Performed by Val Cole

Editor & Visual Design by Steve Rizzo

Produced by Matthew Toffolo

Get to know the poet:

What is the theme of your poem?
The theme of “The Beautiful Scar” is learning to find the beauty in the humanity we often rob ourselves of when we feel like the world is rejecting us.

2) What motivated you to write this poem?
During the first year of the MFA program at UNR-Lake Tahoe, I was away at our winter residency, and I was so encapsulated by my colleagues’ vulnerability and the power they gave to their truth of the hardships they experienced in their own lives. One of them told me that my writing was already at that level but what held me back was withholding my own truth to protect those I was writing about. This poem was the turning point for me to be more honest and vulnerable, not just with my audience, but with myself. It was a difficult process to grasp and write through but for the first time in my 25 years [at the time] of life, I finally felt free.

3) How long have you been writing poetry?
I was a slow-learner as a kid, so I caught on to reading and writing at a later age than my siblings did, but I began creative writing through free-writing in 1st grade when I was six years old. I began learning how to write poetry at eight years old and began writing my own poems at twelve years old, so I’ve been writing for about twenty-two years with seventeen years to this day of writing poetry and it’s a blessing I always remind myself to be grateful for.

4) If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?
That’s a super tough question, haha! There are so many brilliant minds to choose from but I think I would love to have dinner with Langston Hughes. I’ve long been a fan of his work since my high school days, and he became a mentor-in-spirit for me during my MFA program. It’s been humbling to hear many peers and readers alike expressing the music and rhythm they hear in my art, but that all came from Langston Hughes. I’d love to pick his mind about being a Black artist and activist, how he learned to interweave poetry and musical rhythm and meter together so naturally, and how he sees the world and what colors he sees it in when he writes. I’d also thank him for his contributions to our culture, history, and art as an icon and pioneer.

5) What influenced you to submit to have your poetry performed by a professional actor?
I love being able to share my voice with the world through my writing in any shape or form, so it was a no-brainer. After a long talk with some loved ones about the opportunity, they were nothing short of supportive and I felt this would be a huge first step in putting my name out to the world and just hoping that my words can heal or at least begin the process of healing and mending any ailing souls that have experienced similar traumas to mine in their lives. I also want to give a big shout-out to a mentor/colleague of mine in Faylita Hicks. [Check out her first poetry collection, Hoodwitch, as well as her newly released second collection, Map of My Wants.] She’s served as a phenomenal inspiration for me and seeing how she’s branched out her poetry into various multimedia projects over her career had a huge influence on me wanting to explore similar avenues with the resources I already have available.

6) Do you write other works? scripts? Short Stories? Etc..?
I do! I love writing in all forms. Before I began committing to poetry, I used to write all kinds of stories ranging from fantasy, usually based on my favorite anime or video game franchises, to personal narratives. One of my goals for the future is to create my own manga or graphic novel and I’ve also been toying around with the idea of a future poetry collection in the style of a manga volume. For now, my central focus outside of poetry is to venture into Black erotica stories that speak to the experiences of both Black men and women that can hopefully help to bridge the gap in our community. I love my people and our culture and I want to that magic and divinity to be seen as raw, unflinching, and unapologetically Black but in a way with grace, compassion, and vulnerability that can allow anyone to see themselves in and open themselves to our humanity and their own.

7) What is your passion in life?
My passion in life is to spread as much joy and freedom to the world as possible. Whether it’s making people laugh, opening their hearts up to the world around them, or being a listening ear to a friend or stranger, I’ve always believed changing the world is a journey rather than a destination and the steps in that journey involve being kind, loving, compassionate, empathetic, gracious, and learning how to heal our own humanity and others. It won’t be easy, but with the nakama [loved ones closer than family] I’ve built for myself over the years ever since I began this journey, words can’t express the feeling of knowing that I’m not alone anymore on my path and I can’t wait to see who else wants to join me along the way.