By:Brian Shappell
Gayle Danley has plenty rhyme and reason, and it shows whenever she tells her life story through poetry.
Ms. Danley will be performing her “slam poetry” twice in the area on Oct. 11, a 10 a.m. performance and poetry workshop at the Middlesex County Youth Shelter and a 7 p.m. performance at the Cranbury Public Library.
It will be the poet’s first time performing in the area since she performed in the township in March 1999. The Cranbury Arts Council will be hosting her performances.
Art Council co-founders Marty Hayden and Sue Leson are ecstatic of the poet’s return to the area.
“Her work is outstanding; she has the ability to touch her audience emotionally in a very provocative way,” Ms. Leson said. “She brings the barriers down in poetry. She had us singing, crying, it was an extraordinary experience. I’m so excited to get her back here.”
Ms. Danley said she is excited to come back to perform to the two distinctly different audiences.
“It’s a chance to connect with an audience which is not used to being touched,” Ms. Danley said. “It’s 45 minutes of the most powerful poetry. At least, that’s what I’ve been told.”
Ms. Danley was born in New York City and raised in Atlanta by her aunt Laverne. She began giving slam poetry performances in 1994 after winning a national poetry competition. Her emotional autobiographical poems and performance style has kept her busy touring high schools from Texas to Heidelberg, Germany. Ms. Danley’s recent performances have been at Clemson University and at high schools in Connecticut.
Earlier this year, “60 Minutes” did a profile on Slam Poetry and spent a day with Ms. Danley. The feature showed all aspects of the poet’s life, from performing to caring for her 4-year-old daughter Noni. Ms. Danley said the “60 Minutes” appearance was definitely the highlight of her career.
She also said she was grateful for the opportunity to show how much she enjoys her work.
“It’s hard to have a truly bad day,” Ms. Danley said. “I don’t know anyone who loves their job as much as I do. I’m blessed and very grateful.”
Her performance to the two-dozen teen-age residents of the Middlesex County Youth Shelter is part of the Cranbury Arts Council’s outreach program. Ms. Leson said she thought the slam poetry performance would be an entertaining and uplifting program for the youths.
“It’s really a wonderful way of doing poetry,” Ms. Hayden said. “I think she’ll be able to do great to work with these kids. She’s really incredible.”
Ms. Danley said she is looking forward to speaking to the teens. She also said one of the key elements to her work is that she feels she is always on the same level as her audience, which makes it easy to communicate.
“The shows are conversational and natural,” Ms. Danley said. “That’s part of the show, to be there and hug people and listen to their stories.”
Among the many high points of the performances will likely be Ms. Danley’s reading of “Two Pearls.” The poem is about the death of her aunt Laverne, who raised her.
“No matter what age or audience, it always seems to connect,” said Ms. Danley. “It touches that human place in us all.”
