Leshea "Sapphire-J" Jones may not be an ordained minister, but she considers herself to be a minister because, when she's onstage reciting her Christian poetry, she believes she's ministering and not just entertaining. And as such, the CEO and founder of the Christian poetry movement "Pen & Tongue" (P&T), describes herself as a spoken word minister.
Through P&T, "Sapphire-J", as she prefers to be known, says the goal is to place Jesus on a pedestal and challenge people to be open to the idea of poetry as ministry. P&T's goal is to be unique, transparent and real with not only the poets but also the audience.
"Spoken word I consider to be modern day preaching in a creative art form," said Jones. "I consider myself to be a minister because, when I go up onstage, I consider it to be ministry, not entertainment, so instead of me using the word 'artist', I use 'minister', because I plan to actually give people more than what they expect and I speak to their spirit.
"What I've realized from witnessing first-hand is it's an underground ministry that's rising quickly because it captures the young people's attention."
The P&T founder said that when she steps onto the stage, people never know what to expect.
"You can never guess what 'Sapphire-J' is going to bring to the table, because I actually surprise myself the majority of the time -- because none of my pieces resemble the others."
The 26-year-old spoken word minister/artist, who has been writing since the age of 13, said she usually writes from a state of vulnerability; whatever she's going through at the time usually comes through in her pieces. More often than not, the topics that come through quite often in her poetry are relationship related, including relationships between mothers and daughters, brothers and sisters or herself and God.
"Relationship would be the main focus, but you don't know what aspect I'm going to come from with it," she said.
Jones, who initially focused solely on written poetry, transitioned into spoken word artistry in 2012 and relocated from Exuma to Nassau in June to pursue the movement in the nation's capital. The first Pen & Tongue event was held in December 2013. She is gearing up to perform at the second Pen & Tongue Poetry Fest, on December 13 at The College of The Bahamas Performing Arts Center under the theme "Speaking the unspoken". Also on the lineup for the evening will be other P&T poets, including Mecko, E'tora, His KiDD, Nisha and Lion Hart. It will also feature Shaniqua Thurston, Lenelle Michelle, Rashad Rich and Jonathan Farrington.
Chris Webb, a poet from the U.S.-based Passion 4 Christ Movement (P4CM) will also be making an appearance at the upcoming event.
P&T is similar in nature to P4CM, which Jones was exposed to in the United States.
It was the success of that first P&T that had fans clamoring for more. Jones' introduction of "Words Unplugged" - an open mic night held every two to three months (the last one was in October) which gives other Christians the chance to take turns on-stage - offered a platform through which fans could have their say. Members of the public can sign up for Words Unplugged held at Jones' church, Life Worship Center in the Wong's Plaza.
P&T and Words Unplugged events should not be confused. At P&T events, attendees can expect a concert-like atmosphere, complete with rappers, dancers, singers and dramatists, who are all centered around poetry. Words Unplugged open mic events are strictly poetry-oriented, with psalmists ending the night in praise and worship.
No matter which event you attend, Jones says she doesn't want patrons to "box in" artists when they walk through the doors; everyone should attend expecting the unexpected.
"My prayer has always been that whenever you walk over those thresholds, when you leave, you don't leave the same way that you came, and that basically every minister is going to say something that's going to prick your heart, so it's just a matter of being open-minded and whatever it is you're going through and know that you're not the only one going through it, but other Christians go through it as well, and to know that if they can make it you can also make it as well."
According to Jones, spoken word is an underground ministry of sorts that is rising quickly as she says it's capturing the young people's attention.
On Saturday, at the A.F. Adderley School, P&T will partner with gospel recording artist Jonathan Farrington to present an event known as "The Overflow", which will not only be a fundraiser for December, but will allow people to get a feel for what P&T is really like with performances by a number of artists and poets, as well.

Pen & Tongue's second annual Christian Poetry Fest
When: Saturday, December 13
Where: COB Performing Arts Center
Time: 7 p.m.
Artists:
Chris Webb
Sapphire-J
Mecko
E'tora
HiS KiDD, Nisha
Lion Hart
Shaniqua Thurston
Lenelle Michelle
Rashad Rich
Jonathan Farrington
Admission: $12

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