International spoken word artist Gabriela Garcia Medina performed on stage in the Bradley Theater on Tuesday, March 6 and “slammed” her way into the hearts of the audience.
A total of six pieces were performed, and no two were alike.
Medina began the show with a piece entitled “The World’s Greatest Magician,” a poem she said was written after gaining inspiration from her family and the way her parents made her childhood a happy time even though they lived in poverty.
After finishing this piece, Medina transitioned into “A Self-Empowered Love Poem,” which was about not being co-dependent in love, but instead being able to stand on her own two feet after a hard break-up.
“Break-ups happen because you realize that something isn’t working out. There’s no shame in them, and yes, break-ups are sad. But you still have to get up afterwards and keep living your life,” Medina said in her introduction to the poem.
The third piece performed was perhaps the most intense of the performance. Entitled “Four Women,” it told the story of four different women: three that Medina has known, and then Medina herself. These stories ranged from a young girl being raped while crossing the border to an Asian woman being trafficked into the United States to work in a sweat shop to a young, homosexual African-American woman being harassed at a mall to a woman caught in a physically abusive relationship. There was a moment of silence when this piece finished, followed by an incredibly enthusiastic round of applause.
The next two pieces, “My Intimate Revolution,” and “At Least I’m a Good Poet,” were both lighter tales. The first expressed Medina’s love for sexy lingerie, and the second detailed a failed attempt to cook a Cuban vegan meal for a now ex-boyfriend.
The sixth and final poem in the show was called “Extensions of My Poetry,” and was about how she is not an extension of her poetry; rather, her poetry is an extension of her, and she doesn’t want her audience to believe that they really know her after listening to her perform for an hour.
Medina finished to thunderous applause, and it was obvious that the audience enjoyed her spoken word pieces.
“I really enjoyed how, at first, her attitude was really intense,” said Freshman Choral Music Education major Siera Ramierez. “She was really raw and down-to-Earth.”
“It was a wonderful show,” Medina said afterwards. “I felt like everyone was really open and receptive. I felt good up there, which doesn’t always happen. It’s always nice when the audience is thirsty for what you have to give them.”
Go here for more information about Medina.