Jeff Callaway
"Jeff Callaway is the LPTexas Candidate for US Congressional District 1 in the 2018 election. He is known largely in poetry circles throughout Texas as the official Texas Outlaw Poet. He is a co-founder and owner of Texas Outlaw Press. He was born in Athens, Texas in 1976. Since then he has attempted to tour every bar and every jail-house in this great state. Fortunately he shares his experiences through his edgy southern poetry that can be as sultry as Texas itself. Jeff has written five chapbooks and two full-length volumes, all published by Austin publisher Texas Outlaw Press. He has appeared at countless open mics and performed many spoken word events since 2003. He recently had his first art show of original work at the Hal Samples Space Gallery in Deep Ellum, displaying his many multi-media renderings of beer bottles. He currently resides in Gun Barrel City, Texas where he continues to perform, write, paint, live and love." -Jerry Hodges, local musician
TEXAS OUTLAW POET is the performing name of spoken word artist Jeff Callaway. He became known as such within the poetry and open mic circles around the Austin, Texas area in April of 2005, when it was discovered by the community that he had been a fugitive from the law for the previous months in which he had made a name for himself as one of the better poets of the area. The cause of his arrest in San Angelo in April of 2005 stemmed from a previous charge of Possession of Cocaine which took place September 12, 2013, the day that Johnny Cash passed away. He had been picked up in a bar in his hometown of Athens, Texas and was found to have both cocaine and methamphetamines as well as drug paraphernalia on his person by local authorities. While being on trial for the possession charges he fled the area to hideout in Austin and perform at various venues all over the city. When he was later picked up by police in San Angelo on his way to Forrest Fest, an annual poetry festival in West Texas, the Austin poetry community caught wind of the news and the "Texas Outlaw Poet" was born. Texas Outlaw Press was then formed by Jeff Callaway and John-Paxton Gremillion to publish chapbooks for readings for both while Jeff was in and when he got out of the Penitentiary system in mid 2006. He wrote and published 5 books while locked up. Many events were also held in the Austin area in support of the Texas Outlaw Poet while he was in prison to help raise money for legalization and prison reform issues. Upon his release, a sold out headline gig at the Ruta Maya Poetry Open Mic was held to commemorate his new found freedom. Jeff Callaway still performs in the area to this day. -John-Paxton Gremillion, (Co-Founder)
TEXAS OUTLAW PRESS is a publisher of poetry, short stories, novels, articles, photography, art, and music. We also provide a wide variety of Texas Outlaw Press merchandise. We are passionately involved in politics and social issues, such as prison reform and legalization. In the future we hope to become a platform and a voice for those incarcerated for non violent drug offenses here in Texas. "Texas Outlaw Press was founded when my good friend Jeff Callaway was sent to prison for the non-violent offense of possession of psilocybin mushrooms. Together we founded the Press to publish chapbooks for readings both while Jeff was in and when he got out of the penitentiary system. The legacy of our inception is our on-going interest in working with artist who have had to suffer the indignities and injustices of the hypocritical drug laws in Texas and the U.S. In the coming years we hope to shape the Press into a helpful resource for artists trapped in the Texas prison system for non-violent drug possession. We are also interested in collaborating with Texas's artist and political communities to bring further awareness to the injustices of Marijuana Prohibition and the harms to people's lives caused by incarcerating non-violent drug offenders. Ultimately we would like to help educate citizens and voters about the negative consequences of current drug laws and the benefits of treatment vs. incarceration in regards to serious addiction issues. At the same time we'd like to offer a rewarding forum for self-expression to those negatively impacted by those laws and to our readers and listeners." -John-Paxton Gremillion (Co-Founder)
www.texasoutlawpress.com www.texasoutlawpoet.com
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