Montgomery Maxton celebrates his 39th birthday at premier Manhattan rooftop bar, skips World Pride
01 July 2019
Montgomery Maxton was joined by some of his closest friends Saturday to celebrate his 39th birthday.
With friends from afar already in town for World Pride, Maxton partied well into the night at The Press Lounge, his favorite rooftop bar, in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, with a dozen friends whom spanned different time periods of his life.
Maxton’s boyfriend, opera singer Rocky Sellers, met many of Montgomery’s friends for the first time, whom were delighted to learn of his forthcoming work at the Metropolitan Opera.
Novelist Jarrod King was present from Philadelphia and Jeffrey Wehner, VP of Global Operations-Renewables for Duke Energy, was present from Charlotte. Filmmaker Kevin Nettles of Indianapolis attended along with opera singers Aaron Casey, Brandon Shaw McKnight, and David Sanchez. Designer Anderson Somerselle, a longtime friend of the poet, attended solo.
Maxton’s two closest New York friends, Minkah Cobb-Phillips of the US Coast Guard, and Kristoffer Smith-Purnell celebrated alongside Maxton.
The intimate rooftop has been awarded one of the world’s best rooftops. The view of the Manhattan skyline from the venue is often described as breathtaking.
Earlier in the day Maxton dined with his boyfriend at The River Cafe, one of the world’s most celebrated restaurants.
He did not attend World Pride the next day.
The Press Lounge in New York City.
Man wielding machete reported at Montgomery Maxton’s NYC residence
22 June 2019
A man wielding a large machete was reported at Montgomery Maxton’s residence in New York City this evening.
A screen-grab from Maxton’s front security camera shows the unidentified male holding the weapon. Maxton does not know the man.
Maxton reported the incident in-real-time to his bodyguard, then off-duty, and an NYPD officer, though no 911 call was made. The individual was at Maxton's residence for over thirty minutes but did not gain entry.
The situation was resolved without incident, though questions remain unanswered.
In 2017 and 2018 Maxton was subject of multiple kidnapping and ransom threats that were deemed legitimate by the authorities.
An unidentified man wields a large machete at Montgomery Maxton's NYC home on June 22, 2019.
Montgomery Maxton’s popular Instagram to go ‘white hot’ this summer
Montgomery Maxton’s noted Instagram page is about to get ‘white hot’ for summer.
The creative and elusive poet and National Geographic-published photographer has designed a feature using words, imagery, and a return to 80s-style photography.
Polaroids, white backgrounds, words-on-pic, Maxton’s thousands of unpublished snapshots, art, as well as pop culture references of interest to him, are about to flood his followers’ feeds.
Maxton, whom has designed over 300 posts for the themed event, will be taking the summer off from social media, allowing his publicist and editor to both manage the project.
It will reportedly include selfies, curious snapshots, unfiltered photos, screenshots of mean text messages from guys he used to date, and more.
The first posts are expected any day now.
Maxton plans to spend the summer offline working on a novel.
Montgomery Maxton asked friends to disable Amazon Alexa while in their house
21 May 2019
Montgomery Maxton asked his friends in Fort Lauderdale to disable their Amazon Alexa device while he was in their home, according to another guests in the house.
Maxton reportedly asked while they were having dinner and was about to disclose confidential information.
A proponent of privacy but also a manager for a tech company that mines consumer data, Maxton has raised concerns before on social media about data collection and its sometimes malicious use against people and the overall “spying” ability that smart home devices have.
When asked how he balances the two, Maxton said, “Best to have a voice on the inside, no pun intended.”
His friends complied with the request.
It is not know if Maxton asked them to disable Siri on their iPhones. He is known to ask people not to have their phones out at the dinner table.
Amazon was recently exposed by the New York Times to be listening to conversations through Alexa.
Maxton, via Instagram Stories, leaving for Fort Lauderdale on May 11, 2019.
Montgomery Maxton plans no sequel to The Manhattan Man despite positive sales
08 May 2019
Montgomery Maxton says he doesn’t plan to write a sequel to his bestselling graphic novel, The Manhattan Man.
Maxton made the announcement on Twitter. He had previously told his editor, and answered a fan email, stating the same thing.
“The story is finished,” he wrote in an early 2019 email sent to him through his website. Referencing the main character, Maxton concludes “Adam Mada is baked into the fates.”
The story ends in a cliffhanger, leaving the fate of the main character unknown. Readers seem evenly split on whether the character is dead or alive. An alternate theory, a few have said, is the character fakes his own death and assumes a new identity.
Maxton said he is open to the idea of publishing the full short story.
“The graphic novel only has about 80% of the actual typed story in it. But even with the full version, the ending remains the same.”
The book has reportedly sold 25,000 copies since its November 2018 release.
Montgomery Maxton, opera singer Rocky Sellers make first public appearance as a couple
20 February 2019
Montgomery Maxton and opera singer Rocky Sellers stepped-out over the Valentine’s Day weekend in their first public appearance as a couple.
The duo were hand-in-hand at the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Rigoletto at Lincoln Center after dining in Manhattan on Billionaire’s Row at Southgate House.
The couple both posted on their Instagram Stories a snapshot of them outside the famed opera house.
Sellers, an opera singer, introduced Maxton to others in the industry during intermission.
Maxton later tweeted that he enjoyed the mid-century Las Vegas-set production of the Verdi classic, but ended the tweet saying that the best part of the evening was spending it with his boo.
Rocky Sellers and Montgomery Maxton at Lincoln Center.
Montgomery Maxton to spend two weeks in Kenya teaching children arts and language
03 January 2019
Montgomery Maxton will travel to Kenya in East Africa this coming August to teach underprivileged children, he announced on his social media.
According to the organization, VolunteersAbroad, he will live with a host family in Nanyuki, teach during the day, and spend the evening learning culture and exploring the natural wonders of the country.
He announced the news on his Twitter page Thursday night.
Maxton has declined all further comment on the project, but informed his employer, publicist, and publisher yesterday of the scheduled event.
In his tweet he mentioned watching a friend on a mission trip in 2018 as the inspiration.
Following the experience Maxton will visit the neighboring country Rwanda.
Maxton will work with Volunteers Abroad (pictured) for his project.
Montgomery Maxton to release debut novel, “Moonlight on the Sunshine Roses” next summer
01 January 2019
Montgomery Maxton will release his long-awaited debut novel next year.
Moonlight on the Sunshine Roses will be released in May.
It is being published via MIP, his private press. It will be his fifth-released book.
The at-times social media head-turner posted on his Instagram today the spelling-binding cover of his novel along with a brief note about the book.
He went on to say that he wrote this story in 2008 and finished it in 2011 and that, while it’s a short novel, it is powerful and also largely autobiographical.
The book is set in rural Ohio during the Great Recession and combines elements of American folklore, rural poverty, racism, war, and a gay love story.
Maxton will host a reading and book-signing in September in Cincinnati.
Montgomery Maxton's debut novel, Moonlight on the Sunshine Roses.
Montgomery Maxton releases debut graphic novel "The Manhattan Man"
29 November 2018
Montgomery Maxton’s debut graphic novel, The Manhattan Man, was released today marking the award-winning writer’s crossover from poetry to fiction after a decade of publishing.
The highly anticipated book was released online via hard copy. An eBook version is forthcoming. The book has generated quite a buzz online.
In early reviews the book has been described as “dark,” “beautifully rendered,” and “fucked-up.”
“I’m very excited that this is now out there for you. Thank you to JAPA for illustrating it, and thanks to my creative team for allowing me to be a boss,” Maxton said on his popular Instagram account.
Maxton penned the short but dark tale in 2007 in Ohio (the full version of the short story was cut drastically for the graphic novel and remains unpublished). He told writer Collin Kelley earlier this year that he writes all the time but rarely publishes.
Maxton designed the book, with Italian illustrator JAPA creating the cover and illustrations for the inside.
Moon Ice Press, the author’s private publishing company, is releasing the book.
Maxton plans a second graphic novel, The Philadelphia War, in 2019, and a third, Magnolia80, in 2020. He said the stories are not linked.
A book release party is planned in January in Manhattan.
Description:
Set in New York City in the 2K decade, Adam Mada is a Wall Street prodigy whose wealth and jetset lifestyle contributes to chronic, treatment-resistant insomnia. When a new sleep aid becomes available, and Adam is coincidentally visited by a night voice claiming to be the Almighty with dire warnings on the eve of Adam's month-long worldwide travel, the resulting roulette is a page-turner at a pulsating pace.
Maxton placed in “Twitter Detention” for swearing at a Russian Bot that misspelled ‘Americans’
30 September 2018
Montgomery Maxton’s Twitter account was placed in a 12-hour ‘time-out’ Friday night into Saturday after he responded to an account that seems to be a Russian Bot account that misspelled the word ‘Americans’ to “Anericans.”
“You stupid fucknut, go to school. #RussianBot ← #TrumpMoney” Maxton tweeted in the early hours of September 29th.
Russian Bots are fake accounts controlled from a hacking factory in Russia. The hackers and bots are used to try to cause discourse in American society and politics. Maxton has been hypervigilant of them and frequently calls them out so other users know they’re fake accounts.
Maxton refers to the 12-hour stint as being in “Twitter jail.” He has been active on Twitter for nearly a decade.
The filter used to identify possible abuse, which is not monitored by actual people, looks for keywords and, upon finding them, partially or fully shuts down a Twitter account, normally for 12 hours, but in some cases longer or permanently.
Homophobic slurs like “f*ggot” are not part of the filter, nor are racial slurs. “Kind of pretty much defeats the purpose,” Maxton said.
Maxton’s account was not fully suspended, meaning he could post but only his followers could see it, which is a feature normally only found on private accounts. Had there been a breaking news story during this stint, that Maxton was apart of, like a terror attack on his train into work, his post about it would not have been able to be seen by media, only his followers.
Maxton slept through the detention, "Kind of like I was back in high school," and returned to tweeting the next day, mocking the situation. One of his followers said to "be proud" of his accomplishment.
The tweet.
Montgomery Maxton’s cousin, Christopher Baker, dead at 32
22 September 2018
Montgomery Maxton’s cousin, Christopher Baker, has died. He was 32. He reportedly died from liver disease following a battle with alcoholism.
Baker was an identical twin. Just a few months after their birth their father, Greg, died in a car crash, leaving their mother; one of Maxton’s closest cousins, Allison Elliott Baker, to raise them as a single parent.
Maxton remembers first meeting Chris in 1986 a few days after he was born. Maxton was 6 at the time.
Baker died near Cincinnati, Ohio where he lived. He also leaves behind two sisters and a girlfriend.
Maxton expressed sympathy on social media. He has not stated if he would be attending the funeral.
Last year, Maxton’s cousin, Jeni Irick, died from complications from drug addiction at age 33.
Maxton has twenty first cousins and nearly forty second cousins on his mother’s side. Both cousins were his second cousins.
Christopher Baker was born a twin on September 3, 1986. He died on September 22, 2018.
Montgomery Maxton gives impromptu Brooklyn poetry reading, breaking 12 year hiatus
Montgomery Maxton gave an inpromptu poetry reading Wednesday night in Brooklyn, breaking a hiatus that lasted 12 years.
The 37 year-old-poet, whose third poetry book will be released in less than a month, read to a captivated audience of about 40 at a wine bar in the hip Williamsburg neighborhood, where Mr. Maxton frequently haunts.
Maxton has not given a public reading since 2006 where he read to a crowd of about 150 in Cincinnati, his hometown.
Reading from memory but with his iPhone in hand, Maxton powerfully and with animation delivered ten short poems in 15 minutes. He ended with “Philadelphia” which is where he’s scheduled to give a reading at the library of next week.
Following the reading he received a roaring applause, with several snapping selfies with him as he made his was out of the bar to his chauffeur-driven SUV.
He then dined in TriBeCa with a tech company president.
Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Montgomery Maxton to make rare public appearance at Philadelphia poetry reading
Montgomery Maxton announced via his publicist today that he has agreed to participate in a poetry reading in April 2018 in Philadelphia.
The event, “Is There Queer Poetry?” will also include three other poets. He will also answer questions from the audience.
Maxton has not given a public poetry reading since 2006, stating social anxiety as a reason. In 2016 Maxton gave private, “less than 5 people” readings at private homes and hotel rooms in Virginia, New Jersey, Ohio, New York, and California.
The New York City-based poet and photographer is a former resident of Philadelphia, having lived there from 2010 until 2014 when he left everything and moved to New York City following years of an alleged abusive relationship and a rumored heartbreaking love affair.
His most recent poetry collection, Champagne (2016, Moon Ice Press), highly reflects that time period.
Maxton briefly returned to Philadelphia last fall and tweeted that it was part of a healing process for him, and that despite his love for the city, it still hurt to be there.
The event, scheduled for April 24th at the Independence Library, will be hosted by Jim Cory, one of America’s most foremost poets.
Maxton lives in Brooklyn and manages a tech company on Wall Street. In late 2018 he will release his debut graphic novel, “The Manhattan Man."
Maxton in Philadelphia in 2011
Montgomery Maxton’s bodyguard intervenes during ‘intense’ Brooklyn incident
Montgomery Maxton’s long-rumored bodyguard was all but confirmed tonight after intervening during an incident in Brooklyn that left an entire restaurant staff dumbfounded following a run-in with the bartender.
After arriving at a favorite downtown Brooklyn restaurant with a friend, the bartender reportedly refused to seat Maxton and his guest, which set Maxton off.
The host intervened and sat Maxton on the back patio, where his bodyguard, whose name is Romeo, soon arrived and stood by his side as Maxton’s private driver idled outside.
“This huge gorgeous SUV pulled up and next thing you know,” a patron said via Twitter direct message after tweeting about the incident, “two men came swarming inside and went right to the back private area where dude was. A huge muscle man and another man, both that looked like you didn’t want to fuck with them.”
“I don’t know who this dude is but he isn’t playing” the patron said when asked about Montgomery Maxton.
Maxton reportedly tipped his waitress well but not before telling her that the bartender was a "fucking jerk" and should "fired."
It is not known why the bartender, acting as a host despite a host being on duty, refused to seat Maxton.
Maxton claims the bartender was homophobic.
A call to the restaurant resulted in a voicemail.
Patsy's in downtown Brooklyn