Louie B. | A Deeper Look at the Poet Himself
2 min read
By Phoenix Kabali
Songs of the Shadows, Intellectual Ink Magazine Issue 30
Poet Louie B. has built a body of work grounded in vulnerability, love, and truth. In this feature for Songs of the Shadows, Louie opens up about evolving as a writer, performer, and father—and how poetry became both his anchor and his offering.
From the Archive: “The Poet Who Leads With Love”
“There’s something about a voice that trembles, not from fear, but from the weight of truth. Something about a poet who doesn’t just perform, but invites you to sit beside their heartbeat, to sift through memory, grief, joy, and that tender, tangled thing we call love.”
— Louie B: The Poet Who Leads with Love on Intellectual Ink (Read here)
This earlier piece introduced readers to Louie’s spirit as an artist. In A Deeper Look at the Poet Himself, that story expands, revealing how poetry became not only his passion, but his path to purpose.
An Excerpt from the Interview
Can you take us back to the very beginning—what was your first encounter with poetry or spoken word, and what made you realize this was more than just words on a page for you?
“If we want to go back to the very beginning, the first memories I have of poetry are elementary school days. They involve a mix of Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends and Falling Up along with works by Maya Angelou. But I was a baby when poetry tried to find me the first time. Really, I was just interested in stories. Some lines in books were written poetic enough that I internalized them in a way.”
Much of spoken word is rooted in raw honesty and lived experience. What personal themes or life moments do you find yourself returning to in your work, and why do they continue to resonate with you?
“One way or another, my favorite work of mine comes from the theme of love—in the conventional sense with romance and relationships, but also with the love I have for my son, other family and friends, self-love and growth, grief, and love for humanity—even when it’s hard to feel that some days.”
For Louie B., poetry is both mirror and ministry. His performances are about release as much as they are about connection. Every poem is a testimony. Every moment on stage is an invitation to remember what it means to be human.
Read the full interview with Louie B. in Songs of the Shadows, featured in Intellectual Ink Magazine Issue 30.
