The Artist Formerly Known as the Prince of Darkness, Joey Cloudy began writing poetry in the winter of 1999. A former member of The Dallas Alternative Poetry Society, he mentored under Robert Cochran, and cites Allen Ginsberg and the Beat poets as among his primary influences. Drawing much of his inspiration from day to day events and observations, Joey credits everyday life with influencing the topics and content of much of his work, as well as drawing from his own personal experiences and those of people and artists he admires. Joey's impassioned readings of his epic "Momma's Dead," and the brutally direct whimsicality of his signature piece "Bew" have garnered him a special notoriety in the local literary community. Among the many venues at which he has performed his work are the Deep Ellum Arts Fest, the Velvet Hookah, Insomnia (where he also served as host for a time), Paperbacks Plus, The MAC, Bill's Records, Mighty Fine Arts, and, most recently, Johnny O's Mad Swirl open mics at the Absinthe Lounge. He has worked with the Writer's Garrett and the Imaginary Poetry Society (whose gatherings he co-hosted), and contributed his expertise to a program to introduce and promote poetry in local schools.
In 2006, Joey Cloudy and Jolee Davis formed Project 108, a non-profit corporation dedicated to supporting underground poets and artists. Project 108 subsequently took over the publication of Death List Five, a local poetry / art magazine he started with Jolee in 2004 and which has published many of the spoken word artists featured on this site. His own chapbook, Howl: 18 Poems for Allen Ginsberg, was published by Max Blair's Tomcat Press in 2002. Before picking up his pen, Joey spent time in the Marine Corps, practiced painting and photography, and worked as a fine art and antique restorer. He is currently at work on his first novel, tentatively titled Tramp.
"Real life – it's poetry."