Newark Poet Returns To West Side High School For Book Debut

NEWARK, NJ — As a young man growing up in Newark, LaQuan Ford used the power of poetry and storytelling to escape a tough childhood, including bouts with homelessness and what he calls “the perils of violence and neglect.” But through it all, Ford kept writing, learning a key skill along the way: resilience.

It was this inspiring message – that self-discipline and education can change the future – which Ford recently brought back to his old alma mater, West Side High School.

Last month, Ford celebrated the launch of his debut book, “Bandages&Cologne: A Life in Poetry,” with a book signing event at West Side. The tome chronicles “the process of surviving and healing,” something that the former WSHS student knows intimately.

According to the poet’s website:

“As a young man growing up in the inner city, [Ford] used his creative mind to escape the perils of violence and neglect. The absence of both his parents led him to be raised by a great-great- aunt, Mary Washington—it was her that taught him resilience. Ford often felt out-of-control during his early stages in life. He struggled with writing, yet it only pushed him to write more. On his 15th birthday he was gifted a journal from a family friend. He wrote his first poem in that book—about his mother. Poetry birthed a new form of creative capacity for him, one with zero bounds and rules. Since that birthday he never stopped writing. Writing set Ford on a track to where he is now physically and mentally. A true storyteller at heart, he believes the story is more important than how it’s told, however how it’s told can affect how the story is received. It’s the inner dilemma he faces as a writer. At one of his lowest points in life, while Ford was attending West Side High School, battling homelessness by staying with friends and bearing witness to the stronghold the streets and gangs had on his friends and their brothers, that he decided to turn to education as another outlet.”

Eventually, Ford channeled his academic enthusiasm into a successful stint at Seton Hall University, where he spearheaded several groups, including Black Men of Standard and African Student Organizations.

Ford went on to complete his academic career at the Loyola University Chicago where he obtained a Master of Social Work in Children and Family Services.

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