by Shawn Nowlin
A local man who has overcome his fair share of obstacles is using his life journey and talents to help as many young people as possible.
He goes by Juice, and serves as a spoken word artist, boxing trainer, activist and bouncer, just to name a few.
For him, everything starts with authenticity. Breaking bread with people is something Juice takes tremendous pride in. “When people see me, there is almost a 100 percent chance that a smile will be on my face. When I started bouncing in Roanoke, I intentionally would spark an argument with people about Duck Tails or Harry Potter just to get people laughing. When you ease tension with people, their guard tends to come down,” he said.
The ability to make people of all backgrounds feel comfortable is just one of Juice’s many gifts. He recalls having that talent even before he entered high school.
“I was listening to Public Enemy one day, and my sister asked what I knew about the African flag and the culture as a whole. Less than 24 hours later, she purchased me this book called, ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.’ Reading it marked the first time I ever cried reading someone’s poetry,” he said. “That led me to explore Dr. Maya Angelou, Edgar Allen Poe and so many other beautiful writers and poets.”
Being introduced to spoken word changed Juice’s life. At 14, he read his first poem on stage and has yet to look back since. Hosting various shows and doing spoken word are things he now does every month. “Most of my writing is about accepting yourself, how to love yourself, how to be strong when you are embarking on a new adventure, stuff like that. I feel like having to grow up so fast at an early age explains why I have so much wisdom,” he said.
Adversity is something Juice has dealt with his entire life. He lost his mother and father, a former professional boxer, when he was eight and ten, respectively. While cancer was the cause of his mother, his dad died from a heat stroke. Despite a rough upbringing, fortunately, Juice did have his sister and aunt, the two people he credits for shaping him into the man that he is today.
“My dad had just three losses compared to like 42 victories. In those days, boxers had the mentality that the more you sweat, the more muscles you produce. After running 14 miles in 90-degree weather, his body just gave out on him.”
Motivated to help as many youth as possible, Juice serves as a boxing coach to children every Saturday at the Kirk Family YMCA on Church Avenue.
His Facebook page (@JuicePoetSmith) is where interested individuals can go for the most up-to-date information.
