, grief, time, and deconstruction of what it means to be a “man”. It’s currently available on all streaming platforms. I’ve been told it goes well with a box of tissues.

Listen https://open.spotify.com/album/1MuXJMKziQ5VDTwO1mOm1d?si=0su8rt7TRkyHypg_URV9Hw&dl_branch=1

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