S. Pearl Sharp

S. Pearl Sharp creates cultural art for the eye, ear and heart. The Evening News-Essays And Commentaries From NPR And Other Clouds (2015) is a collection of her pieces broadcast on NPR and other media. Previous non-fiction includes the popular documentary comic book Black Women For Beginners, illustrated by Beverly Hawkins Hall. S. Pearl enjoys collaborating with other artists, as on her poetry w/jazz CDs Higher Ground and On The Sharp Side, the short story audio book Uncertain Rituals, and integrating fine art and photography into her four collections of poetry.

Part of the Black Arts Movement of the 1960’s and 70’s in New York City, S. Pearl studied with esteemed novelist John Oliver Killens, wrote her first play and first collection of poetry, and founded the performance group Poets & Performers. She became a leading TV commercial spokeswoman and won a small role in Gordon Parks’ much honored film The Learning Tree. Moving to Hollywood she had recurring roles on Wonder Woman, St. Elsewhere and other episodic TV and starred in the TV movies Hollow Image (ABC) and Minstrel Man (CBS) before moving to the other side of the camera.

An award winning documentary filmmaker, Sharp merges art and history in Life Is A Saxophone, on poet Kamau Daáood, the semi-animated Picking Tribes and The Healing Passage/Voices From The Water which aired on The Documentary Channel. She put poetry on film in Back Inside Herself and created numerous cultural arts docs for the City of Los Angeles’ CH 35.

Currently S. Pearl is a segment producer for radio, gives literary performances, facilitates workshops connecting language and wellness, and offers creativity coaching through The Gate Is Open. www.spearlsharp.com