Justin Booth

Hookers, Ex-wives, and Other Lovers Justin Booth

I met Justin Booth in downtown Little Rock in the summer of 2012 while I was walking to work at the Arkansas Times, the newspaper I've been with for 12 years. He was homeless at the time, strung out on heroin, red-eyed and haggard, hawking copies of his chapbook, "Hookers, Ex-Wives and Other Lovers" for $5 to anybody who looked like they might be able to spare a few bucks. They were cheaply done, printed on plain copier paper and stapled crooked down the spine. But I happened to have a five dollar bill and have never been able to turn down a book, so I took one. Within a block, reading as I walked, I was convinced that he was one of the best poets the State of Arkansas has ever produced. I still believe that today. David Koon. This collection of poetry includes work from the author's previous books and a few new ones as well. There is a sweetness to Booth's whiskey voiced poetry as he shares stories of a small town childhood, the mental health and substance abuse issues he battled, homelessness and subsequent discovery by David Koon that resulted in a triumphant return from the streets, a half dozen books and a mission to share his colorful experiences of the Urban South.