Amber Shanel’s Poet’s Therapy

Expect to hear “bars”. I refer to myself as a rap poet because of the flow of my spoken word. I love to use instrumentals along with my poems to further captivate emotion and a vibe.

Hello everyone, my name is Amber Shanel and I am a spoken word artist, an author and motivational speaker. I grew up in New Haven, Connecticut. My first introduction to poetry was when I was in fifth grade when my teacher had us memorize in recite Maya Angelo’s poem “Still I Rise”. From that day forward I was so inspired and my journey with poetry began.
After relocating to Atlanta, GA in 2012, I finally gained the courage to publish my first book in 2013, which was a conversational book entitled “Love when it hurts so bad but it feels so good” discussing the ups and downs of being in relationships. It also had a compilation of my poems that lead each chapter.

After relocating back to Connecticut, I started performing my poetry as a spoken word artist. This was such an illuminating experience, to share my thoughts and aspirations with others. To be able to share my point of view and receive feedback and confirmation that my passion is definitely part of my purpose. When visiting ATL I even performed at Apache Cafe.

In 2016, I started facilitating Queens with purpose workshops for young inner-city girls. These workshops focus on self love, goalsetting, and mental health. These have been workshops that I do virtual and in person. I later expanded my workshops for inspiring authors who want to know how to create their first book as well as how to self publish. My passion is being able to educate and inform others so they can be their best.

I am a very loving, deep thinking, optimistic individual who loves to see people grow and overcome obstacles. Many of my poems reflect self-motivation and encouragement. My poems also reflect insecurities and general emotions that we go through in life. Ultimately, I love to love and I pray to grow in love each day.