✨ Shai Moonlight (Brittany Jones)
Origin & Influence
For Shai Moonlight, poetry is both purpose and survival. She first fell in love with words through the music of Jill Scott—an artist who not only inspired her voice but helped her see herself. What began as private journaling, diary entries, and prayers slowly grew into poetry that carried her through heartbreak, self-discovery, and healing.
Though she once stepped away from writing, poetry called her back in 2020 during one of the hardest seasons of her life. What began as strategizing through pain turned into poems that saved her spirit. Every time she picks up a pen, it is an act of self-love, resilience, and truth.
Her name, Shai Moonlight, carries a meaning just as layered as her work. “The moon is light in darkness. Ever-changing. Mesmerizingly beautiful. The moon is evidence of greatness beyond our understanding.” For her, the moon has always been a symbol of guidance, hope, and wonder—a reminder that even in darkness, there is brilliance to be found.
Struggles & Transformation
Poetry has always been Shai’s way of surviving life’s hardest battles. Among her most personal works is a poem about her oldest daughter, Jahzara Nicole. In it, she confesses: “I’d seen her big brown eyes in my mind before I knew she was in my womb.” The piece unpacks her journey as a teen mother and the grief of losing Jahzara’s father, but more than that, it is a celebration of love — gratitude for the blessing of her daughter and pride in the woman she has become.
Despite the fear she once had of stepping on stage, Shai simply does it. After 15 years of missed opportunities, she finally gave herself permission to take the mic. Even now, she admits to being nervous, but with every performance she proves to herself that vulnerability is a form of strength. As she puts it: “I’m me. Just doing a poem.”
Performance Philosophy
For Shai, poetry is not performance; it’s testimony. She does not “flip a switch” or perform for approval. Every word she shares is real, and while she welcomes feedback, she resists edits that suggest she add movements or forced emotion. For her, that feels disingenuous—the opposite of poetry’s purpose. The poem is the performance.
The stage, then, is not a place of spectacle—it’s a place of truth. Hosting may come easier since it doesn’t require memorization, but performing is where her heart is laid bare. Both roles, however, are part of her evolution as an artist who no longer hides her voice.
Hosting & Community
In recent years, Shai has stepped into new roles as both performer and host, finding her place in the Augusta poetry community. Bugsy Calhoun first gave her the opportunity to host The J.A.M. Session from September through December 2024, while Wintah Storm took some time away. Though she admits she “wasn’t good” at first, she made a promise to herself to try everything. And she kept going.
Soon after, when the owner of LuxeLife asked who would like to host a monthly open mic, she stepped forward again with a “why not?!” attitude—despite not being in what she calls a “yes season.” That leap of faith aligned with the formation of PEACE (Poetey, Entertainment, Arts, Community, Education), a collaboration that has since nurtured and benefited many members of the local “PoeTree Family” of artists.
Hosting not only improved her crowd interaction skills but also taught her how to carry and keep the energy of a room alive. More importantly, it gave her the confidence to own her unique presence as a curator of community. Her philosophy remains: “Make it your own. It doesn’t have to look, sound, or be like anybody else’s show.”
Her journey reached another turning point at Slamalorus 2024, a poetry retreat in Wilmington, where mentorship and community deepened her commitment to the art form. That experience helped transform missed opportunities into bold steps forward.
Mission & Legacy
Her mission is simple: Above all things and in all things, love always. She embodies “I Am The Poet” by finally claiming her purpose without fear. When asked to finish the sentence “I am the poet because…” she answered without hesitation: “I write poetry. I write poetry because I can. I am that I am.”
If her poetry could reach one person, it would be Jill Scott—the artist who lit the spark. Until then, Shai Moonlight writes for herself, her children, her community, and for everyone who needs to be reminded that their voice matters too.
