New Book :: When Did We Stop Being Cute?

When Did We Stop Being Cute?: Poems by Martin Wiley
CavanKerry Press, April 2023

Martin Wiley grew up confronting and embracing a world as mixed and confused as he was, surrounded by beautiful words one minute and screamed at with hate the next. Set to a soundtrack of ’80s hits, When Did I Stop Being Cute?, a novel in poetic form, tells the story of a young man dealing with the challenges of being mixed-race, growing up, facing the police, and confronting himself. It is a time of change, for himself and the world around him, as he seeks to “remember / just when I stopped / being cute.” A longtime activist, spoken-word artist, and slam poet, Wiley earned his MFA from Rutgers University-Camden, where he was a Rutgers University Fellow. He is now the Adult Learning Lead Instructor for Project HOME, a nonprofit focused on ending homelessness and poverty within Philadelphia, and an adjunct professor at Rosemont College.

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