“By the time I got to doing ‘Malcolm and Eddie’ and working for UPN, it became such a stressful job and I felt I needed a hobby, something that has nothing to do with acting or directing, because directing started out as a hobby as well,” he said. “One of the beautiful things about poetry is that you are expressing yourself, and I think to express your most inner feelings and thoughts you have to spend time being a little thoughtful of what you write.”

Warner is a huge fan of D.C., especially U Street for its jazz and poetry, but is more excited about the city’s role in the presidential election. “I am a big [Barack] Obama supporter,” Warner said, adding that it’s exciting to live at a time where African-American kids “can say, ‘I want to be president of the United States,’ and actually see it.”