UD professor emeritus and Dayton Poet Laureate Herbert Woodward Martin is featured in a new documentary "Jump Back, Honey: The Poetry and Performance of Herbert Woodward Martin."

Filmmaker David Schock goes through the life of Martin, who is most famously known for his performances of Paul Laurence Dunbar's dialect poetry. The film debuts for free in Boll Theatre 7 p.m. Friday and is open to the public.

Schock first heard Martin perform in 1972 at Central Michigan University and followed the works and performances of Martin for more than 30 years when he finally decided, "somebody should make a film about Herb."

Taunted as a child for his likeness to Dayton's own renowned poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, Martin never thought of his resemblance as a blessing until Dunbar's centennial birthday in 1972. Martin held a ceremony for the occasion, bringing hundreds of famous poets together, when one performance changed his life.

"Margaret Walker, the poet, reintroduced me to Dunbar and how he should be read," Martin said. "So, I had to return to Dunbar and relearn the dialect, or at least how to say the words."

Dunbar, the first African-American to gain national recognition as a poet, used the dialect of the turn-of-the-century black community to convey the characters in his poetry, according to dunbarsite.org.

Since the ceremony, Martin has become a global icon for not only his dialect reading, but also his poems, operas, acting and singing. From this, he has met and performed with many incredible people, including Bob Dylan and Allen Ginsberg, according to a recent press release.

UD English professor and good friend John Inglis knows the effects of his talents better than almost anyone.

"When Prof. Martin performed with Bob Dylan in New York City in the early '60s, he felt so bad for poor Bob because of that voice," Inglis said. "Professor Martin can really sing, and this allows us to enter into his vivid reading of Dunbar's poetry with those classic images of the joy, but also the sorrow, of living under dark social conditions."

Along with his talent, Martin's humility and fearlessness are often seen as what makes him superior in his performances.

"[The film] takes a look at the creative process by a man who is willing to risk everything every time he gets on stage," Schock said. "You really can't have a good performance unless you're willing to fail."

The 90-minute film tries to bring the audience through all the extraordinary events of his life, but frankly, it is impossible to include every award and highlight.

"The film is absolutely amazing," Inglis said. "It brings us into the life of Prof. Martin as a young man when he decided to enter coffee houses and creative gatherings to mix with other outstanding and incredible creative sorts. You understand that we all can search for our dream but that we need to take chances and have a dream worth searching for. You get transported inside an amazing person's life."