The Art of Inspiration by Cheryl Esposito

Shailja’s powerful performances bring her audiences to an introspective space, connecting with the raw emotion and impact of war and oppression, daring us to imagine a different reality. The irresistible passion and eloquence of her words touches people at their core and inspires action. I experienced Shailja on the main stage at a Bioneers Conference with a standing room only crowd of hundreds of people. Her performance was breathtaking. We were all moved so deeply – it was as if we were in a trance. The end of her performance was met with profound silence…we were unable to breathe, to move from the moment. Then at once, the entire audience leapt to its feet with applause and cheers and tears that went on and on. Shailja said, “The fifteen-second pin drop silence after I finished my performance was worth three standing ovations.” Indeed.