Hey wus up!

My name Is Tarik Mathews. I go by "Tobey;" "Rik" for short (the last three letters of my first name).

I'm from San Jose California. I was born in Phoenix, AZ in August of 1985. I then moved with my stubborn parents to San Jose.

I am the youngest out of a family of seven (mom, dad, and five kids). I am the 5th child (yeah the baby). I have two older brothers and two older sisters.

The middle-oldest is a writer but in a different form. He's a South Bay rapper that talks nothing but real life events that's occurred in his life. Basically when he writes it's like he writes a diary. His name is Yung No.

Even though I'm the half-brother to all my brothers and sisters, my middle-oldest brother Yung No is the closest to me. We both share the same passion. He is also a father figure to this day in my life. If it was anyone that inspired me to write, it was my brother.

I started writing in middle school (it was once an elementary school). My first poem was about a traumatizing experience. Then my second poem was about a girl that I liked. I didn't take writing seriously until freshman year in high school.

I am a poet now involved with Flowers in the Cracks where I had my first poem published on the Internet.