At the age of 6, Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson found a typewriter while visiting her aunt in Corpus Christi. Wanting to explore the possibilities, she decided to write her mother a love poem. That moment sparked an excitement and anticipation for sharing her words that never waned. While in 7th grade, her English teacher compared her work to Maya Angelou, and encouraged her to check out books from the library, Andrea discovered words were her gift, her calling. Soon after, at the age of thirteen, the untimely loss of a close friend inspired her to compose a poem for the memorial service. The appreciation of her friend's family connected the feeling she'd put into words to the experiences of loss and pain in life. Through the recognition from her educators and peers, and discovery of other literary giants such as Robert Frost and Langston Hughes, she felt a life's calling to etch her own mark in the vast world of literature.
Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson's effort to create a safe space for youth in the artistic fold is nothing less than a lifesaving endeavor. She knows firsthand the struggle to find the perfect words to capture thoughts and emotions. Her work at the Bexar County Juvenile Detention Center for two decades showed her the need for guidance through the complexity of the human experience. For her, poetry is about self-discovery and increasing personal understanding of the world.
Sanderson's signature initiative as San Antonio's 2020 - 2023 Poet Laureate features student poets (of all ages and experience levels) reading their original work inspired by people who helped shape San Antonio's culture.
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