When Did We Stop Being Cute?

A coming-of-age collection set to the music of the 1980s and 90s.

This novel in poetic form tells the story of a young man dealing with the challenges of growing up mixed-race in 1980s suburbia. In this time of change, both for himself and the world around him, he seeks to “remember / just when I stopped being cute…”

Narrating run-ins with the police (“The minute they see me, fear me”) and confrontations with himself, the speaker in this collection must learn to navigate a world that sees him as a threat. When Did We Stop Being Cute? reflects on the beauty and horrors of life in the United States, telling a personal story that shows Black lives and how they matter.

A mixed-race child of the 1980s, Martin Wiley came of age in the New Jersey suburbs. His poetry is inspired both by the music he grew up with (from Public Enemy and Run DMC to Blondie and The Bangles) and the racial and personal politics of the world around him. He lives and teaches in Philadelphia with his wife and two children.