'I Think of Myself as a Singing Poet'

This songbird has a voice that really packs a punch. When Jennifer Shafer Wood sings, she rocks you to your core. You laugh. You cry. And you leave a different person.

And singing is just one of her many talents. An accomplished artist (she’s had her work in galleries in New York City and throughout Connecticut), she produces and hosts a radio show called “Voice of the City” (WESU 88.1 FM on Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m.), where she interviews local artists and has bands come on to perform live. This summer she will have a chocolatier and a midwife on to discuss their arts.

The Buttonwood Tree in Middletown is where she will mesmerize you with that golden voice. She produces and runs the open mic, called “Anything Goes,” every Monday night from 7:30 until 10 p.m.. People sing, recite poetry, or dance, and Wood belts out the songs that she and her life partner, Tim Sparks (a singer and songwriter), write. At the Buttonwood, she goes by the name of J-Cherry.

“This is my other persona,” she says. “It helps me to channel spirit. I came by the name a few years ago, at an open mic in Hartford. I was feeling intimidated about performing, but I finally got the courage to get up there and sing and recite a poem I had written called ‘Cherry.’ Afterwards the host of the open mic said, ‘You’re not Jennifer. You’re J-Cherry.’ And now when I am on stage, or at the radio, I am always J-Cherry.

“That night released the performer, the singer, the poet who sings, in me. I realized that my poetry was a living entity, and that I could do something with it instead of just letting it sit in my journal. In my mind, that night was the birth of ‘Anything Goes.’ It took a couple of years to come to fruition, but I knew I wanted to create that environment for myself and others.”

Accompanied by Sparks on the guitar and sometimes her band, J-Cherry and the Strawberries, she sings about life’s ups and downs, and about things that strike a chord in everyone.

“My songs and poetry come from a stream of consciousness,” she told Patch. “It comes from a sacred spiritual place, where the ego is stripped. It’s like being naked. And when you come from that place, people respond.

“I think of myself as a singing poet. I can’t separate what is a song and what is a poem. Sometimes in a delivery I sing more, and sometimes I speak more. And during a performance, I always talk to the audience about personal things I’m going through that they can relate to.

“On Monday nights I feel like I’m in church. We create a sacred space, and we’re praying through poetry, music, dance and expression. I’ll start talking about the magic and how blessed we are to have this place and to be with each other, and it brings tears to my eyes.

“I have been so deeply touched by the wonderful people who come through here. I am so inspired by them. I’ve been doing this for three years, and it has been amazing. This is where I need to be. I’ve found my tribe.”

For more information about J-Cherry, go to: www.jcherrypresents.blogspot.com.