“I’m back together / Whether / You like it or not / You tried to hurt me -how clever / Never / Will I tie myself in a knot,” is an excerpt of a poem written by Shemar Magee titled “Back Together.”
At the age of 19, Shemar Magee, a sophomore at DU, has published three books of poetry covering his life experiences and personal identity as a Black man attending a predominantly white institution.
Magee began writing poetry in 7th grade. The first poem he read was Robert Frost’s, “The Road Not Taken.” Frost’s words played a monumental role in making Magee feel encouraged and excited about writing poetry. Frost is one of several authors that inspire Magee’s current free verse writing style.
“I loved the words and flow of it,” said Magee, reflecting on Frost’s impactful poem.
Magee always felt a pull towards creating poetry. Throughout middle school, teachers and classmates encouraged him to write more. In high school, Magee was a part of a club called Poetry Cafe. This was a safe space for students to perform their poems. Magee held a leadership position with this club, and he said this experience “built a leader role within me that I did not think I would have.”
“It was inspiring to hear people say that my words helped them,” Magee said. He believes that “poetry is a good medium because it can help people in a lot of ways.”
Poetry has a positive impact on both Magee and those around him. He uses poetry as an outlet to delve into his own life journey. He says that poetry, “helped me improve my reading and writing and cope whenever I was sad.”
Today, Magee has written over 600 poems in a growing collection. The first book he published is titled, “Life and Darkness: Death and Revival.” In 2019, Magee wrote this for a high school senior project in only 12 weeks.
Later on, Magee began his collegiate career at DU and wrote “The Colors of Darkness” and “The Colors of Me: The True Colors of Me and the Multicolored Lies of Others.” These books took more time and research than the first to live up to his vision.
“The Colors of Me: The True Colors of Me and the Multicolored Lies of Others” consists of 102 original poems on topics like social justice, suicide and bullying. “The Colors of Darkness” incorporates both Magee’s first book, “Life and Darkness: Death and Revival” and “The Colors of Me: The True Colors of Me and the Multicolored Lies of Others.”
Any writer understands that publishing can be a daunting and uncomfortable process, and Magee initially struggled with getting his work out there. “When I first started, I was scared because my work is so personal,” he said.
Magee eventually accepted that publishing would be an important and valuable step within his poetry career. “[I felt like] I had to do this. I love writing poetry and need my work to be heard,” he said.
Magee said his “goal is to inspire and help people in any shape or form.”
Magee’s poetry dives into his experience as a Black man in society and at DU. He writes about “a little bit of everything,” as he put it.
In “The Colors of Me: The True Colors of Me and the Multicolored Lies of Others” in a poem titled, “Life is Life,” Magee poetically writes, “If life is life / Then why / Am I expected to be something I don’t want to be? / If life is life / Then why / Can’t I just be happy?”
“I have nothing to lose,” Magee said. “These are my experiences, and people cannot take anything away from me. These are the lessons I learned and the struggles I have.”
In the future, Magee hopes to see his book lining the store shelves. Currently, you can access his three books on Amazon. Magee is donating money made from book purchases to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
New projects are not yet in the works, as Magee is focusing his time promoting the new books, “The Colors of Me: The True Colors of Me and the Multicolored Lies of Others” and “The Colors of Darkness,” which were released on Feb. 1. But Magee will not stop writing anytime soon. He hopes to continue inspiring and helping students, people in need and lovers of poetry in any way possible.
