From Uptown porches to a printed page.
Born September 25, 1978, in Uptown New Orleans, Ensley was raised by three powerful women — his mother, his aunt, and his grandmother — who made sure he understood early that laughter could save a life. With his father incarcerated when he was just two years old, humor quickly became both shield and superpower.
Raised in the heart of New Orleans culture — Mardi Gras parades, second line rhythms, and stories told louder than the music — he learned he could make people laugh simply by opening his mouth and letting his imagination run free. Growing up in the 1980s, he learned a simple truth: everybody was either selling crack, using crack, or cracking jokes. He chose jokes — and that choice earned him friends from every neighborhood, from Uptown to Cross the Canal.
After Hurricane Katrina, he relocated to Dallas, Texas, in 2005, where he kept turning life's curveballs into punchlines. What started as survival grew into purpose — shaping him into the husband, father, and storyteller he is today. Poetic Nola is his first collection, published under his own imprint, NolaGumbo Entertainment.