Justin Booth is a man whose history is written all over his face, and as he is quick to point out, “I photograph well.” He is full of an energy that makes him hard to capture, but in the spaces in- between, there is truth to his claim. I had him in mind for a project, that turned in to something else, as my photo projects often do. We met at Dizzy’s, where he spends his afternoons sipping whiskey and making conversation. I watch him and listen, occasionally interrupting, asking him to pause while I take a shot. He tells me about his recent trip to New York, where he read in a bar in the Bowery, and of his upcoming book release. We talk about fighting, prison, and life on the street, and how all of those things make good poetry. It is easy to admire a man who started out by selling books, photocopied himself, on a downtown corner, and who still goes back to visit the homeless camps where he once resided. Justin writes poems that pair well with a strong drink, and read easy in a noisy beer hall.
His book, “The Singer, The Lesbian, and and the One With the Feet: 69 Bipolar Love Poems”, is being released through Cowboy Buddha Publishing, and will drop on Feb. 15. Do yourself a favor and head over to the back room of Vino’s to support local writer’s.