Carlton Johnson is a homeless man who sells the Street Sense newspaper in Washington, D.C. He's also a poet.
Although Johnson began writing poetry when he was young, the poems he writes today reflect the things he sees and feels when he's out on the streets. Sometimes he even recites poetry to his customers.
"I call it street slamming," he said. "They'll see what I see but they'll hear what I'm feeling.”
In the first episode of "Look at This," Brian Carome, Street Sense Media's executive director, said a valuable resource the newspaper provides for its vendors is an opportunity for self-expression. Many vendors, like Johnson, do this by writing articles or poetry for the newspaper they sell.
This week's episode of the "Look at This" podcast, Johnson and fellow vendors Ayub Abdul and Darleesha Joyner share their poetry and talk about the importance creative expression plays in their lives.
In Our Own Voices: Wendell Williams
In Our Own Voices: Amina Washington
In Our Own Words: Rochelle Walker
In Our Own Voices: Martin Walker
In Our Own Voices: Jacqueline Turner
In Our Own Voices: Eric Thompson-Bey
In Our Own Voices: Aida Peery
In Our Own Voices: Conrad Cheek Jr.
In Our Own Voices: Phillip Black
In Our Own Voices: Daniel Ball
Look at This a Street Sense Media Podcast: Episode Six
Look at This a Street Sense Media Podcast: Episode Five
Look at This a Street Sense Media Podcast: Episode Four
Look at This a Street Sense Media Podcast: Episode Two
Look at This a Street Sense Media Podcast: Episode One
Sounds From the Street: Ron Dudley on Hip-Hop & Fatherhood
Sounds From the Street: Wendy Oxenhorn on Founding the Street Paper Movement
Sounds From the Street: Patty Smith Sings the Blues
Sounds From the Street: Middle Schoolers Discuss Homeless Activism
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