Shanelle Gabriel: Poet in the PUB

Shanelle Gabriel

When my Fantasy teacher told us there was going to be a poet in the PUB Monday night I wasn't sure if I was going to go; I had homework to do and sleep to catch up on.  But I thought it would be nice to check it out and it was worth it. Shanelle Gabriel (http://www.shanellegabriel.com/) came to Coe and for an hour I got to hear her poetry, singing, and learn a little about her life.  She had a great stage presence, she was so comfortable up on stage.  Her poetry was real and she said up front that all poems were actually true or fabricated a little.  I would say Shanelle was in her late 20s and this made her easily relatable; I could compare and contrast my own experiences with her poems.  And Shanelle performed to a pretty full PUB, I had forgotten how much I enjoy the atmosphere of the PUB and now kind of want to study there sometimes.  Shanelle was also sort of an inspiration kickstart for my own writing.  For some reason I always seem to forget that when I'm having writer's block, another writer can usually inspire me.  Just seeing Shanelle up there, doing something she clearly loves and sharing her poetry with all us made my dream of being a writer so much more real and a reality.  When I got back from the PUB, I did some free writing of my own and saw how much easier words and ideas came to me.  So thanks Shanelle!  This event was sponsored by SAC and I hope to attend some more events like this one in the future.