Michael Victor Whatley Jr

Michael Victor Whatley Jr

Michael Victor Whatley Jr was born on December 1st, 1990 at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC to Diane Reed Whatley and Michael Victor Whatley Sr. He was raised in Northeast Washington DC. He attended Maury Elementary School, Holy Comforter Middle School, Eastern Senior High School, DeMatha Catholic High School, Tennessee State University, and began studying at University of the District of Columbia January 2024. It was in the 2nd grade after joining the speech club that he fell in love with poetry after learning to recite the poem "Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou and "Harriet Tubman" by Eloise Greenfield. He later gravitated to Langston Hughes, Shel Silverstein, and Tupac Shakur.  He Self Published his first poetry book "Trying To Be Grown" August 27th, 2012 while attending Tennessee State University. It was a compilation of his poetry from High School and College.

Michael is also a songwriter registered with the American, Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. He produces and records music under the artist name "MVwhat" 


Books

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Clear and Clairvoyant

As I reflect on the titles of my last three books, the concepts and everything I said came to be, which inspired the title “Clear & Clairvoyant”.

My first book, “The Good Die Young,” is a combination of poetry and a one-act play, emphasizing the struggle of a good person in a corrupt world.

My second book, “Trying to be Grown,” was about...

FOOTPRINT IN THE MUD

Footprint in the Mud is a poetry book that explores the beauty of life. Expression of Love, Struggle, Hope, Inspiration, Freedom, and Triumph all submerged into a brilliant collection of poems. It symbolizes perseverance, emphasizing that no matter what you go through, if you stay strong and keep faith, you can overcome any obstacle.
“Purple...

Trying To Be Grown

Trying To Be Grown Poetry

“Trying To Be Grown” is a compilation of poetry written by Michael Victor Whatley Jr. It was driven by his eagerness to become an adult and role model in a world so contradicting. Written with intentions of appealing, relating, and educating teenagers to adults. The book explores the author’s ideas on life within his poetry. An article in the...