We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Reginald Forest. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Reginald below.

Reginald, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

Have you ever heard the saying “it takes a village to raise a child?” Well, that was the case for me. Due to difficult situations early in life, I moved around a lot. I was raised by my family, not just mom or dad. The beauty of it all is that I can see every one of those family members represented in me now. Each of them passed on words of wisdom, taught valuable lessons, and/or nurtured some aspect of my personality and being. So, I truly would not be who I am today without the input of each of them in my life.

My kindness and compassion stems from my grandmother MoMo or Maw Maw. To my memory, she was the kindest person I knew. I remember her smiling and laughing the most. It’s hard to believe that she has been gone 20 years now. She was selfless. If anyone came to her hungry, she would feed them. Her cooking was like therapy in a bowl. No matter how rough things got, the family knew we could rely on MoMo to be there to help wherever possible. She was our backbone. Seeing as I was the first grandbaby and first boy (she had all girls) we had an especially close bond. Now I do not remember much from my childhood, but I remember seeing my MoMo in the kitchen cooking very vividly. Whether it was red beans and rice, greens, gumbo, coon, or something as simple as egg and rice with green onion, it was always delicious and would lift my spirits no matter what. I remember gardening with her also, picking a ripe tomato, washing it and eating it with a light sprinkle of salt. Food was intertwined in our bond. I did not learn to cook from her, but she is the bar I strive to reach with each meal. She leads me by example, even now with her being gone. She’s still someone I aspire to be like and to make proud. I try to let her example in compassion and selflessness shine through me in all of my interactions with people. I, just like her, have a habit of feeding the people. If anyone comes to my home and mentions they are hungry or I am cooking, best believe I will offer a plate of food. Also, like her, I always have a listening ear for those in need. It must be something about my spirit that lets people know that I am a safe space. I remember being in middle school, no more than 14 waiting at the bus stop with this older lady in her sixties. She turned to me and asked what time the bus would pass, I answered her and thought that was it. Somehow, she began talking to me and sharing stories of things she was dealing with, things she was going through with her kids, just unloading her burdens onto me. Now I just listened attentively and apparently all she needed was a good listening ear to hear her without judgement. That is a trait I picked up straight from my MoMo Rayline.

My aunts also played vital roles in my upbringing. During a very dark time in life, my aunts stepped in and helped with my upbringing. Most of my middle school years and through out my early twenties were spent with one aunt or another. During these years I watched as each of them took on an extra mouth to feed, extra clothes to buy, etc., without complaint. These wonderful ladies instilled in me the work ethic I have today. They taught me the correct way to handle responsibilities and work, that one of the first things you do is make sure your bills are paid. Responsibilities first! Once you’ve taken care of all your responsibilities, then you can have a bit of fun. Though it can sometimes be a struggle, as I age, I am seeing much more of this becoming apparent in my day-to-day life.

Lastly, but certainly not least would be my parents. Patricia and Kenneth. Each year I’m seeing more and more of their individual characteristics in myself. Hardworking, observant, kind but take no bull, and so much more. But what I value most from each of them is their acceptance and unconditional love for me. My relationship with each of my parents has gone through dark times and at times were extremely strained. However, as life went on, I was able to reconcile with each of them, come to terms with our struggles, and build a better and stronger relationship as a result. Their love pushes me forth and motivates me to become the best I can be in whatever I put my hands to. My mom always says, “nothing beats a failure but a try.” Honestly when I first heard it, I thought it was silly, until I meditated on it. We will always fail if we do not try. We will never know if an idea can bloom into a beautiful reality if we never take the time and opportunity to give it a try.

How does all of this relate to my work as an author, photographer, and all of my other titles? Each of the people mentioned above has given me life lessons in love, selflessness, compassion, work ethic, and acceptance. These traits make up who I am, are the colors of my personality, the lenses through which I see the world and how I experience it. Everything I do has the signature of these individuals written in the foundation. Rayline, Patricia, Kenneth, Carol, Yolanda, and Royline. Without each of them I would not be here today, I would not be who I am. They laid the foundation upon which I’m building. For these reasons, I want to say thank you to each of them for being part of my village and shaping me into the man I am today.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Who am I? I am a creative, a man of many titles. I am an author, poet, photographer, cook, son, brother, etc… I often refer to myself as a Jack of many trades. Now most people will say “jack of many trades, master of none.” However, they often do not include the final part of the quote. The quote in full is “jack of many trades, master of none, but still better than one.” I feel that quote aptly describes myself and where I am currently in life. Many titles, none mastered completely but I am working and striving to improve each day.

As I mentioned I have many titles but currently writing and poetry are at the forefront. As an Author/Poet my beginnings came in middle school when we learned about poetry in English class. I fell in love with the idea and began trying my hand at it. My friends all said I was pretty good at it and so I kept writing, first for fun then eventually as an outlet for my feelings. I eventually ended up with a small body of work that a few others read and absolutely loved. However, I wasn’t ready and didn’t think I had what was necessary to become a published author. That is until a year ago when my cousin began publishing his poetry books that I edited. I eventually became inspired and began editing and formatting my work. After a couple of weeks of editing and formatting, I released something I held dear and personal, out into the world. I published my own book “Love’s Lost and Found.” It was exhilarating and scary at the same time. Exhilarating because I was finally achieving a long-time dream of mine; scary because these were my innermost, private, and vulnerable moments and thoughts and I had put them out for the whole world to see. Thankfully the reviews and responses have been purely positive. As I answer this question, I am proud to say that in the year my book has been published, I have been published in Poet Speak magazine twice and interviewed twice. I am also currently working on book #2. There will also be an audiobook of “Love’s Lost and Found” narrated by me, coming soon.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

The initial goal driving my creative journey was merely to publish a book of poetry. Now the goal is to develop writing poetry, and eventually novels, into a source of income to lift my mother and myself into a better place in life. I do not want her to have to worry about bills or lack anymore. I will one day be blessed enough, from my writing, to be able to pay off her home. That is my driving factor.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist, for me, is the feeling of accomplishment whenever I finish a poem or story. Knowing how I brought it from merely a word, phrase, or idea and flushed it out into a body of work. The other side of the same coin is when the same body of work is introduced to the masses and received very well. I understand that my work will not always be met with glowing reviews, but until that day comes, I will bask in the light while it shines.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rforest2023
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/61553757664352/
• Other: Love’s Lost and Found: Poetry by Reginald Antonio Forest https://a.co/d/hJiu15u

Image Credits

QTPhotography