Missing You, Metropolis by Gary Jackson with Martheaus Perkins

Missing You, Metropolis by Gary Jackson is a poetry collection that blends superheroes, comic book mythology, pop culture, and personal memory to explore identity, race, love, grief, and belonging. Through inventive, emotionally resonant poems, Jackson reimagines iconic characters and fictional worlds as lenses for examining real-life experiences and the complexities of growing up Black in America.

Martheaus Perkins is a teacher, editor, and hot sauce enthusiast based in Washington, D.C. He is the recipient of the Robert Creeley Memorial Award, the Voices President's Award, the GMU Rinehart Fiction Award, and the Robert Raymond Scholarship. His debut poetry collection, The Grace of Black Mothers, was published by Trio House Press in 2025.

We sipped iced tea (Gold Peak), which was a drink Martheaus often enjoyed with his grandmother. This episode was recorded at Richmond Poetry Fest 2026. Special thanks to Rosa Castellano for bringing us together and helping us coordinate recording at the event!