Your fave director is now a real poet, dummy!
Listen— I'ma say this once. You know John Waters, right? The "Pope of Trash," the one who made Baltimore famous for all its beautiful, weird glory? The man who put Hampden on the map for folks who ain't even from here? Well, hon, he's officially in *The Atlantic* with his first published poem. Can you believe that? Our very own John Waters, the guy who gave us Divine and filmed half his movies in rowhouses off Eastern Avenue, is now a bonafide poet.
Click. This ain't some little neighborhood zine, this is *The Atlantic*, dummy. It's a big deal! It feels like a moment, you know? Like when you hear a new band from Baltimore get picked up by a major label. It just proves what we already know: Baltimore folks got talent that the whole world needs to see. He's always been about telling stories, whether it's on the big screen or in his books, and now he's doing it with stanzas. That's Baltimore, hon — we don't break, we just bend loud.
### What This Means for Baltimore
* It's a fresh feather in the cap for one of Baltimore's most iconic figures.
* Another reminder that our city's artists are doing big things on national stages.
* It just gives us more bragging rights when out-of-towners try to act like we ain't cultured.
It's a good look for the city, showing that our creative spirit runs deep, from the street art in Station North to the high-brow pages of *The Atlantic*. John Waters has always repped us, and now he's just giving us another reason to be proud, from Federal Hill to Park Heights.
Kee Rawlings-Dorsey, MiTL Sports Desk.
The crew on the Morning Wire breaks down all the good news and messy news every day, hon — catch it live at mornings.live.