Today we’d like to introduce you to John F. Dilworth. He shares his story with us below:
John is the author of the first two volumes of an ongoing book series entitled “Motivation for the Masses: A Poetic Autobiography”, “A Collection of Collections”, and on many occasions has served as a Keynote or Motivational Speaker and Poet. John was born in East Point, Georgia and grew up there, College Park, and Clayton County as well as Memphis, Tennessee. After attending Clayton State University, he took an opportunity to work for the Department of Defense as a civilian and live in Iraq and Qatar supporting our troops during Operation Iraqi Freedom. As a result, John developed a passion for world travel to accompany his longtime passion for writing and reciting poetry. During that time, he also started a career in Information Technology and has since served as an Engineer and Subject Matter Expert in the discipline of Microsoft Infrastructure Systems for many organizations ranging from small to enterprise. In 2013, he formed The Dilworth Group and began providing IT training and consulting services, first to high school and college students in Clayton County, GA and then on to a wide variety of B2B customers. He currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia as he continues his endeavors as a writer, investor, and motivator of people. John believes his God-given purpose in life is to motivate people to Learn from their mistakes, Appreciate their blessings, Think optimistically, and Use what they’ve been blessed with to be a blessing to others; he carries out that purpose by being a positive influence using his voice to bring people together.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say your journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The road has not been smooth. 2017 was a pivotal year for me; my divorce after 11 years of marriage was made final and later in the same year my father died. The year was pivotal because alongside the emotional stress of these losses, I also came very close to financial ruin. Instead of seeing my life spiral out of control, I ended up finally releasing volume 1 of “Motivation for the Masses: A Poetic Autobiography” which was self-published. Since then, I have self-published volume 2 and am looking forward to the release of my first published work “A Collection of Collections: Black American Poetry” on February 1st, 2022.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I think most people I come in contact with would agree that I am a positive influence and a motivational person to be around who lives a life of purpose. I use my words to bring people together and encourage more empathy. “A Collection of Collection: Black American Poetry” is a coffee table book where I partnered with an amazing photographer that I’ve known since high school (and who Voyage ATL has featured in the past) – Carlos York. The book is a curation of his photography and my poetry printed in colorful and stunning 1200 dpi – it’s one of the most beautiful coffee table books I’ve ever seen. The book was inspired by the events of 2020 and my deepened desire to increase empathy as result of what I was witnessing – not only in 2020 but in 21st century America as a young black man.
In my younger years, I spent plenty of time reciting spoken word poetry at some of the iconic places in ATL’s poetry scene like The Patty Hut, Apache Cafe and Uptown Comedy Corner.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I love Atlanta. I love our culture and history here. Even after traveling to many places around the world and living in Memphis, TN and Doha, Qatar; there’s no place like home. My parents met in Washington, D.C. while both working at the Pentagon – they fell in love and decided to start their family in a place where they had no family and very few friends – Atlanta (actually East Point, College Park, and Jonesboro as I didn’t live within the city limits of Atlanta until adulthood).
Contact Info:
- Email: john@johnfdilworth.com
- Website: https://johnfdilworth.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnfdilworth/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnfdilworth
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXvbYUGqUajvmSZ_9A-5GUw
Image Credits:
Carlos York
