Meet Darien T | Author, Poet, & Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Darien T and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Darien, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
Thank you for having me, Shoutout Magazine. I’m from Baton Rouge, Louisiana & I’m proud to say that. I was mostly raised by my mother & she did the best she could to make sure we had everything we needed. My upbringing wasn’t so great, though. I was raped when I was 5 by my mom’s boyfriend & that led to many years of anger, confusion, self-esteem issues, etc etc. It was to the point, I would be so angry, I was a fighter. I didn’t mind getting in the field with the guys. I didn’t know how to cope with it, so I started going to anger management in middle school, which continued throughout my high school years. I simply didn’t have anyone I could talk to until I met Mrs. Rose. I felt like no one was going to understand me & I held this secret in for so long because I felt like I was going to get judged. Back then, there weren’t many stories of guys getting raped & if there was one, they were called “weak.” I definitely couldn’t talk to my mom. Let’s just say, my mom was very stern & set in her ways about a lot of things. So, it came off as she hated us as kids. As you can tell, we weren’t the tv family. We couldn’t just go up to her & hug her, so it was hard trying to vent to her. So, I closed myself off from her, my family, & the world. In anger management, Mrs. Rose introduced a poetry book to me & I knew I always had a love for writing. Mrs. Rose & I would sit in her office & she would tell me to write how I feel in that very moment, in complete silence. She was very patient. She would literally wait 20 minutes until I was finished writing. When I finally wrote this poem about rape & read it to her, she cried. That was my first time ever opening up about what happened to me. It felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. I cried & cried & cried. Ever since then, I knew writing was going to be apart of my story. It was the best way for me to vent, heal, grow, & let go. 8 years later, now I’m a 4 times published author & poet.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Great! Honestly, I always looked up to Tyler Perry, so I studied his career, tuned in to every movie he put out & watched every business move he made. I knew if I wanted to take up an artistic/creative career such as writing, acting, etc, I knew I would have to give it my all. I knew I would have to put my trust into God & let Him guide the way. When I first started, I was a broke college student, working just to pay bills, that’s it. I simply went on CreateSpace.com & submitted my book. I went on to promote and sell, which placed me into a deeper hole which I soon crawled myself out of. I had 3 people in my corner who would help out. Years later, now I have a team with a set budget promoting my new children’s book, “Black Kid Code: Daily Affirmations for Black Youth.” We’re focusing on media marketing, as of now, with billboards in 2 cities, Baton Rouge & New Orleans. Later this year, we’ll start going to elementary schools in the community, which I’m very excited about. I wanted to put something out that I didn’t have growing up, a positive affirmations book for black children. It’s time we start giving back & setting an example for the next generation. They are the future. Our future doctors, lawyers, mechanics, authors, models, pediatricians, etc are right here in front of us. Feed them positivity & show them LOVE! They’ll thank you for it as they get older. I’m just a young black man, who came from the hood, trying to make a difference in the world.

I pursued an artistic career because this is how I’m able to fully express myself. When I’m on stage performing my poetry, I see no one in the audience. I sort of black out, but in a good way. I blind out the people who’s around & I look straight ahead and see a great future heading my way. I see the pain I’ve gone through & by the end of each performance, I tell myself everything is going to be okay. This is how I’m able to tell my story & not give a damn about how anyone feels in the end because I’m staying true to who I am & what I know. From writing to acting, I’m ready to do it all.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
This is awesome. I would love to give a GREAT shoutout to MRS. ROSE! Thank you for always telling me I CAN DO IT! Thank you for being such a positive human being who always spreads love. I’m telling y’all, I’m pretty sure she had her own personal problems, but it never came to surface when it was time for her to work. She’s a professional and I’m so happy to know her.

I also wanted to say thank you to my mom, Shalona, & my baby sister, Kyerra. I kept going because of y’all. We help each other grow & proper in this crazy world. Thank you for being my number 1 supporters. Mom, I know it was rough for us when I was younger, but I’m so glad to call you my best friend and the best mom out there in my adult life. Thank you for having a great night randomly in the 90s and decided to have me, haha.

Website: www.authordarien.com and https://linktr.ee/King.scooby

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/king.scooby