Myisha Cherry

Brooklyn based literary artist, Myisha Cherry, is a powerful performance poet, soulful musician, intriguing writer, and budding literary entrepreneur who describes her artistic mission as “word work”.

Raised in Virginia, she began writing at the age of twelve. Unlike most preadolescent girls, Myisha kept her gabbing to a minimum and was usually introspective, giving no more than a smidgen-full vocally. Over time, the discomfort of not being able to express herself without sounding convoluted, grew frustrating, and the need for an outlet became more imperative. To free herself from her own mind, she found salvation in the written word and took shelter in the page. It was there Myisha Cherry not only found her voice, but also her vision and began writing.

In the 80’s and 90’s, the explosion of hip-hop music gave Cherry even more fuel for her linguistic fire. She recognized right away that what MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, A Tribe Called Quest, and Digital Planets were doing was simply reciting poetry over 70’s funk samples and Jazzy backgrounds. The same rhyme schemes, that she had spent years scribbling in her notepad, had now become a thing to “perform.” Unaware of the jazz poets of the seventies, like Gil Scott-Heron and The Last Poets, Cherry clung to hip-hop as a tool to add “cool” to her passion. Rapping ensued, but usually only in front of her middle and high school classmates.

However things began to change when as a freshman majoring in Philosophy at Morgan State University, in Baltimore Maryland, she stepped in front of her speech class to deliver what the class expected to be a speech. But instead of making the Toastmasters proud, Cherry decided to mesh the performance skill used in hip-hop with her years of devotion to poetry as her main medium of expression. There she did what she refers to as her “first spoken word poem.” Needless to say, it was all uphill from there.

Soon after, Myisha realized that she wasn’t the only person “performing” poetry. In fact, she was delighted to find out there were several others who found footing in the budding movement. Myisha steeped herself in the conveniently potent Baltimore/Washington DC poetry circuit and became a force to be reckoned with.

From there, Myisha has been featured all over the country, on radio, as well as television. She has authored two books and has been featured in such literary publications as Black Issues Book Review. Her work has been published in numerous anthologies and periodicals. In 2001, she founded Mwaza Publications, a literary press whose goal is to publish talented literary content that inspires and enlightens readers.

Recently, Cherry founded UnMute magazine, an online magazine geared toward urban contemporary literature and lyricism. She has also released her debut album, SICK, a 16-track poetry experiment that combines poetry with soulful melody, hip-hop, rock, and folk, as she herself plays acoustic guitar as accompaniment to her words.

Myisha Cherry has been described as one of the most honest and unique poets of her generation. To hear her poetry is to hear passion and high quality literary art embedded with sincere and powerful messages. To add to it, she wraps her poetry in skilled rhythmic speech and balances it with soulful sounds and raw instrumentation. Its no surprise that this is why her performances pulls listeners from all backgrounds in and not only entertains but touches them at the same time.

Myisha’s spoken word is a perfect blend of music, poetry, and voice. It's a balance of truth, love, forgiveness, and reality. And in an age, where the term “poet” is becoming a rising occupation, Myisha still finds a way to speak poetical in her own unique style and thats what makes her one of the stand-out's in todays art community.

What she does is “an experience”, as she expresses herself with the sincerity of a twelve-year-old, the confidence of a hip-hop artist, and a spirit unlike anyone.