About

Who am I ? raz by Cheeraz

The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change. -Carl Rogers *******

i'm a lover of life, words, dictionaries, books that make you read them more than once, long talks, bare foot walks, red hot ripplets--stl baby, visual art, truth, funny lookin' toys, soft kisses, smooth skin, old eddie murphy movies, music that makes me feel good, kitchens, cookin', food that doesn't make you feel like shit after eatin' it--vegan baby yeah, quiet, a good laugh...the kind that makes ya face hurt and work out the abs, old people...esp, old black folks, old poets, nice pens, first kisses, perfect fittin' jeans, good advice, hands that can give a good back rub, fingers tips that know how to gently glide, people that give you somethin' to think about, baking, the male and female body, planting stuff, nice sheets and beds that make you want to lay in them all day, shell-toe adidas, kale salad, water--it makes me happy, wisdom, really old photos, cuddling, conversations after 11pm central time, diamonds no one died for, spike lee jointz, films about black folk, writing, writers, gentle souls, people that love what they do and believe in themselves, folks that are human, slow dancing, the sun, 80 degrees with humidity and 100 degrees dry heat, camera's, me, dry erase surfaces, old school parenting, new poets, free samples of lotion, hand written letters sent through your local post office and delieved to my mail box, sleep, my girlhood and womanhood, workin' late hours 'til i'm bunch drunk, cartoons, skateboards, animals, beautful high heels--3-5inchs, communicators, babies, friends that let you be you, old school dances, counting windows on buildings while sitting in the car and/or counting the number of cars of the same color while waiting on the train or on the road, mountains, camping, gettin' lost in big cities, black british culture, love, fallin' asleep in someone's arms, being whispered to, sneaking back into st. louis, spiritual connections, space, fresh air, tattoos, being read to, candles, art museums, cryin', random movie quotes in the middle of meetings..."i own many leather bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany.", spell check, sports, family, payin' my bills on time, long hugs, talkin' shit--in the name of fun, the ocean and beaches, people that know how to apologize, gettin' the point, graphic tee's, goin' home, laughing, washing dishes, jewelry, house cleanin', vinyl, my family, people who are open, eye contact, keeping my word and folks that do the same, travel, closure, learnin', teachin', holy books of all sorts, a clean house, chess, gettin' answers to questions, research, random facts that you can only use on jeopardy or share when under the influence, post-it notes, love letters/notes, calls from my grandma or folks that jus' don't call that often, clarity, tea and knowin' when to stop.

Who do they think I am ? Cheeraz by others

While others are just living life, Cheeraz speaks it. This pint-sized lyrical powerhouse has wowed audiences near and far with her poetic discourse while serving her community. Some people only dream of making a difference while others overcome obstacles and defy the odds to make mere dreams a remarkable reality. Cheeraz Gormon is doing just that. This northern St. Louis natives love for poetry has afforded her various opportunities to share her gift and has paved the way for a journey in poetic expression. In summer 2002, Cheeraz joined several St. Louis-area poets and embarked on the Spoken Word Expos 15-city tour featuring renowned poet, Ron Chill Williams and celebrated the release of her first independent CD entitled JUST Pt. 1 (In Sound Reason) that fall. The following summer, Cheeraz joined her St. Louis-based poetry troop again, with feature performances during the Essence Festival weekend at the New Orleans House of Blues for Shangs Poetry showcase. Her love for writing led her to sunny Miami in pursuit of a degree in copywriting and art direction, which she later earned from the Miami Ad School. It was also during this time that Cheeraz became the voice of Poetry Tuesdays at CODE Restaurant Bar & Lounge serving as both a host and the house poet. Her next poetic break would be during an annual iMPACT Marketing Retreat in Miami where Cheeraz caught the attention of executives at Vanguarde Media and was asked to perform at various iMPACT events, opening for noted speakers like Dr. Cornel West and Dr. Dennis Kimbro. Cheerazs thoughtful recitations and professional demeanor caught the eye of an executive at Home Box Office (HBO), which resulted in her performing alongside Hidden Beach Recording artist Mike Phillips. She joined Phillips for the tour releasing HBOs original presentation, Unchained Memories: The Slave Narratives, touring six cities from January to February 2003. Cheeraz has since opened for hip-hop notables such as Dead Prez (2005), won the East London Slam Championship (2005), has been published in the prestigious St. Louis Black pages (2005) and has performed in various establishments throughout the U.S. and U.K. Not only an accomplished poet, Cheeraz is a community activist who is committed to heightening HIV/AIDS awareness, in fact, she single-handedly started a movement toward AIDS/HIV awareness in St. Louis. In the late 90s, Cheeraz created the HIV/AIDS Club Initiative while volunteering for area HIV/AIDS organizations. Cheeraz currently lives in Chicago and works as a Copywriter for Burrell Communications, a national African American advertising and public relations agency where she developed creative copy for clients such as Verizon, McDonalds and P & G. In her spare time, this literary guru enjoys doing volunteer work with community organizations and no surprise, writing.

Cheeraz poetry