Roanna Shaundiin Shebala is showing the world how they can “Love Me Some Indians.”

The poet, who goes by the stage name Rowie, has made a large mark in the world of slam poetry with her poem “Love Me Some Indians” as well as work that spans both the realm of her Navajo culture, American Indian poetry and more universal themes, such as love.

Shebala is a familiar face to those who regularly attend the Sedona Poetry Slam. She has performed as a competitor and featured poet, and will be returning for the next Sedona slam on Saturday, April 11.

She will be bringing some of her work from her performances at the Women of the World poetry slam held March 18 through 21 in Albuquerque, N.M.

“I want to show Sedona how I represented it at Women of the World. I want to show that I represented you as best as I can,” Shebala said. “In a way I represented Arizona. Sedona was the only city to send someone to Women of the World.”

One of the poems that will be in her next slam set is “Love Me Some Indians.” The poem started from an image sent to Shebala of sports fans of the Cleveland Indians, dressed as their mascot, “Chief Wahoo,” reaching to shake tribal leaders’ hands.

“It made me think of how Native Americans are really considered characters,” she said. “We’re regular people and that poem is really a satire of all these things …. You never see us as real people, just as a franchise or spiritual healers or whatever.”

Her experience at Women of the World was bittersweet, she said. She had problems with her wardrobe, twisted her ankle and got a flat tire on her way there. Still, she said the event itself was humbling and enjoyable.

“The competition was amazing. I got to see all the friends that I had made through Nationals and going on tour. Seeing all these women and all their voices was a real blessing for me,” Shebala said.

Shebala ranked 15th out of 72 international women competing, a “real feat” for her.

To read the full story, see the Friday, April 10, edition of the Sedona Red Rock News.