Gigi Bella: Poetry In Motion

By Todd Fuqua

We may be far removed from the days of famous poets like Shakespeare, Poe or even Clement Clark Moore, writer of “The Night Before Christmas,” but don’t think for a moment that poetry is dead. Gigi Bella (attended) is here to avow poetry is alive and well.

It’s so alive that she won several slam poetry titles, wrote a book, and travels the country and the world, perfecting her writing and performing.

“My book, Big Feelings, is a collection of my poetry, detailing two years of my life moving between Albuquerque and New York,” Gigi said. “It’s personal, talking about my Mexican heritage and coming through many struggles to the other side.”

Photo by Sante Guajardo

The book was published in early 2020, and Gigi was set to do a book tour to promote it. That was before the COVID-19 pandemic hit and everything ground to a halt. Never one to give in, Gigi still did the tour.

“I did it virtually, hosting 120 shows from my house,” she said. “I found every opportunity I could to promote myself, reading for online poetry festivals and book clubs on Zoom. It was amazing when the world came back and we could all be together again.”

After moving to New York, an acquaintance invited her to a poetry slam, a competition in which the best poetry performances are named the champ. Initially, poetry slams were judged by random people from the audience. Gigi was part of a movement determined to make poetry slams respected, courting writers and performance artists to serve as judges.

Gigi was not new to poetry slams, as she had represented Albuquerque before her move. When she was done with her first one in the Bronx, she learned she qualified for the finals. Later, she was the poetry slam champ.

“I didn’t even know I was on the fast track to be a champion,” she said. “I had been in New York for a month, had just found a place to stay and a restaurant job, and here I was in competitive poetry. It was so insane, I did it twice.”

Gigi learned much about herself in New York and literary poetry’s importance. She eventually returned to school in New Mexico and earned her degree online. She’s been a drama teacher and recently took a job as a customer service representative for Southwest Airlines.

“They’ve been wonderful,” Gigi said of the Southwest Airlines management. “It’s fantastic that they’re supporting my career as a performance artist. The job strikes a good balance in my life.”

It’s a job that will pay the bills while allowing her to travel far and wide for performances, including an appearance for ENMU students in October.

“I had 45 minutes and a big stage, and I packed it with as much as possible,” Gigi said of her show. “I went from reading poetry to having a live band with eight costume changes. It’s a big deal.”