We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Joe Hughes III a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Joe thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?

I remember hearing strange responses to my writings: “The speaker sounds like two people, one educated and one low class,” (because the two are mutually exclusive, right?) “Some of the terms are foreign; can you explain them to your readers more?” They’re questioning my experience! And I took that personally, too, like “Damn, I need to step it up!” Meanwhile, it be the same folks asking me to do the work that they refuse to do. I caught on, though; had to start listening to me and trusting that I knew what I was talking about.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a writer and poet based in Northern Virginia who discusses alternative Black expressions, Black masculinity, and internet culture in the context of American capitalism. I use research and lived experiences to inspire vulnerability and a willingness to deal with pain, often gravitating to visual experimentation and terse wordplay. I began writing in the first grade but didn’t realize I was good at it until I attended Charles J. Colgan Senior High School’s creative writing program.

Graduating as an inaugural student at Colgan launched me into success at Virginia Tech, where I developed my craft as a Creative Writing and Professional/Technical Writing double major. While at Virginia Tech, I published in over ten publications, including the Whiting-Award-winning magazine, “Apogee Journal,” twice earned a finalist spot in the Giovanni-Steger Poetry Prize, and received three feature segments on podcasts and magazines. I do all of this work to unravel distorted histories and strive toward true generational healing.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

In 2020, I quickly learned people wanted a platform for artistic and intellectual dialogue, so I developed a series of poetry corners on Instagram to fulfill that need. That’s when I started gaining attention across social media and within my local community. There wasn’t a formula to it, though: I did what I felt was necessary. And I knew people would support me if I did because I was already going live to chat with them. So, my advice is to trust your instincts and believe that what you’re doing is worthwhile. The followers will come naturally.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Unlearning! Yes, let’s talk about it. Being in school for over a decade taught me that I need a plan for everything, and, oh my goodness, that is just not true! That is an anxiety-inducing fallacy fueled by an unwillingness to accept. We can’t control everything. I realized this most clearly when stumbling over my words at poetry readings and still hearing waves of praise for my performance. Looking back at some videos, I knew my performances were not my best. I had annotated and practiced nights before and still couldn’t land it. But sometimes, simply being present with people and giving them your best shot is the only plan you need.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://joehughesiii.wixsite.com/writer
• Instagram: @joehughesiii
• Other: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/joehughesiii

Image Credits
David Hughes from Your Beauty My Camera Productions Leslie King Eyoel Fassil