Earlier this year, my mother sent me a hard copy of a collection of poems that my grandmother Kathleen attempted, but failed, to get published. This revelation – that my grandmother wrote poetry and aspired to be a poet – was pretty surprising. We knew that my grandmother loved poetry and that she read it aloud as a senior to keep her mind sharp. We knew she’d written one unpublished novel, too. But she never mentioned her poetry. None of us had read any of it until 2023, more than 17 years after her death. My mother asked me, “Can you do something with this?”

Challenge accepted.

Today, on YouTube, I release a tribute to my grandmother and my own rendition of five of the poems in her collection. I hope that my efforts are pleasing to my grandmother, wherever she is now. Her efforts to write poetry so long ago make me feel closer to her today, and also more at peace with my own accomplishments. Guys Reading Poems took five years of my life to make, and included two of my original poems. Although I consider it an artistic high point in my career, it was not a financial boon, to say the least. Sometimes, in lonely moments, I’ve wondered if it was worth it. But knowing that this poetry-related accomplishment fulfilled not only a dream for myself, but also for my grandmother, is extremely satisfying. 

Thank you to my mother for discovering and nudging me to create a video around these poems. And a huge thank you to my grandmother, Kathleen, for being an inspiring and encouraging voice. Hopefully, we’re able to bring voice to your work, in some small way.