ATLANTA  — Popular Atlanta poet and spoken word artist Justin Patton is best known for delivering on and off stage.

Originally from Chattanooga, Tennessee, Patton said he was inspired by poetry at a young age. Pouring his heart and soul into perfecting his craft and learning from others, Patton has always been a “student of the game.”

Patton began writing poetry since he was around 10 years old and it always served as an outlet. Patton and his family moved around a lot growing up, going from Chattanooga to Knoxville, to Gwinnett County when he was a teenager.

His poetry was always private, personal, and purposeful.

“I never shared it with anyone, it was just something I enjoyed doing when I felt something. I would usually deal with things by writing,” he said. “It wasn’t until I moved to Atlanta and discovered that people were actually performing poetry and doing it at a high level that I began to take it more seriously.”

Patton was encouraged by a friend to get on stage and perform.

Patton performed his first poem in Atlanta in 2012 when he was 24. He had a challenging first experience on stage.

“The first time I performed, I thought I was prepared. I went on stage and forgot everything, then I ran off stage,” he said. “I did not perform after that for another two years. Then I started up again.”

It took two years to build his confidence back up. During that time, he worked for a small entertainment company in Atlanta, and learned from all the performers, comedians, musicians, and entertainers.

“People want more substance, something to feed their minds and their souls. I think poets and spoken word artists are able to do that,” Patton said. “It’s a lot more poets these days taking it seriously, trying to perfect their crafts and trying to elevate spoken word poetry as a whole. I’m one of the people seeking that.”

Patton says performing at open mics and poetry nights led to different opportunities performing at different cities, hosting shows, different events and “expanding my artistry.”

Patton currently hosts Poetry Night at the Trap City Cafe off of Northside Drive owned by Atlanta hip-hop icon T.I., and prominent entrepreneur and community leader Mike Upscale. Patton recalled how his idea of a having a poetry night came to fruition.

“A little over a year ago, they were having a comedy night at Trap City Cafe,” Patton said. “I went up there and did my thing and got a good response. I thought this might be a place that may be interested in doing a poetry show. I talked to one of the waitresses and she told me who I needed to talk to. I spoke to him and he had been looking to do a poetry show. We partnered on it in May 2023 and we’ve been rocking there for Poetry in the Trap every Tuesday ever since then.”

Patton says Trap City Cafe is place that’s become a “staple” in Atlanta.

“Sometimes, you get people’s attention and sometimes you have to work harder at it,” he said. “We’ve had some pretty great nights. Shout out to DJ Cookbook for supporting us and holding us down.”

Additionally, on every first Thursday of the month, Patton hosts a live show at Urban Grind in Atlanta.

“My whole goal is to serve poetry to people where they don’t feel like I’m talking over their heads. I want them to get it,” he said. “I feel like I write poetry for the average everyday person who may not have heard spoken word before. I want to serve it to them in a way that makes sense and help give people a different perspective.”

Among his favorite poets are Georgia Me, Black Ice, Jeronimo, Free Will, Verb, Jamellow and She Pharaoh.

He has an album titled, “Pain to Poetry” on Apple Music and all streaming platforms.

Patton said his son and watching other people chase their dreams inspires him everyday.

“My son, who is almost 3 inspires me,” Patton said. “Seeing the world through his eyes is definitely an inspiration. Anytime I feel something, I try to write it down and capture it to get inspiration from that moment. Seeing people work through their craft is inspiring. I see inspiration in everyday life.”