SAN ANTONIO – Editor’s Note: This story was first published in 2021.
For Andrea Sanderson, or “Vocab” as she’s known in the creative community, words have been a form of healing.
“The first time I read a poem in public was for a memorial service for a friend of mine that was murdered. And that experience really impacted me, seeing how people responded, seeing how poetry can be very healing and therapeutic kept me involved,” Sanderson explained.
Shortly after Sanderson started getting more involved in music and hip-hop, performing slam poetry and songs at open mics and poetry events. Born and raised in San Antonio, Sanderson began putting on events herself for her school and community.
“I threw a concert at my school gym, like hundreds of kids showed up. It was an amazing experience. And I realized how music in hip hop and poetry and all the rhythm and the rhyme and the cadence could really affect people even further,” she said. “And I just fell in love with it.”
Sanderson’s connections in the artist community eventually encouraged her to apply to be the city of San Antonio’s Poet Laureate, a role she sums up as “the ambassador for literacy and poetry in our local community.”
You can find Sanderson performing or promoting all things creative writing or performance at places like the Carver Community Center, Carver Branch Library and more. She is currently being featured in an exhibit titled, “The Glorious Way She Moves” at the Carver Community Center, which can be explored both virtually and in-person.
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