Nick has released a new book for children, Neon Aliens Ate My Homework and Other Poems. The book which topics run the gamut from gross, funny to inspirational also deals with taking the high road when dealing with haters and heartbreak.
“I’m talking about relationships in there,” Cannon, 34, tells the Daily News. “Like how I really feel being in love (in ‘Flourescent Essence’)”.
Cannon also takes you on a journey to his past. In one poem, “Just Like You,” the long-running host of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” and “Wild ’N Out” on MTV writes about growing up on food stamps.
Nick says that he handles the ups and downs of his life by writing, spending time with his 3-year-old twins, and serving on the board of St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children in Queens.
“Writing is something I’ve always done, whether it was lyrics or television scripts,” he says. “It allows you to focus on happiness when there are hardships and difficult times. And when I go to St. Mary’s, it really puts everything into the proper perspective.”
Nick highlights what a source inspiration for him his children are with the piece, “Daddy’s Shoes” which came to him after seeing his son Moroccan (aka Roc) playing in his footwear.
“I was watching him in these giant Timbaland boots, just trying to walk, and it made me think of my father and my grandfather, and the great things they’ve done, and the wisdom they’ve passed on to me,” says Cannon.
Cannon credits Shel Silverstein for making him fall in love with writing — and he pays that debt forward with this book, illustrated by Cannon and acclaimed street artists including Art Mobb, Califawnia and Captain Kris.
Given his affection for the earlier poet, Cannon did the illustration for “Remembering Shel,” an ode to a writer whose poems were “truest to me,” Cannon explains.
Head to the Daily News to read the full interview as well as the selections “The Wordsmith” and “Back to School”
