In the Midtown, Kansas City area, she has been called “Mama Diva, the Poet Laurette.” Sharon Eiker, a long time resident of Kansas City, 77 year old woman. She is filled with unbridled energy and known for her powerful voice in the community. Eiker is a singer/songwriter, poet, published author, artist, and community activist.
Eiker has been a teacher, role model, mentor, and active participant in the KC art scene for the last 40 years. Fame and fortune have never meant a thing to her. What she cares about is what she can do to help and inspire others.
Articles on Eiker can be located in the Kansas City Star, The Pitch, and Rocket Grants. Each piece reveals a little more about this renaissance woman. She has ten self-published books and her latest published book and uncountable art pieces, including 20 bronze cast pieces.
Eiker has 60 written and finished songs written from her life experiences, from blues to jazz to country. Out of her 60 songs, she says that there are ten songs that everyone needs to hear. One of those songs is “She’s so curvy-linear,” no desire to be thinner, she’s a woman with a whole lot of love, just a few lines from the song. And, Eiker has 12 recorded songs with music. Three different Kansas City Blues musicians have recorded Eiker’s songs.
Eiker wrote a poem called “Crone” here a few lines from that poem,
“wisps of gray hair here and there.
Who is she? Why is she following me?
she resembles my mother, can’t be, she died years ago
strange old hag cackles in my ear.”
Eiker had a band called ‘Crone’ in the 90s, a Punk Rock band with a blues base. The meaning of Crone is a ‘wise old woman.’ Eiker was the most senior in Crone (60 years old) with three younger 21-yrs-old musicians, that played instruments while she sang. Eiker’s band has one recorded CD in 1997 called ‘Bring out your dead’ found in the Library of Congress. Her CD ‘Bring out the dead’ can also be found in copyright.gov records. Eiker has written a book called ‘The Second Coming is a Woman.’ Eiker’s book is a retrospective filled with her work of poetry. The book is on sale at Dussmann das KulturKaufhaus, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. The ‘The second coming is a woman’ is also found in the Library of Congress. One of the book’s poems is called “Dancing with the Devil in the pale moonlight.” It begins like this: The way a man dances with the Devil in the pale moonlight is very different from the way a woman dances with the Devil in the pale moonlight.” And it continues seductively, “The man sees the red inviting lips smells the fragrance of perfume is engulfed in the red silk” it continues enticing the reader. Eiker’s keen sense of art's potential is held in high regard in the Kansas City art community. Sharon is also the Founder and Board President of ‘Jump Start Art’ non-profit organization located at 4022 Harrison in Kansas City, Missouri.
Jump Start Art is where young artists can get help through the organization’s talented members: artists, poets, dancers, actors, musicians, and more. Jump Start Art’s ideal is to take the kids and young artists away from the community’s violence and teach them new ways to enrich and focus their lives more positively and constructively through art. Jump Start Art is a well-established business licensed in Missouri since May 22, 2014, and is in good standing. They will be up for renewal on August 21, 2021. The Social Media sites that you can find Eiker on if you would like to learn more about her are LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter. Eiker is also on the Penn Valley House Upkeep Committee, the Homelessness Project, IYMC Ministry & Counsel, and the 2020 IYMC Entertainment Committee for Penn Valley Friends. Eiker is the founding mother and has hosted open mic’s for 30 years, on the board at the Writer’s Place in Kansas City, Missouri, for 21 years. She is known for having open mic night in many locations in the greater midtown and Kansas City area throughout the years. Eiker has lived an evolving life from the small hillbilly girl running around barefoot, raised on a farm outside Carrolton, MO. Eiker married at 16. She is a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother and newly remarried to her first husband. Eiker’s life stays busy with her work with Jump Start Art and working on her memoirs. Eiker is known as the godmother of Kansas City poetry, still influencing and helping others.
Photo courtesy of Sharon Eiker Word Woman, Sharon Eiker, A multi-talented woman in the Arts.
Graphic created by Kathryn Day 2021 with Venngage @https://venngage.net/ps/4MuiESxRCA/character-resume