Atlanta-based poet and artist W.J. Lofton‘s third collection of poetry, “boy maybe,” includes 51 poems that take his readers on an emotional roller coaster exploring grief, love, police brutality and Black culture. It publishes today from Beacon Press.
Credit: Natalie Lauren Sims
Credit: Natalie Lauren Sims
Lofton told UATL he created the coming-of-age book about embracing his Black, queer and Southern identity the way a musician creates an album.
“I wanted it to feel like a journey that allows for complications, growth, uncertainty and possibility, but feels musical and rhythmic. It allowed me to play with my imagination, use language to enter, shape and feel safe in a world even if it wasn’t exactly how I was experiencing it,” Lofton said.
Through poetry, Lofton writes verses that regularly mention Black musicians like Sylvester and Kendrick Lamar, while also describing the sensations of dining on poundcake, fried fish with hot sauce and sweet tea, and kissing other men in public places. He said it’s how he keeps his writing truthful and is able to create empathy with his audience.
“In order for me to write honestly and actualize myself, I have to tell the truth about who I am. I utilize the personal as political because I belong to Black queer people, and I wanted to make it evident that how I live my life is not an abomination or a spectacle. It’s a life worth living, and I am proud of it,” he said.
The poet is having a book release for “boy maybe” at Auburn Avenue Research Library today at 6:30 p.m. It’s the same place he debuted his 2018 book of poetry, “A Garden for Black Boys: Between the Stages of Soil and Stardust.” Lofton called his return to the venue a homecoming.
“I wanted to go back to a place that housed me when I didn’t know who I was as a writer yet. I’m interested in not forgetting about the people and the community that I come from,” he said.
In 2015, Lofton moved to Atlanta from Valley, Alabama, and began regularly visiting Black-owned bookstores like For Keeps on Auburn Avenue to connect with other writers and creatives. His works were later commissioned by John Lewis and actress Jasmine Guy.
Jericho Brown, Atlanta-based, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and MacArthur Fellow, said Lofton was determined to establish himself as a writer and storyteller.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
“He was attending every local poetry event and would ask me what I was reading. His work is so athletic, charged and necessary to the poetry community and our band of literary lovers,” Brown said.
Born on the South Side of Chicago, Lofton grew up in foster care with his adoptive mother in Alabama after his father died. He turned to art to grieve and come to terms with his sexual identity.
“I was processing the death of both of my parents, my sexuality, gender expression and my place in the world. I had to filter, think through all of these things that were happening and try to find a way to embrace it,” Lofton said.
Lofton briefly enlisted in the U.S. Army and started writing poetry while he was deployed in Afghanistan.
In 2020, Lofton codirected “We Ask for Fire,” a visual poem he wrote as a tribute to Breonna Taylor, who was killed by police while asleep at her home in Louisville. It led to film director Ava DuVernay awarding him a LEAP grant from her production company, ARRAYNOW, to produce another visual poem, “Would You Kill God Too?” which premiered in Time Magazine the following year.
Lofton said the project gave him confidence to make purpose-driven art. “I’d be the person in the street causing destruction, but I am most potent with language. I just wanted people to call their officials and demand justice, but it made me believe I could make great art with intention,” Lofton said.
Credit: Wulf Bradley
Credit: Wulf Bradley
Lofton is currently completing “Sue City,” his memoir about family separation and being in the foster care system. He hopes his poetry and art can bridge communities.
“Revolution takes place when we are allowed to see each other as human beings, and empathy is a wide net if we are willing to open our eyes and see each other even if you don’t always understand or have the other experience,” he said.
“I’m using it to make myself a soft bed and a warm meal to make my life and the people around me as comfortable as possible. We owe it to each other to disrupt and get into good trouble whenever we can.”
6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 25. Auburn Avenue Research Library, 101 Auburn Avenue NE, Atlanta. 404-613-4001. eventbrite.com
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