Sheer Creativity
Step into the chill vibes of Sheer Creativity, your go-to laid-back podcast about creatives for creatives! Immerse yourself in dynamic conversations, insightful interviews, and performances, all centered around the creative experience. With me, Laraya, as your guide, we'll blend special guests, personal development nuggets, and engaging creative content to inspire and motivate you on your artistic journey.
Sheer Creativity
Lacroy "Atlas" Nixon: The Community-Minded Spoken Word Poet
Lacroy "Atlas" Nixon has been writing and performing slam poetry for seven years, and it all began in a high school English class. After years of honing his craft and publishing his poetry collection God and His Humor in 2021, Lacroy founded the Slam Connection in Williamsburg, VA to teach other high school students poetry while focusing on community engagement. Follow Lacroy on Instagram @atlasnixon and keep up with the Slam Connection on Instagram @slamconnection.
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Welcome to the Sheer Creativity Podcast, the podcast about creatives for creatives. Our Sheer Creator on today's episode is Lacroy Atlas Nixon. Lacroy is a spoken word, artist and founder of the Slam Connection. Lacroy, welcome to the show.
Lacroy:Hey, thanks for having me. Glad to be here.
Raya:I'm glad you're here too. So let's start it off by telling us more about you, your age, where you're from, all that good stuff.
Lacroy:Of course, of course. Uh, I am, uh, 25 years old. All right. Um, yeah, I turned 25 this past August. I am from,
Raya:oh, happy birthday.
Lacroy:Thank you. Thank you. Uh, I am from the great city of Williamsburg, Virginia, the wide open spaces of Williamsburg. Um, yeah, that's pretty much that. I originally, I was originally born in, uh, Charlotte, North Carolina, but I was raised out here. Basically, yeah. Yeah,
Raya:same here.
Lacroy:word. Yeah.
Raya:What high school did you go to?
Lacroy:I went to Warhill High School.
Raya:So did I.
Lacroy:No way. Yo. Okay. Small world. Yes, all cool Um, but yeah, um, to kind of give a little bit of background, um, my mom and dad, uh, both of them are pastors. They pastored a church up here in Williamsburg for like around 16, 17 years, um, from like 2002 to like 2018.
Raya:Oh, wow.
Lacroy:So, so, yeah, like, um, they were told like, Hey, Hey, I think God is calling us to Williamsburg out of all places. We have no connections here.
Raya:Mm-hmm.
Lacroy:when we moved here, I was like five years old. So, um, yeah. But that's what happened and a lot of great things came out of it, so I guess that's, that's beautiful. That's all she wrote.
Raya:So how long have you been writing poetry?
Lacroy:Um, how long have I been writing poetry? Um, about seven years now. Um, I got my start, um, at Liberty University. Got my degree in graphic design. Poetry was not really on the radar, but
Raya:Mm-hmm.
Lacroy:I kind of got thrust into it.
Raya:Oh, how did that happen?
Lacroy:Uh, let me spin you the yarn. Okay, so let me take it back to like 10th grade English class. Um, you know, everybody's gotta write a poem and say it in front of the class. I was like super introverted. So the idea of standing in front of people was not a, not my thing. Um, so I wrote my poem, but my teacher's like, you know what? It's cool, I'll just read it. Um, so she read it in front of the class and everybody in the class was like, Ooh, whoa. All right, well, going crazy. Um, and then after class she was like, you know what? You should start, you should start writing more. You got, you got something going on. So I just began to slowly start writing, but it wasn't really a thing. I didn't really consider myself a poet. It was just something I did because I didn't know any better Um, so they had me get up and do, um, do a poem for Black History Month, um, and then, Later on that year, they had this competition through the NAACP called the Axo Program. it's like 26 different categories. Um, you can compete in everything from culinary arts to like physics and mathematics. It's pretty insane. So of course, um, you have like a local competition. If you win there, you go to nationals. I made it to nationals with poetry and engineering. Don't, don't ask. Originally I wanted to go to college to be an engineer. So that's cuz in my mind I'm gonna go to college, get my engineering degree, um, run track, do my thing, everything's good. So, um, I would go to the national competition. I didn't win. Anything, but that was the first place I really saw what poetry could be. It really being there, took it beyond the classroom of like, oh, we're gonna write this Shakespearean sonnet or whatever. Like that was the first time I really heard spoken word and slam and like really introduced me to everything like that. So that's when I was like, oh, okay. Fast forward couple years. Um, first year at Liberty, um, there's a, um, a ministry on the campus called Bridging the Gap, urban Ministries. They spread the gospel through the performing arts. I'm like, all right, this is cool. I'm thinking I'm gonna join as like a drummer or something. I don't consider myself a poet. Somebody found out that I was in that competition as a poet, so they threw me on a stage and they were like, yeah, so we, you just joined. We have this thing coming up in two weeks, so we need two pieces. I didn't have two pieces, so that was really the intro to that. And then I get on the stage, everybody's like, oh, that was amazing. And then right after that, somebody's like, Hey, we got this open mic going on in downtown Lynchburg. And that was kind of the snowball into everything else. So that was kind of how I got my start. Yeah.
Raya:It seems like people were kind of like thrusting you into it or they just, they saw what it could become, but you were like, eh, you know, I, it's just something I do Yeah. But usually it is like people pushing us to realize our own potential. Sometimes Right. But yeah, it's interesting. I never heard of the, the NAACP program like that. That sounds really cool.
Lacroy:Yeah, it really doesn't get as much publicity as it probably should. Like there's a lot of like notable people that came through that program or like to give an idea how big it is, like the last one I went to was in Las Vegas, all right?
Raya:Mm-hmm.
Lacroy:It was crazy, but everybody there, highly educated going to college on a academic scholarship. The cream of the crop. Um, they had, who is it? China Anne McClain came and performed at the ceremony. Like Okay. It was, it was, it was wild. Um, the winners, like they mentioned, they highlight like the top three in each category. You win top three, you get like a scholarship and like an iPad or something.
Raya:Okay.
Lacroy:Right after the competition was the BET Image Awards. Like in the same, in the same place, ran by the same people. And I was like, oh, okay. This is real.
Raya:This is official.
Lacroy:This is, oh, y'all do this So like, but it really doesn't get as much publicity as it should, but yeah, it's out there.
Raya:That's what platforms like this are about. It's, it's really about exposing creatives to all the different outlets that they can utilize. So I like that. So you are now a spoken word artist. How did you come up with the name Atlas for your spoken word artistry?
Lacroy:Okay. Back to this ministry on, at Liberty, right?
Raya:Mm-hmm.
Lacroy:When everybody joins, they get like a name. Cause the way it kind of work, it kind of functions kind of like fraternity, sorority, like
Raya:mm-hmm.
Lacroy:So you have like an intake process, all that good stuff. So, When everybody, you know, finishes the process, you get the ceremony, everybody gets their name and stuff like that.
Raya:They go, they join their teams. Um, they gave me the name Atlas because like when I was crossing over with my line, um, I was the one that kind of served as a foundation for everyone. I was holding everybody up. I was pushing, everybody like, hey, we can do this. We can get through this. We got this. Like, I was kind of like the motor behind, like the engine behind everything else. Um, and they noticed that, and then it, like literally, so like I said, I joined and then two weeks later I was on a stage and that name just kind of stuck. And I was like, oh, okay, well, um, if it ain't broke if it ain't broke, don't fix it. So, um, and then people just took to, just knowing me as Atlas. So yeah, I love that story. It's kind of, Like a compass in a sense, like how people look to you to lead them in a sense. So I like that.
Lacroy:Yeah, it really, yeah, it, it really became that like in like on and off the stage. And I was like, all right, well
Raya:This is me. So when you're sitting down to start writing a poem, how do your poems develop? Or in other words, what do the stages of your poems look like for you?
Lacroy:Okay. Um, I kind of, one thing I've been fighting to achieve is kind of like this ongoing flow state. I'm always thinking about possible concepts, um, because especially when you're writing in depth, it's hard to just sit down like cold turkey and it's like you gotta come up with this incredibly ornate concept and make it pop and make it amazing and all this stuff. So I'm always just kind of thinking about, okay, what might work? What could go here, what to do this. Um, there's a lot of times I'll just be on my day to day. I'll think of a line, I'm like, oh, let me record this on my phone real quick. And I have like a whole list of just recorded bars that may never get used, but I'm going to use some who you never know. Um, so. Then when it comes time to, like, typically it's like if I'm commissioned to do something, it's like, Hey, we need a piece about this. Okay. I always kind of look at things in the terms of intersections, cuz I've always tried to, um, I've always tried to find ways to draw people into the poetry instead of talk at someone, you know? So you draw somebody in typically by showing how their world crosses with something else and I typically write in the context of experiences, um, because that's how, that's how we go through life. So for example, like if somebody's experiencing racism, it's typically in a situational sense. Um, and there's a lot to unpack in that situation rather than it's just one thing.
Raya:Mm-hmm.
Lacroy:So really drawing on the concept of intersectionality, um, when it comes to my writing, and then it kind of builds itself out from. So, yeah, that's, if I had to define it any kind of way, that would probably be it.
Raya:Okay. Um, I had this question that popped up into my head and let me know if it doesn't make sense, but like, first spoken word, you often have like a, a cadence that you follow. Do you fit the words into the cadence that you have when you're trying to plan out the poem?
Lacroy:Honestly, I kind of let it happen naturally. Um,
Raya:okay.
Lacroy:Because different words will call for a kind of different cadence, um mm-hmm. and then you have your, it's like you have your natural way that you speak and your, the natural, like flow in your sentence structure and then you have what you're trying to say. Um, sometimes it's just finding that happy medium. Okay.
Raya:I like that answer. So how do you know that a poem is complete?
Lacroy:It's not really a point of it being complete. It's more of a point of, if I were to stand on stage, does this feel like a complete thought rather than a complete poem?
Raya:Mm-hmm.
Lacroy:Cause honestly, even my poems that I wrote years ago, like I'm still critiquing it, still making it, you know, more apt to what I'm dealing with now because who I was when I wrote that poem and who I am now, maybe two different people, you know?
Raya:Mm-hmm.
Lacroy:I might have undergone a lot of change. My life may not even look the same from then till now. So kind of adjusting it and plus my cadence, how I speak, how I walk, how I talk. So even my cadence and performance might shift from time to time instead of just saying like, oh, well this piece, it's fire then it's fire now. So like, it's more or less like a, it's more or less like a line of which, you know, you just kind of know that. I'm ready to perform this piece, but no piece is ever truly done, if that makes sense.
Raya:Yeah, that makes all the sense. Who or what would you say is your greatest influence on your poetry?
Lacroy:Sheesh. What do I, where do I start? Well, first off, I gotta give props to God. I, I'm a believer, um, so everything I say comes, like, comes out of a place of like the word of God or like, has a biblical base. so that's firstly another influence really I look at like my teacher, my 10th grade teacher that got me into all this. If it wasn't for her standing up and saying, Hey, you could, you could do this. A lot of the opportunities, a lot of the things I've been able to do, places I've gone, never would have a chance. None of it would ever happen. So all because one person said, Hey, I think you can do this. Um, let's see. Gotta get props to my parents. Love, love my mom and Pops. Like I said, they were pastors for a long time. So I grew up just kind of listening to them, listening to their cadence, listening to how they deliver a message. And if you listen closely, um, to the people that have seen me from then till now, you'll hear just a touch of them in my voice, whether I try to do it or not. Um, and then, Um, biggest inspirations like kind of outside my circle. Um, this is one poet by the name of Propaganda. Um, he, he's, out West, east Los Boyle Heights, uh, Los Angeles. He does a, like a podcast and stuff like that, but he's been writing, performing, rapping, speaking for, for years. He has this kind of cynical tone to him, like, kind of like, well this is what it is, kind of tone, um, like, and it really, and it really makes you think, it really makes you address the world that you think is normal. And it's like, well, hold on. Is this, is this really okay? Like he really makes you ask questions. So if I had to name like, I guess a celebrity influence, that would probably be it. But, uh, but yeah, really my biggest influence is also my friends. I have a lot of like artistic friends. They have really, they've really been a push, you know, they're all doing great things. A lot of my friends that are rappers, they're signed and getting features, doing all kinds of great stuff. And, um, seeing them succeed was really made me ask the question. It's like, okay, so what does success look like for me? And it's really put everything into a frame. So, Yeah. Influences. Yes.
Raya:So would you say that being in a creative space helps you creatively?
Lacroy:Listen to all my creatives listening. Get in a place where you are not the most creative person in the room. If you wanna grow, if you want to grow, get in places where you learn, get in rooms that are way bigger, get in rooms that you feel are above your tax bracket. Get in rooms that you feel are, you know, that you feel like you're too small to be in because that's where you have the most room to grow. Um, so yes, being in creative spaces is a big asset.
Raya:Yes. That's great advice. I feel like if you're in a room where you are challenged, that's, that is where the most growth can happen. Course. So it, it's definitely so beneficial to be around people who push you creatively and also encourage you creatively.
Lacroy:Of course.
Raya:Would you say that also being in a creative space helps you to combat a lack of creative energy or do you have sometimes a lack of creative energy?
Lacroy:Yes. I'm not gonna lie, so like again, um, so I got my degree at Liberty from in graphic design.
Raya:Mm-hmm.
Lacroy:big far cry from the engineering plan that I had at first, but, um, got my degree in graphic design. It's a creative medium right. Whether I'm creating poetry or creating graphics or whatever, I'm always there, you know? Um, the best way that I was able to kind of combat that kind of writer's block or that kind of creative block that everybody runs into is just always kind of being in a place where, like my baseline is something, is that is my baseline is still excellent. You know?
Raya:Mm-hmm.
Lacroy:um, even in times I'm tired, I'm not feeling it. I can still turn around and be like, all right, well, I can get x, y, z done in my baseline, you know, with me at bare minimum energy, I can still produce excellence. Mm-hmm. And that's something that, that's a standard I've strive. Like I've really tried to push myself to reach, um, cuz you're gonna run into a lot of writer's blocks. You're gonna run into a lot of creative blocks. It happens, you know? Um, but I've done my best. It was like, you know what, if I'm gonna post a picture on my Instagram, It's gonna be a professional picture. You know, I'm not gonna post any car pictures, you know, if it's gonna be, if I'm gonna post a video, I'm gonna make sure the video is like stable and I'm gonna make sure it looks good. I'm gonna make sure, you know, it looks a certain type of way. And I transfer that same mindset into like my graphics. It's like, you know, if I'm gonna make some, if I'm gonna make a graphic thing for anybody, a poster, I'm gonna make sure it looks like something you'd wanna look at. I'm gonna make sure it's gonna get your attention. And it's really that mindset of, you know, I'm going to push myself to be the best that I can possibly be, and sometimes the best that I can be that day is struggling, I'm not gonna lie sometimes, but like, it's really dissatisfaction of knowing that I gave what I had, I gave all I had
Raya:mm-hmm.
Lacroy:and um, so I'd do that for my poetry, for my art for life. Really? Yeah. So, yeah.
Raya:That's great. So transitioning more into the slam connection portion of your artistry. So why and how did you start the Slam Connection? Was it just an idea that popped into your head or something that you've really been planning for for a long time?
Lacroy:Well, let me spin you the yarn of that.
Raya:All right. Spin it.
Lacroy:Alright. Alright. So again, let me take you back to Liberty. A lot of stuff happened at Liberty, right? So let me take, let me take you back like my junior, senior year of Liberty. Um, we're talking 2019. Um, at this point I'd been writing and performing consistently about three to four years.
Raya:Um, okay.
Lacroy:I've been, and I'd, um, so they had like two open mics a month on the campus. And I would go there and I went there so much that people thought my actual name was Atlas. Like, it was, it was actually hilarious. But I would go there and people would be like, yo, what is yo, who is this dude? And I began to build a name for myself. And then even off campus, I, there was this group in, there's this group in Lynchburg now called the Listening Incorporated. Mm-hmm. They specialize in mentoring young people through the performing arts. They even bought a Freedom School, a Child Defense Fund Freedom School to Lynchburg. Um, I served as a teacher and as a site coordinator for the school. It's like a six week summer intensive, but it only teaches like literature and stuff. It's amazing. Nonetheless, they do a lot for the community and I got a chance to really get off the campus and get in the, they do like open mics and different events like that. So I got a chance to get off campus, get in front of people who may not believe what I believe, who may not agree with what I agree with, and blah, blah, blah, blah, you know, and really put myself to the test. Um, mm-hmm. put myself in front of people that have heard spoken word, that know Slam and get and when I knew I was doing something right, when those people were coming out of their way to be like, nah, bro, you got something. You got some juice over you got some juice over here. So like
Raya:Mm-hmm.
Lacroy:I was like, all right. So that was the confidence. So originally before with Slam Connection, it was this group called Poetic Soul Association. It was an on-campus club that I had started, um, with a bunch of like-minded creatives, poets, writers, that were like, you know what? There's nothing on the campus like this. There's no place for, you know, there's a creative writing club, but they're more for storytelling and like, almost like, like story writing rather than like poetry.
Raya:Long form type of stuff.
Lacroy:Yeah, long form. Like, but for us it was like, you know, what about, you know, performance and stuff like that? What if we had a club that we can rent out rooms and have events and things like that. So got my team together. I knew I wanted to do something in Williamsburg. I just didn't know how to do it. So this was kind of like the testing ground, um, before Slam Connection. I was like, all right, cool. We're gonna go with it. Um, we got the club after a crazy amount of paperwork cuz SGA is SGA. We started having regular meetings just every Thursday, um, come into this room, we're gonna meet and we're gonna teach everybody how to write and perform. And it started to do well until the pandemic.
Raya:Well, yeah. It's always that pandemic.
Lacroy:That that's the story. Right. So, um, at this point I'm also the president of that ministry I, that I originally joined. So I'm leading that and then also founded Poetic Soul. Um, so at this point we're starting to get some momentum. People are coming through and we've got some regulars coming. Um, mm-hmm. to the point to where, um, every year Liberty does like a Lynchburg Serve day. Um, and they wanted to do something for the kids on campus. So they got us, poetic soul and the power lifting team, which I'm also a part, which I was also a part of So they ca so they called us in and they were like, Hey, we wanna do like an open mic on the campus held by you guys, and we wanna do it just for the kids that are on campus that you wanna be a part of Lynchburg Serve Day. I'm like, okay until the pandemic, but, but nonetheless, that was the precursor. I realized that, you know, I can get on stage and say all kinds of cool things and, you know, say stuff that sounds nice, but what about actual impact? You know?
Raya:Yeah.
Lacroy:What, what about like, legacy and all that good stuff. So I'm like, all right, what, what's next? Um, pandemic happens. You kind, everybody has to go home and all that work. I was like, dang, all that work I put in, everything is, it's all gone. Um, of course prayed about it. I'm like, God, what's next? And he looked at me, he said, Hey, what you got in your hands? Um, I had experience at that point. I had been writing, performing for going on six years at that point. I was like, all right, what's next at this point? By the time we're talking Slam Connection, I published my first book, um, God and His Humor, cop that.
Raya:Wait, we can't just throw that in there. You gotta explain that book too.
Lacroy:Oh, okay. Okay. Hold on, hold on, hold on. Let me get through this. We'll, we'll get back to that. Um, but yes, I had published my first book in, uh, um, in May of 2021. So it was funny cause I graduated on Tuesday, on that Tuesday and then published on that Friday. It was crazy. Nonetheless, after I had all these experiences, I'm like, okay, I, okay, cool, what's next? And then I was like, all right, I wanna start a group here in Williamsburg. Mainly because there's no open mics or open mic scene here in the city of Williamsburg. There's nowhere for people to kind of go and just be so there's two slam teams in the, um, state of Virginia, well at least, um, three that I know of. The Verb Benders down in, uh, Norfolk. They're the number five slam team in the nation right now. You have Writer's Den up in Richmond. They're the number three right now, and I think Rich Inc is also ranked, I think top 10 or top 20, but they're also, they're also here, and that's three major teams in the surrounding area. But Williamsburg, there's a lot of people that wanna see something happen. So it really just came down to like, okay. What do I have to do? So I started, um, before I even put any real pen to paper, started networking. I got in contact with, uh, poetry Society of Virginia, Writer's Guild of Virginia. Started going to the open mics down in Norfolk. Um, started connecting them. I started kind of talking to some of the heads up there like, well, really. A lot of people up there that had connections to Williamsburg like, Hey, I'm trying to do this thing. What does it look like? They're like, oh yeah, cool. We can connect you with this person. And now you're starting to see the snowball happen. I went up to Writer's Den a couple times, um, performed on their stage and so now what you have is you have a network of like, just poets and creative people that have an idea of what's going on. Um, because everybody, this is small circle. It's a very niche circle. So, um, once you get into that circle, everybody kind of knows everybody. Um, so I spent like eight months just networking, um, having meetings, meeting people, making things happen, kind of laying the groundwork. Um, then I created the logo. I came up with the name. I'm like, all right, this is what we're gonna do. Um, the on the main difference with Slam Connection is that yes, we're about poetry, slam poetry, spoken word, but we kind of use that as a medium for, um, really for like community action. Yeah, we'll go, yeah, we'll go and have an open mic session, but we're also gonna go to the soup kitchen. Um, but we're also gonna go to the shelter. Oh, we're also gonna donate these school supplies, you know? Mm-hmm. That's really the heart behind it. But yeah, there, there's no open mic scene or really a place for creatives to be in the city of Williamsburg and I felt like I could change that.
Raya:Yeah. Definitely as a poet in Williamsburg, there's, there's just no space for us. So I love that you're creating that space and also like I saw you guys go to high schools and everything and nurture creative minds for younger people. I love what you're doing. It's great.
Lacroy:I appreciate it. It, it is a lot of hard work and it's a lot of Ls being taken, but um, it's all worth it for the w.
Raya:That always happens when you're trying to do something that is beneficial for the community. You'll always hit a couple setbacks, but it'll always work out in the end.
Lacroy:of course. Yeah. But you kind of mentioned going into the high school, so
Raya:mm-hmm.
Lacroy:Right now. Um, one of the main reasons, one of the original functions of Slam Connection was youth engagement. Um, cause there's a lot of things in the city for, you know, elementary school kids, you know? Mm-hmm. like the, and, and I'm talking about things like outside of sports, um, yeah. You know, you have your dance classes, you have, you know. Um, it's mostly dance. The dance scene here at Williamsburg is pretty solid, I'm not gonna lie. But even then, what are you supposed to do when, you know parents can't pay a thousand dollars a year or whatever per child for them to go dance or something like that. So, um, and then you have things for, you know, the college kids, you know, stuff going on at William Mary all the time. But middle school and high school are one of the most unreached groups in the city, especially for programs that don't have anything to do with sports and programs that are affordable. And that's really when it came, that's really where it came down to. That was the original function. So I'd been working with some teachers, um, like they said, went to Warhill, so I still had some connections. People that remembered me. I was like, Hey, we're trying to do this thing, uh, y'all trying to, Hey, y'all trying to be about it or not? And they was like, oh yeah, we about it. That's basically what happened. I was like, Hey, listen, listen. Especially after, especially after 2020, um, Warhill specifically saw like a huge spike in like fights and a lot of things that were related to kids not knowing how to communicate. So I was like, what if he had a program that taught people how to have healthy discourse, enter Slam Connection. Um, so that's where it came from. I got a teacher, um, in the English department, Ms. Throckmorton. Um, she has been a real help. She offered her room and said, Hey, every Wednesday y'all can come in and do whatever you do. So for about 12 weeks now, we've been meeting at Warhill, um, every Wednesday at 2:20. I take the kids through like poetry workshops, teach'em how to write the same things I was doing up at Liberty. I pretty much did the same thing here. And I thank God for it all the time cause if I didn't go through what I went through at Liberty, I would not be able to do what I'm doing here. It all came, kind of came full circle. Every week we meet in there, um, and I try to encourage them. So we have our Instagram, the Slam Connection Instagram. Follow us on there. Um, we do this thing called the bar of the week. So every time we write or we have our writing prompts, um, everybody has to get up, say the piece, and then perform the piece. All right?
Raya:Okay.
Lacroy:Um, and then whoever has the best bar for that week's meeting gets posted on the Instagram and they get their stuff written on the board, um, and yeah, bar of the week. So, and it's been, it's been great. That was one of the main things outside of the community aspect. That's really, that was really a motivator. So,
Raya:What is often like the first lesson that you teach them?
Lacroy:Okay. Um, we start off every workshop with a thought walk. We just walk around the school, go to very common places like the student center or the library. Places that you would go to every day. But the key is we want them to notice things that they may have looked over, like the way light comes through a window or
Raya:mm-hmm.
Lacroy:the crack in, in, in the floor, or like the rust in the corner. Things that they see every day, but they're not aware of. Um, one of the main things I try to teach them, verbally and non-verbally is that to be a good poet means to be aware. Um, mm-hmm. it's been said that poets are the note takers of the universe. You have to be aware of what's around you to write about it. Um, you'll find way more material that way. Um, And yeah. And for the kids that have been showing up, it's starting to show like a clear, like, oh, they're this, you're starting to see the growth. And I'm like, oh yes, we're creating Spartans, we're creating Avengers. So like um,
Raya:Assemble
Lacroy:but yet assemble. Like, but yeah, that's, that's the mindset, um, to be able to look at almost anything, any object. Even past objects, look at any idea or concept or ism and be able to break it down and notice things about it that you may not have noticed before. Um, that is a key skill in being a, an effective poet. I don't wanna say good or bad poet because it's like, It's not really a good or bad, it's more effective and non-effective. And that's another thing I tell'em. Yeah. Cause they get, that's, that's the other big thing. Um, it's like there's not such thing as good or bad. Are you communicating your point effectively? Um, whoever you're speaking to, are they picking up what you're putting down? Hmm. So, yeah.
Raya:Yeah. You have to be present in order to like tap into the emotions or the, just the topic that you want to emulate in your poetry like I find writing to be a very out of body experience where I'm here, but I'm very focused on what I'm doing. So I like that, that idea of walking around and taking notice of things that you may not always be aware of.
Lacroy:Yeah. It, yeah, it, it works. And you can, like on days when we didn't do the walk, the writing felt like a brick like you, you can tell, like you could tell like they were struggling versus days when we start every workshop off with that and the writing, it still was a growing process, but it went up so much smoother. So yeah,
Raya:you're onto something
Lacroy:Maybe. I hope so.
Raya:But going back to your book, I did not forget about that. Let's talk a little bit about that.
Lacroy:Oh, I got all the yarn to spin that. Spin another ball of yarn here.
Raya:It's okay. That's what we are here for. I want you to spin it.
Lacroy:spin. Spin this yarn. Spin this yarn. All right. So, um, alright. So my book is entitled God and His Humor. Um, it's a book of poetry and art. I did all the writing, I did all the artwork for it. Um, it's over 40. It's over 40 plus poems and 20 different art pieces.
Raya:So, um, is it like graphic design or what type of illustrations?
Lacroy:Yes, yes.
Raya:Okay.
Lacroy:Graphic design, illustrations, digital art. Okay. So, um, so yeah, it's a lot of different, um, it, it was a lot of different things that went into it. The main question I began to ask. Um, it's like, you know, I think we can all agree that, you know, God has a sense of humor. Mm-hmm. but the question is, depending on your perspective, do you think it's genius or twisted? And that was the kind of question I began to dive into. Um, and I did it, um, kind of building up situationally. So like chapter three for example. Um, it's done in story format. but the way the story works is that this one thing happens here and it causes five things over here. You know? It's really one of those situational, like play with the mind games kind of thing. Um, it's really interesting, but, um, it's a story really about like life in the hood. Um, I had a lot of friends, um, that really grew up in some pretty rough areas. Um, and they would tell me about stuff that they saw on the daily, um, things that they had experienced and really how stuff ends up happening in the hood. Like how really petty dramas and petty beefs can turn into a whole shootout. So that was really part of the inspiration behind that, cuz I was like, you know, despite all like the, the negative outlook that people that live in a hood get, you'd be surprised how human these people are. You know, like, it's like they're doing exactly what a lot of other people would do in that situation. Um, and that's how I looked at it. So, um, but yeah. God and his humor, there it is. Yeah.
Raya:Y'all better buy it.
Lacroy:Available on Amazon. Um, if you search Lacroy Nixon on Google or, uh, God and his humor on Google, um, it should pop up. Um, but yes, it's currently available on Amazon and paperback copy for 12.99. So, all right. Amazon Prime do that.
Raya:Okay. Well, my final question for. How do you want people to remember you?
Lacroy:O Um, I wanna be remembered as somebody that cared. Um, I want to be remembered as somebody that no matter what happened, he gave a hundred percent, you know? And I wanna be remembered as somebody that really saw people where they're at, you know, really made an effort to see people. I'm a part, I'm also a writer for this group called, um, the Hope Booth. Imagine, imagine you saw a telephone booth, but instead of picking up a phone, it's a screen. And it's a message presented in a, in a poetic format and it's really a, a lot of like positive affirmations and things like that.
Raya:Okay.
Lacroy:I got a chance to be a part of like the day one of this project. And I saw it from the concept to, um, fall 2021. We premiered it in London. It was amazing. Um,
Raya:wow.
Lacroy:And then March of this year, we took it on a 19, no, 30 day 19 city tour across the United States. Um, let people try it out, let people see it. It was great.
Raya:Is it portable?
Lacroy:Uh, yes.
Raya:How does that work?
Lacroy:It's like, so it's like an actual, like, it was like made, it's like made of metal. It's like comes and pieces and we had to put it together.
Raya:Okay.
Lacroy:You put like, it, it's really, it's really interesting. Um, I'd have to show you to, to see, cause it's hard to explain um, just think of like a, like one of those little like standing telephone booths, like going somewhere. And then recently in September, uh, we got featured on NBC News, um, in, on a morning session. Because what we were doing, we were just going around letting people try it. And someone that worked with NBC was doing a story on us at one of our stops. I mentioned all that to say this, um, the main slogan of it is where no one goes unseen. As a writer, I'm also kind of like one of the faces of it, so when somebody turns on the booth, um, they might see my face on there. Um, they might hear my voice. Um, so. I think about it in the sense of, you know, I want to be known as somebody that really made an effort to see people. Cause you know, sometimes people just need to know that they're seen, need to know that their struggles aren't for nothing. Um, so yeah.
Raya:I love that answer. Well, this is something that I do with everybody that comes on the podcast. It's called La Reyes Top five, and I just ask you five questions and you just tell me the first thing that pops into your head.
Lacroy:Okay? Okay. Okay, here we go.
Raya:All right. Are you a morning or an evening creator?
Lacroy:Evening.
Raya:Your favorite work you've created thus far.
Lacroy:So, Uh, okay. So, um, favorite work. Okay, so this is back in 2018. I did this piece. Uh, my friend, he was doing a set at Liberty. It was in the event space, like a thousand people in the room. Crazy. He had me as a spoken word artist, come be a part of it. I was like, all right, cool. This is cool. Um, this is right after the first Black Panther had come out. I say that because there's a line in there. I'm like, I used to love this little Wayne line about real GS and lasagna, but now I know that real power moves in silence. Like Wakanda, the whole place goes crazy. like, I'm pretty sure I have the video somewhere, but people lose their mind. It was like somebody in the back doing back flips, like it was
Raya:Oh, wow.
Lacroy:Insane. It was insane. Like, I, I had to, in the video, I had to look down cause if I looked up I would've laughed. So like But yeah, that, that by far one of my most, like, one of my most memorable and favorite like performances or pieces.
Raya:Yes. I love that. are you introverted or extroverted?
Lacroy:Introverted. My, my social clock, my social clock runs out.
Raya:Oh yeah. Mine runs out all the time. Your all time favorite album?
Lacroy:Uh, I gotta say the, um, that last Kendrick album that came out.
Raya:Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers.
Lacroy:I, I can't even lie. That was, that was masterfully done. I was like, this man had got,
Raya:I haven't even finished it yet. I'm terrible at finishing albums.
Lacroy:No, that, that, that one was, that's pretty solid work. I can't even lie. It's between that and the Hamilton album. I love that music.
Raya:Yes. I love it too. And your last question is your happiest moment.
Lacroy:My happiest moment. Um, geez, this is a good problem to have. I, I, I narrow it down to one. Gimme a second. Gimme a second. Um, take your time. Happy moment. So at my church, uh, I go to Crosswalk Church here in, uh, here in Williamsburg. I'm one of the youth leaders, uh, for, um, I help lead the high school guys, high school guys group. Love those guys. Um, one of the happiest moments I had, we recently, we recently had our big youth conference. Every year we have our youth conference. There's one kid that I have to pick him up to come to like youth meetings and stuff like that because, um, his dad's not at home and his mom is working all the time, so can't always give him a ride. So he always calls me up, Hey Croy, can you gimme a ride? Sure. I got you. Mm-hmm. Um, he was able to come to the youth conference, which originally he wasn't able to do that and he wanted to, um, and my youth or had youth pastor was like, Hey, crod, you know, he wanted to come because you were volunteering to go and pick him up. Give him rides to and from, you know, wherever, um, you like, you are willing to do that. And not only that, he comes to the youth conference has an amazing time, and then even volunteers to join the youth worship team. And I'm like, oh. I'm like, oh, okay. Nah. But that, that was, that was at least in recent history that that was a big one. Cause I'm like, you know, I've been praying for this kid. I've been hoping that, you know, he finds everything he's looking for. He's a hard worker. He's really dope. And I'm like, you know what, God, this, this kid deserves, if anybody deserves a break, he does. And to see them kind of like flourish like that and see his growth has been, it's been amazing.
Raya:It's amazing to see your impact on somebody.
Lacroy:Yeah. But yeah. Happiest moment,
Raya:Okay. Well I enjoyed this Lacroy. Thank you for coming Tell us how we can support you, who we should follow, you know?
Lacroy:Yeah, yeah. Do it. Okay. Yeah. I got a couple pages. I got a couple pages. So first off, my personal page Atlas Nixon, uh, follow me on Instagram. I'm LaCroix Nixon on Facebook. And also follow Slam Connection. It's all one word. We're just on Instagram right now, but most of our updates when we're having events, which we're planning on having some events soon, coming in the new year. We're trying to do some things in the city, trying to get some things set up. So if you wanna hear more about that, follow us on Instagram. Like all the pictures, like all of our posts, like our stories. All of that and keep track of what we're doing at Warhill High School. Cause there's something amazing happening at that school right now. So, yeah.
Raya:All right.
