Podcast: DC's Homeless Deliver Poetry Straight From The Streets

WASHINGTON, DC — 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 one of valuable resources the newspaper provides 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 Darlesha Joyner share their poetry and talk about the importance creative expression plays in their lives.

Related:

Episode 1: DC's Homeless Share Their Stories On New Podcast Series

Episode 2: DC Homeless Woman Finds Path To College Degree, Career

"Look At This" is a podcast series produced by the homeless men and women who sell the weekly Street Sense newspaper in Washington, D.C. Michael O'Connell, a D.C.-area journalist, podcaster, and editor at Patch, oversees the production of "Look At This."

The podcast series is a production of Street Sense Media, a nonprofit whose mission is to end homelessness in the Washington, D.C. area. It does this by providing people with the skills and tools they need to become more confident and empowered.

In service of its mission, Street Sense Media produces journalism about homelessness issues in the D.C. area, publishing it in a variety of platforms, including film, theater, photography, illustration, and podcasting.It also publishes the weekly Street Sense newspapers, which the homeless vendors sell as a way to earn income