ABOUT MIKE

What made you decide to be a poet?

In 2008, I remember watching a person on Youtube reciting a spoken word piece and they spoke of their relationship with God. After that, I always had ideas in my head about how to communicate God’s love to other using poetry. I wasn’t interesting in becoming a pastor, but I loved to preach. Around the same time, a friend of mine asked me to come share something at an open mic that same year and I ended up writing my first poem entitled. ’Christianity 101’

Where do you draw your inspiration?

An obvious one is the Bible. Apart from The Book, My inspiration comes from from books on various subjects, conversations I have with my close friends about our life experiences, specific events that took place in my own life that I decided to put into words. Because I’m so pensive, I spend a great amount of time in “my own world” reflecting on past experiences and future possibilities.

What are you trying to communicate with your art?

The goal is to communicate my theme, which is “God is love”. I find there are many ways that we see this not only in the stories that warm our hearts, and give us inspiration, but in tales of tragedy and sorrow. Whether in pain or pleasure, we can learn from God in the midst of them all.

What do most poorly-written poems have in common?

The first one is a lack of individuality. I’ve seen and read many poetry styles and it’s not hard to see similarities with other poets/artists. Another common thread is a lack of conviction(especially recited). A piece may be important to the writer, but they can forget that they need to convince others that what they are saying is meaningful. Things like this do require attention to words in writing and attention to tone when speaking.

Are all your poems biblically based?

No. Though the most poems are the ones based on the scriptures, I also write poetry on subjects such as relationships, truth, beauty, and social awareness.

How much research do you do for a piece?

I typically research a character as if I have to write an essay on their life. I research the personality type the individual, the historic context of their writings, the day to day lifestyle of someone living in that era, and what common threads there are to someone living today.

What does being “creative” mean to you?

To me, it means knowing your self and knowing your audience. It’s a point where your individuality is seen by providing another method to reach the same goal.

Who is your favorite author?

Lewis R. Walton. His books are filled with creativity that literally seizes my imagination. His works make it difficult to pull your eyes away from his words. He is the only one I know of that could describe a pencil in a way that will make you go out and buy a hundred of them.

How long does it take you to write a poem?

Most of the pieces I recite took anywhere from 1-3 days to complete. Others months and there are some more than fours years in the making.

What is your favorite piece you’ve ever written?

Christianity 101. It was my first poem and to me the most powerful. Nothing has come close to affecting me and my audience the way that poem does. In short, it is the gospel in its simplicity.

Do you recite from memory or read your poems aloud for your audience?

I love memorizing things so it was natural for me to focus on reciting poems. If I am speaking in front of a crowd, I will always share a poem i committed to memory. I also realized that It takes away from the presentation when I’m looking down rather than at at audience. Having people see my facial expressions and mannerisms helps them see every emotion on every character I portray in my pieces.

How long does it take to fully memorize a poem after you’ve written it?

If a spoken word piece lasts 3-5 minutes, a week.