BY IRIS B. HOLTON
Sentinel City Editor
On Saturday, August 24th, at 4 p.m., LIFE, a noted poet and Sentinel Columnist will host a book signing to introduce his first book to the community. The event will take place at Mocha Brown’s Coffee Shop, 428 W. Waters Avenue.
Entitled “On ‘Black On Black’ Love…” the book is a compilation of poems and the stories from which they were inspired. LIFE said the idea for the book came about after talking to friends.
“I started writing poems more than ten years ago. One friend remarked how important it is to have what’s written in printed form so that it can be passed on to the next generation. I was talking to another friend who shared the same idea, and that is how I became a columnist.”
The only child of Mrs. Ernestine Coleman and grandson of the late Mrs. Alberta Macon, LIFE graduated from Jesuit High School in 1992. He then prepared to pursue a career in the U. S. Naval Academy.
It was also during this time that he began to experience a change in his thought. After about a year, he left the naval Academy. “At that time in my life, I switched from going to work for the government to going to work for the people. I became an activist. The Navy said they could not continue our relationship. We weren’t made for each other.”
His next decision took him to the campus of Morehouse College in Atlanta, and his introduction as a rapper. He was on the road to becoming a successful rapper and was only 3 songs away from completing his first album.
But, during a visit home, he was involved in an accident that left him with a broken neck and jaw. It took him about 6 months to recover and by that time, his window of opportunity had passed.
The 38-year-old father of 4 children said his fan base was in Atlanta and the people in Tampa weren’t ready for his style of music. Besides that, he had 2 young children to support.
A mason by trade, LIFE entered the workforce and began attending poetry shows at the urging of a friend. Although his style evolved from rap to poetry, his message remained the same.
He plans to continue writing and is currently working on his memoirs. Unmarried, but committed, he enjoys spending time with family, including his brothers, Ronnie, Robert, and Deontae. He enjoys traveling as a form of change, but said he doesn’t have time for hobbies.
“I am committed to the freedom of our people. I read, write and attend social functions to help us get a little bit closer to being free.”
