Watch "The Central Park 5" Documentary

This documentary is soooo moving yet sooooo sad. Such a detailed story on how 5 young boys in NYC get wrongly convicted of the rape of a woman in Central Park in 1989.

Watch The Central Park Five on PBS. See more from Central Park Five.

Come to My Live Performance in NYC Valentine's Day Eve!

Scholarich is partnering with The Source Magazine to host a great Valentine's Day themed charity event, February 13th, at Santos Party House (Upstairs). I'm performing!!!

This event serve as fundraising for the community endeavors of Scholarich Foundation that implement programs that engage and support the urban youth in their academics. So lets spread love and get great people out to celebrate!

Tickets can be purchased for $20 at www.vdayeve.eventbrite.com. 

Footage and Photos from my performance at Highline Ballroom!

For those of you that missed it, here are some video and photos from my April 19th Concert at the illustrious Highline Ballroom to benefit the SLE Lupus Foundation!! NYC! 

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Thanks Ebby from Ebby Agu Fotography for the great images!

13.1 has new meaning for me... Running the 2012 NYC Half Maratho

I earned this tattoo....



I know, I know, it's a temporary one but I earned the right to wear it. On Sunday, March 19th, 2012, I ran 13.1 miles in the NYC Half Marathon. I did this to raise money for the SLE Lupus Foundation and also to show that even though I'm living with Lupus, I can still accomplish an amazing physical goal.

My day started at 5:30am. Even though I prepared the night before by putting out all my clothes and carb loading at a pasta party my running group Black Girls Run threw, I still felt like I was scrambling. This endeavor had me more nervous than I've ever been, even at a show. "What could go wrong? Just finish. That's all that matters." I encouraged myself and checked my twitter & FB for encouragement from others.


Once the race started, I felt like an ant in an ant farm; there were so many people scattering in the same direction. My biggest fear in this race was the first 6 miles in Central Park. I truly felt unprepared for the plethora of random stupid hills all over the park. Due to my busy schedule over the last few weeks, I missed official Team Life Without Lupus trainings in the park, and man, by the time I got to the 7th Ave exit, my right foot was pissed at me.

People asked me if I stopped at all. Yes, a few times. To replenish at the gatorade/water stations, to re-tie my laces, once to use the port-a-johns (you don't wanna know why), and to stretch out random stiff parts of my body. At one point in time, my foot, lower back, left hip, and chest were all on fire. As I watched a one-legged man with a sporty artificial limb breeze past me (I was one part amazed, two parts embarassed at my slow pace), I sucked it up and focused on the end.

As I made my way down 7th Ave to 42nd Street to the West Side Highway, I was proud to be one of the people being cheered on. It was great seeing my BGR sisters waving banners along the route as well as the random folk giving high-fives as you passed them by. One sign stood out:

"Run like you stole something."

If that was the case, I'd have gotten caught. By the time I got to the 20s on the West Side Highway, I swore I was gonna need to be carried off course if I ran at the pace everyone else was. So I slowed down to a simple lil jog. Besides, everyone around me was running FOR a cause. Darnit, I AM the cause. No killing myself.

I was a lil jealous of the people who's families had cardboard signs with runner's names on it, but I remembered, I'm not running for anyone other than myself and people like me, many of which couldn't be there.

The last mile was gruesome. The final incline to get through the tunnel near the Battery Tunnel to the highway exit for South Street Seaport was murderous on my foot but I got through it, and jogged as best as I could to get to Water Street where the race ended. I crossed the finish line and almost laid out right In the street. My friend Gigi from college was there waiting for me. They gave all participants a medal, water, pretzels, an apple and a foil sheet to wrap around our bodies to keep us warm.

At the end of the day, I am able to say that as a person with Lupus, I reached my goal of running 13.1 miles to show that at the end of the day, LUPUS CAN'T HOLD ME! I did this while my friend Olympia is in the hospital, Adrienne fights every day for the energy to just get through work, Judith works to find new medication while creating a non-profit to help people deal with Lupus in Ghana, and while many others battle the same battle I fight daily with health insurance companies, medications, rest, complications, and more. I hope this run made someone who is battling Lupus smile. I did it for you! 

January Updates! [Shows in NYC & Atlantic City, Article, NYC Workshops)

 Happy New Year!

I know we're a week in but I wanted to make sure I had some news for you all regarding January's happenings! After a month of planning and re-evaluating where I want to be in 2012, I've got a lot in the works: new music/ poetry, videos, service projects, shows, and more that will be revealed in time! I don't want to overwhelm you so here's what's going on in the next few weeks:

Live Performance in NYC - Friday, January 13th @ 6PM

MUSIC, FOOD, FUN and ME :) .... and at the same time you get to learn about the BLK ProjeK and its mission to create economic development opportunities that address food justice, environmental justice and public and mental health. I'll be performing Friday at The BLK Project's Welcome Party & Fundraiser @ Museum of Motherhood:

401 East 84th St (between 1st Ave and York, lower level Dunhill Building), New York, NY 

Also performing: The Paxtons, OHBO! Niyre. Tickets are $35/ VIP $60. 

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Live Performance in Atlantic City, NJ - Monday, January 16th @ 5PM

It's a blessing to have been asked to be the guest of honor at The Greater Atlantic City Dr. Martin Luther King Day Of Stars, a free music, poetry and from the heart tribute and festival celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It will take place at The Shore Mall in Cardiff, New Jersey. The event begins at 12pm, but I'll be pretty much closing out the night. IT'S FREE! 

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Feature Article at Kansas State University 

 I was featured in a great article in the Kansas State University Collegian after my performance there last month. I thought I'd share! (Thank you, Jakki Thompson, for writing such a great article! And thank you K-State for welcoming me to "The Little Apple", Manhattan, KS.) 

Check it out: http://www.kstatecollegian.com/news/spoken-word-artist-shares-poetry-with-students-in-personal-performance-1.2673010#.TtVFaHNFFUk 

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Winter Workshop on Performing in NYC 

Through Urban Word NYC, I am teaching a Youth Winter Workshop Performance Series called "Lyrical Melodies" on performing work that blends genres. Whether you sing and rap, spit poetry and sing, or dance and monologue, this workshop is for you! It's every Tuesday from now till February 14th at the Urban Word Main Office (242 W. 27th St. Suite 3A, New York, NY 10001) from 4:30PM to 6:30PM. Free! 

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Well, till next time, stay warm and stay blessed! See you on Twitter! 

Shanelle Gabriel

www.twitter.com/ShanelleG