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Celebrate Spoken Word Poet Jae Nichelle’s Release of God Themselves
April 6, 2023 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm CDT
Join The Garden District Book Shop to celebrate the release of her new collection of stirring poetry, God Themselves. The event will begin with a performance from Sha’Condria (iCon) Sibley. Afterward, Nichelle will discuss her experiences and poetry process with guests, followed by a performance from God Themselves, a short Q&A, and a signing.
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About the Book:
Rising star and spoken word poet Jae Nichelle debuts her luminous thoughts in God Themselves, a new collection of stirring poetry. Nichelle taps into her experiences of growing up in the South as a queer Black woman to courageously confront the effects of a forced religion and the inherent dangers of living life in a female body. God Themselves is divided into three equally moving sections: Everything, Everywhere, and Love. Nichelle braids her wisdom––as seen in the poem “What to Do When There’s Nothing You Can Do”––and witty generational humor––seen in “Sanctity: An Exposé”––into every poem. If you’ve ever contemplated who, what, and where God is, find comfort in these words.
About the Author:
Jae Nichelle is the author of the chapbook The Porch (As Sanctuary); the inaugural poetry winner of the John Lewis Writing Award from the Georgia Writers Association; and her poetry has appeared in Best New Poets 2020, The Washington Square Review, The Offing Magazine, and elsewhere. Her debut full-length collection, God Themselves, is forthcoming in March 2023.
About the Opener:
Sha’Condria (iCon) Sibley is an Alexandria, Louisiana native and longtime New Orleans-based poet, writer and multi-inspired artist whose work spans across page, stage, canvas, theater, music, talk radio, and short film. Raised in “the church” and with an educational background in biology and public health, her art naturally encompasses healing and spirituality, while centering Blk Women and reverence for the divine feminine. Sha’Condria has taught poetry and creative writing as a healing and liberation tool inside prisons, juvenile detention centers, and schools, toured the college circuit, and has worked for over a decade creating, organizing, and hosting arts-driven events.
A multiple-time national poetry slam champion/legend and multiple-time viral spoken word artist, her work has been featured on many platforms including TV One’s Verses and Flow, Huffington Post, For Harriet, Teen Vogue, and BBC World Radio. She is also featured on multiple recording projects alongside Grammy Award-winning artists. Sha’Condria is currently the 2022-23 Dr. Doris Derby Creative Spark Award recipient with Junebug Productions and the author of My Name Is Pronounced Holy: A Collection of Poems, Prayers, Rememberings, and Reclamations.