Meet Sheri Hall

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sheri Hall.

Hi Sheri, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I am a published author, entrepreneur, and performance artist living in Kansas City. My primary art form is Spoken Word which is a composite craft (both literary art and performance).

I am also a Kansas City Native (I am SO Kansas City), so my start was here. I grew up in the Washington Wheatley Neighborhood, went to UMKC, and studied Urban Affairs Sociology with a minor in non-profit management.

I was always interested in activism and advocacy while still yet being involved in the regular activities where I lived.

I also grew up with a deep appreciation for the arts from cinema to live performance and have always been a writer. I wrote my first poem when I was 6 after my grandfather passed. Since then this art has always been a source of life after death and has often taught me how to live again or reclaim parts of myself that were subdued. It gives me a voice and through performance, I am able to give others a voice.

I started really taking performance seriously after the passing of the father of my 2 girls. That is the first time I walked into an open mic and was really embraced. It was a H.I.S.W.I.L.L. open mic run by Ed Spok-An-Vizion Rollins. H.I.S.W.I.L.L. was and still is the premier platform for Christian talent. He pulled me in and actually gave me my first paying job as a spoken word artist.

After that time, I continued to perform at almost every church in the city (yeesh). However, I didn’t fully realize where I was supposed to really speak until I performed in a bar (of all places). People were so receptive, and I felt a whole healing environment there. I understood that the place for my art was really outside of the church and this gave me freedom.

Since then, I have performed in multiple environments and used my art for both entertainment and healing. I am the author of 4 books -a book of poetry, epistles, and essays titled “Black Girl Shattered”(original release 2017, rerelease on Penfire Publishing 2020); two poetry chapbooks “Mélange du Femme Noir” (2019), and “Chosen for Both” (2015); and a workbook/workshop “Writing Wrongs: Writing to Heal” (2016) which won an award from Bike for the Brain, a non-profit organization that works to reduce mental health stigma.

Some of my accolades include:

• 2019 Charlotte Street Generative Performing Artist Awardee and Previous two-year Studios Resident.
• 2015/16/17/18 – National Poetry Slam Team Competitor.
• 2017/18/21/22 -Women of the World Poetry slam competitor.
• 2017 ArtsKC Inspiration Breakfast featured artist.
• 2018 and 2019 Poet and Activist awards at the Music and More Foundation Poetry Awards.
• 2019 Art in the loop grant recipient.
• 2019 and 2017 Arts KC Inspiration Grant recipients.
• 2019 a 2021 Best-spoken word artist nominee for KC People’s Choice awards.
• 2019 – Rustbelt Team Competitor and Finalist.
• 2020 National Spoken Word Awards Female Spoken Word artist of the year.
• 2021 Pitch Best KC nominee.
• 2021 – Southern Fried team competitor and the indie finalist with The Writer’s Den (of VA).
• 2022 – Southern Fried team competitor with The Regulators.

Through my company PenFire Publishing – I have been able to publish multiple books for others. I feel that it is important for us to own our own narratives. Spoken Word and other performance-based arts are not traditionally celebrated in literature. I created PenFire Publishing as a means to provide that space for others and to help people solidify their craft from stage to page.

I founded a non-profit – East of Red Arthouse whose mission is to transform the stigma attached to artistic professions and represent the irreplaceable capacity of artists by operating in the traditionally underserved areas of Kansas City, empowering neighborhoods, and refocusing the community.

East of red helps many programs stay up and running with the fiscal partnership as well as financial support and is a partner with the Poetry Club Collective which provides entertainment services for Poetry on the Vine

I became the CEO of Poetry For Personal Power, a 501(c)(3) nationally recognized expert on trauma and resilience incorporated in Wyandotte County, Kansas, in 2019. Since then, we have solidified our peer support programming by serving three states with one on one and group services and produced multiple writing workshops.

Having been granted over $900,000 in grants to provide multiple communities with subsidized and free mental health services, started a conference called Rite of Joy for Black and African American Mental Health and Arts.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Many of the struggles that I have faced are struggles that are common to artists; lack of sustainable work structure, underappreciation of work, difficulty reaching your target audience, etc.

I have worked with many different organizations to overcome these obstacles one by one and now am uniquely positioned to help other artists do the same. Please remember, it did not take me just 3 minutes to “spit” your favorite poem, it took me all these years of learning and perfecting my craft to be able to do it in 3 minutes. Artist lives and time are important.

Along those same lines, it has been difficult at times to balance work, craft, and family. That is a lot to juggle. I actually had to leave the Master’s program that I was in long ago due to being a single parent, having to work full time, and having no one to watch my children. Leaving that program caused debt that someone with a low income would not be able to afford to pay.

Now that my children are older I eagerly await the day that I can pursue a Ph.D. program. Currently, an issue with UMKC is holding my transcript and as a result, I have not been able to do that. There are many people in this position that desperately look for help or have to start over to continue/finish. It is frustrating to work in the field that I studied, have years of experience in, and still not have the appropriate letters behind my name. I worked hard and most times without those letters even harder to prove myself.

I am grateful to God that I am where I am now, but it did not come without its own set of hardships. I would love to look into ways to not only fix my situation but also help other former students of higher education institutions to be able to negotiate and release holds with their Universities so that they can finish what they started.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I believe in my ability to use persona and extended metaphor to transform controversial subjects into something that is able to be universally understood.

Much of the healing work is done with the general public at Open Mics. Poetry on the Vine – powered by the Music and More Foundation and Poetry Club Collective has one every Thursday at The Corner Bar and Grill on 18th and vine (1601 e 18th st). Every week there is a different vibe/activity/focus with an open mic happening each and every occurrence. The Poetry Club Collective was recently awarded a Charlotte Street Cultural Curators award to keep this going and we hope we will be awarded a second round.

I have performed in multiple environments and used my art for both entertainment and healing. I am the author of 4 books -a book of poetry, epistles, and essays titled “Black Girl Shattered”(original release 2017, rerelease on Penfire Publishing 2020); two poetry chapbooks “Mélange du Femme Noir” (2019), and “Chosen for Both” (2015); and a workbook/workshop “Writing Wrongs: Writing to Heal” (2016) which won an award from Bike for the Brain, a non-profit organization that works to reduce mental health stigma.

I love doing the healing work but I absolutely love competition. Some of my accolades include:

• 2019 Charlotte Street Generative Performing Artist Awardee and Previous two-year Studios Resident
• 2015/16/17/18 – National Poetry Slam Team Competitor
• 2017/18/21/22 -Women of the World Poetry slam competitor
• 2017 ArtsKC Inspiration Breakfast featured artist
• 2018 and 2019 Poet and Activist awards at the Music and More Foundation Poetry Awards
• 2019 Art in the loop grant recipient
• 2019 and 2017 Arts KC Inspiration Grant recipient
• 2019 a 2021 Best-spoken word artist nominee for KC People’s Choice awards
• 2019 – Rustbelt Team Competitor and Finalist
• 2020 National Spoken Word Awards Female Spoken Word artist of the year
• 2021 Pitch Best KC nominee
• 2021 – Southern Fried team competitor and the indie finalist with The Writer’s Den (of VA)
• 2022 – Southern Fried team competitor with The Regulators

I have also had visual art installations in the Jewish Community Center (Leawood, MO), The Griot Museum (STL, MO), and InterUrban ArtHouse (Overland Park, KS).

Any big plans?
I look forward to personally publishing 2 more books by this time next year, I will also coach and publish 3 more authors.

I am competing in quite a few places this year. I have 2 scheduled matches at WordPlay – which is a Poetry Battle league founded by RV the Poet. I am also currently a part of a poetry slam team – The Regulators. We will be traveling to Louisville Kentucky to compete in the Southern Fried poetry slam in June. I also plan to compete in the Gods and Goddesses slam in Chicago IL this year.

Poetry for Personal Power is throwing the 2nd Rite of Joy conference (a conference centered around Black/African American Mental Wellness and Arts) in October! It is the first conference of its kind. The first year, there were so many testimonials of healing and growth that I was overwhelmed. I knew this was being produced at the right time. It will be held at UMKC this year and features many talented and qualified artists and mental health professionals that will give workshops and performances.

I would strongly encourage people to come who are a part of and/or serve the Black/African American Community. I especially encourage those that serve to come to hear the voices, stories, pains, and triumphs of people receiving their services. CEU/CEE credits will be offered during this workshop and those that serve will definitely leave with something to take back to their practices.

For peers, this conference will help encourage and educate regarding wellness practices and alternative outlets to overcome mental distress, and trauma. We are also still looking for vendors and sponsors.

After the conference, the JoyUs gala will take place! This is also the 2nd year of this gala. Last year we had wonderful entertainment ranging from Jazz to poetry to comedy. We also had the honor of presenting awards to the Kansas Mental Health Coalition (Mental Health Champion award), InterUrban ArtHouse (Arts Champion Award), and SENT Topeka (CultureForward Champion), Nika Cotton (Entrepreneur of the year).

Tiara Patterson (Sponsored artist of the Year), Robert Marsh (Sponsored Advocate of the year). This year we look forward to the new and deserving awardees as well as the overall night of excellence.

Pricing:

• Black Girl Shattered Delux Edition- $20
• Writing Wrongs, Writing to Heal – $25
• Melange Du Femme Noir – $10
• Performances – Negotiable.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: spokenpurpose.com
• Instagram: @purposespoken
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spokenpurpose
• Twitter: @purposespoken
• SoundCloud: https://www.facebook.com/purposespoken
• Other: poetryforpersonalpower.org