Chinese in Spain? Tell Me More.

Hola Meltingpot Readers,

I'm up to my eyeballs in research for another talk I'm doing tomorrow on Spain's Black history and current multicultural reality. But the pressure is on, dear readers, because I have to do the talk, wait for it, in Spanish. Yikes! The audience is going to be made up of local Spanish educators and I just know they are going to be judging my accent and waiting for me to screw up the subjunctive. How do I get myself into these things?

But on the bright side, el esposo will be joining me. After I give my speech, el esposo will be addressing the audience on ways to incorporate culture into the Spanish language classroom. This is the first time we've ever done a conference together. I'm kind of liking it. And I'm hoping if I screw up, he'll jump in and save me! He already translated my entire speech for me. I don't know how to be witty in Spanish in an academic setting.

So, where does the Chinese thing come in? Well, even though I'm speaking mostly about Spain's Black history, I'm also trying to get the audience to recognize that Spain has a significant immigrant population, which makes the country far more diverse than many people realize. So, I was just looking for examples and/or stories about the Chinese experience in Spain and I discovered this post from The Lonely Planet. It's not exactly enlightening, but the comments on the post are fascinating. So many of the experiences shared by Asians living in or traveling to Spain mirrored my own. Take a look and tell me what you think. I'd especially like to hear from other Asians who've had experiences in Spain, either positive or negative.

I'm totally listening.

Peace.

Because Black and Spanish Sounds So Good: Concha Buika

Hola Meltingpot Readers,

Yesterday I gave my lecture at Rowan University on the Black experience in Spain. Afterwards there was a reception and book signing and everyone started reminiscing about their travels to the Iberian peninsula. I got so "Spain sick." So, to soothe my Spanish soul I'm listening to Concha Buika. Why don't you join me?



Peace!

Negro, Negrita, Morena: What is it Like to Be Black in Spain?

Hello Meltingpot Readers,


I need your help. I'm working on a lecture for a university audience about being Black in Spain. Much of the discussion will be about my own experience living in Salamanca, traveling around the country, and of course, visiting my in-laws in Andalucia. I will also discuss my findings of African slaves in the Iberian peninsula. But every time I give this talk, I feel like I'm doing a bit of a disservice.

How can I, one person, speak for the totality of the Black experience in Spain? Obviously, I can not. And I don't pretend to, and yet, invariably people want to take what I say and claim it is The Truth. It is only my Truth. So, I'm asking you today, dear readers, to chime in with your own experiences. If you happen to be Black or Brown, and have travelled to Spain, either recently or many years ago, would you mind telling me in a word or two how was your experience? How were you treated? Did you feel the love or did you feel unwanted? Did you fall in love with the culture? Why or why not? Compared to your experiences traveling to other countries, where does Spain fit?

Clearly, I'm not looking for one answer, I'd just like to pepper my talk with the variety of experiences that I know people have had. Everything helps. Thanks for sharing. And in the meantime, if you'd like to read about the Black experience in Spain, besides my experience, here are some websites and blogs that might be of interest.

Afro-Europe: Black Women in Spain Today
Being Black in Spain: A Current Student's Perspective

And below, check out the video from BlackAtlas.com about Madrid.

Hasta Pronto!

Memoirs to Movies: The Eat, Pray, Love Effect

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

Happy Monday. I know I'm only a year late on this one, but you all know that I watch movies when the DVD makes it to my local library. So, when I saw Eat, Pray, Love in the New Additions box last week, I snatched it up.

So, here's the deal. I had no real interest in seeing Eat, Pray, Love in the theater because, while I enjoyed the book immensely, I didn't see it translating to the big screen in any sort of powerful way. Plus the reviews were brutal. I mean, the story is all pretty much internal, so how do you show that? I plucked it up from the library because I wanted to see the gorgeous locals mentioned in the book.

As I suspected, that actual plot of the movie, pretty much follows the "plot" of the book. That is to say, a deeply unhappy woman who has made several mistakes in her personal life, decides to live in Italy, India and Bali to try to find "balance." Like I said, as a book, where we can read the internal dialogue of the author, Elizabeth Gilbert, the story is both inspiring and enlightening. As a movie, can you say snore? I could have put the movie on mute and just oogled the beautiful scenery. And, yes I count Javier Bardem as part of the beautiful scenery!

I loved the addition of Viola Davis as Gilbert's sister-in-law. Way to go color-blind casting! But of course, without altering the story tremendously, they couldn't have her in the film too much. I thought it was a mistake to ignore the fact that Gilbert was traveling in order to write a book. It made it seem that Gilbert just had oodles of money and free time to follow her bliss, which wasn't the point. That was a distraction for me.

I think a better idea for turning this book into a movie would have been a documentary travel special, visiting the locations in the book. Then we could have more insight and information about the ashram in India, the restaurants in Rome and the temples and beaches in Bali. My take away from the film as it was, was, 'when can I book a trip to Bali?' It looked so beautiful and peaceful.

So, dear readers, I was left with the depressing conclusion that memoirs make boring movies. Why is this depressing? Because the film rights to my memoir, Kinky Gazpacho, have been optioned and it looks like the film will soon be in the works. I was excited, but now I'm a little worried about the Eat, Pray, Love effect.

Can you put my mind at ease? Can you think of any memoirs turned movie that you really enjoyed? Please share. I'm totally listening.

Peace!

To Dance in Cuba

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

I stumbled on this documentary last night about legendary Cuban dancer and choreographer, Pedro Ruiz. The film is called "Coming Home : Pedro Ruiz" and details Ruiz's return to his native Cuba to choreograph a new dance. I just loved seeing the beautiful dancers, hearing Ruiz's story and, of course, getting a glimpse into Cuban culture which is at once both so African and Spanish. You know, totally Kinky Gazpacho.

Watch the full episode. See more THIRTEEN Specials.

Did anybody else watch the film? I'm sure it will replay again on PBS soon so check your local listings or view it online. So totally worth it. Now I really want to go to Cuba. Anybody been recently? Tell us about it.

I'm listening.

Peace!

From Afro-Spanish to Afro-Mexican

Because I love a good Kinky Gazpacho story in any format, a friend sent me a link to this article about the plight of the Afro-Mexican population in Mexico. It's an interesting piece with some great photos.

Overall, the story points to the lack of awareness the whole world has of Mexicans of African descent and their subsequent impoverished existence in Mexico. Be honest, did you know there were Black Mexicans? If you are a regular reader of this blog, you do because I wrote about a photography exhibit that documented their lives a few years back. But even I admit, one doesn't hear a whole lot or see Black Mexicans in the media --at least in the US media. Anybody know different in Latin America. Is there any part of the world where Black Mexicans are getting love?

I'm listening.

Peace.

Music Monday: Concha Buika and The New Afro-Spanish Collective

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

Remember when I wrote about discovering the Afro-Spanish singer, Concha Buika? Well, I have been following her career ever since and was delighted to find out that she's moving to the United States, Miami specifically. The Root.com recently ran an interview with her about her music and her reasons for abandoning Spain for Miami. It's a good read. But even better, Buika is now on a US tour. She'll be in Philly tomorrow! To see if she's coming to your town while on her US and Canada tour, you can check her website.

And in the meantime, enjoy the music. The song is called the New Afro Spanish Generation. Watch and you'll see/hear why I love it. Kinky Gazpacho all the way!



Peace!

Michele Obama -- First (Black) Lady in Spain

Meltingpot readers,

I don't know where to begin. First, I saw this annoying article this morning that claims Americans are annoyed that First Lady Michelle Obama gets to have a lavish vacation in Spain while the country is in a recession.

Then I got annoyed when I started reading some of the 3000 plus comments that of course, have to rapidly deteriorate into overt racism in terms of justifying why the First Lady can't take a vacation.

But what's more, I almost did a double take by the line in the story that said that the State Department had actually issued a warning for African-Americans traveling to Spain. Seeing as how the story was on Yahoo, I didn't believe it at first, but I did my own poking around and found several references to this 'travel advisory for African-Americans traveling to Spain.' Apparently there was such a warning based on several African-Americans being unfairly harassed and/or arrested by Spanish police. The warning was indeed yanked by the State department before the First Lady's arrival. For a full account of that story, you can read here.

For some reason, knowing that the State Department felt justified in issuing this warning takes my anecdotal evidence of Spain's peculiar attitude towards Black people to another level of reality and potential danger. Not just annoyance. When the police are implicated in a country's racist behavior then one does have to take the warnings a little more seriously than those issued by an author and blogger with a Spanish husband. Will I still happily travel to Spain? Absolutely. I can't wait for our next trip. But will I pay a little bit more attention? Will my racism radar be switched on? Probably.(sigh)

And just to leave you with a question. If the US government warns African-Americans who travel to Spain to be careful because the Spanish police are racist, what kind of warning are they issuing for their own citizens seeing as how Black men get falsely arrested, shot, pulled over and harassed almost every day? Is there a warning for that somewhere on a website?

Peace.

Back to the Black Virgens

A couple of days ago I received a comment on my post about the Virgen de Regla in Chipiona, Spain. A reader --trying to help me solve the mystery of why the Virgen in this small Spanish seaside town is Black -- wrote:

"St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo (which was located in Algeria, Africa), was trying to convert his fellow Africans to Christianity and created a black Virgin. The image eventually made it to Chipiona, Spain."

Aha! Makes perfect sense I thought, but I figured I'd do a little research on my own before I decided to take this new theory as fact. If you recall, I'd already discovered many theories for the Virgen's "questionable race" but none of them seemed believable. So I did what any intrepid reporter would do, I googled St. Augustine of Hippo. Turns out, St. Augustine led a fascinating life, and left volumes of works behind to document his beliefs, teachings, and life story. However, I could not find a single text of his titled, "The Story of How and Why I Created a Black Virgen." (sigh)

But, dear readers, there are other people out there in the blogosphere who agree with my commenter. People who seem to know the story of the Virgen de Regla's origins very well.

I found this tidbit of discussion on a the forum Orishanet.org:

"The origin of the devotion to the Virgen de la Regla can be traced back to St. Augustine. It was this great saint who hand-carved the first image of the Virgen de Regla and made her the patroness of the Rule of what is the present-day Order of St. Augustine. As a founder, St. Augustine made reglas or rules for the members of his Order to follow. He dedicated these reglas or rules to the Virgin, thus making her the Virgin of the Rule of St. Augustine.

Why is the image of the Virgen de la Regla dark? Contrary to what many people presume, the image of the Virgin is dark not simply because its original statue is made of wood but because its devotion developed in Africa. St. Augustine, who died in the year 430, was from Hippo in north Africa. Since the setting was Africa, the original image was probably made by St. Augustine to harmonize with the color of the people who would be its first devotees. Since most Africans were dark-skinned, a dark-skinned patroness would give them a sense of familiarity and closeness. It is because of its dusky color that both in Africa and in Spain the Virgen de la Regla is also known as La Virgen Morena (The Brown Virgin). "

I also found a more complex and detailed story which includes the same premise -- that the Virgen was purposefully created as a Black woman because the people of Hippo were dark --but that her arrival to Spanish shores included a dire escape, hundreds of years hidden underground, miracles and a fig tree. You can read that fascinating story here.

But the part about this Virgen's story that I blew my mind is what happened to her when her image and legend arrived in Cuba. (We go way Kinky Gazpacho here.) According to Salsa Havana author, Viviana Caballo, "Upon arrival in Cuba, La Virgen de Regla's legend grew even more extraordinary. She became part of the Santeria pantheon and merged with the powerful African deity Yemaya, the mother of all life."

Wow! Who knew the power of a Black Virgen? What still makes me scratch my head though is, how can people all over the world worship Black Virgens and yet discriminate against and hate Black women (and men) in real life? How do you reconcile those two feelings in your soul? Got answers? Let's hear them.

Peace!

Enjoy Your Weekend.

Black Girl in Spain -- Can Sing. Will Stir Your Soul!

It's Saturday morning and I'm still in Charlottesville getting ready for another day at the Virginia Festival of the Book. So far it's been great. The temperature has been in the low 70's. My panel on travel writing yesterday was packed, and I've met some amazing authors. Don't tell my precious little ones back home, but it's been an absolute delight to be on my own these 48 hours to soak up the creative energy flowing all around. I sat at an outdoor cafe with three amazing writers yesterday, unconcerned about time, sipping coffee and talking about, well, writing. It was glorious.

One of the writers whom I shared the stage with yesterday was Philip Graham. Graham is a prolific fiction, non-fiction writer and poet. He's also a traveller. A real traveller. And he writes a lot about his travels and living abroad. Yesterday he spoke about his love affair with Lisbon, where he lived for a year with his wife and child. You'll definitely be hearing more about Graham here on the Meltingpot, but for now I just wanted to share something that he shared with me.

Even though he claimed all of his Portugese friends would call him a traitor for saying so, Graham introduced me to one of the most glorious Spanish singers I've ever heard. Her name is Concha Buika and she's Black. Born in Palma de Mallorca, her family hails from Equatorial Guinea, which makes her one of those rare Black Spaniards. Now, I'd post about her here even if she wasn't all that, but just listen to sing her award winning hit, Mi Nina Lola and tell me she doesn't make your soul ache.

Of course I want to now find out everything about her. In case you do too, here's some links to know more about Ms. Buika.

An interview on NPR.



A current Q&A

And now let the music speak for itself.



Peace!

Kinky for a Cause this Saturday

I warned you, Meltingpot Readers, that I would now be using this space to keep folks updated on my public appearances. Not to worry, I'm not that famous so these little promotional updates will not occur all that often.

But...

For those of you living in the Philadelphia area, I am encouraging you to come out to the Rittenhouse Square Barnes and Noble (1805 Walnut Street) tomorrow February 20, between 2-4p.m. I will be participating in a group reading with Philadelphia authors, Solomon Jones and Muriel Feelings (the great children's book author). We'll each be reading from our work and then having a Q&A session.

The reading is part of an all-day benefit at B&N in support of one Philadelphia's most amazing arts organizations, called Art Sanctuary. Founded by one of my literary heroes, Lorene Cary, Art Sanctuary is one of those organizations that supports the arts, helps kids appreciate the arts, and puts on really great festivals and shows with almost no money. They are so amazing. So as I was saying, if you come to Barnes and Noble tomorrow and buy anything in the store, a portion of your dollars spent will go to Art Sanctuary. How's that for easy?

So whether or not you really want to see me, you should still come out and support the arts.

Hope to see you there.

Peace!

Finding Myself in the Music (And a Giveaway Too)

Thanks to Ieishah over at Fat Juicy Oyster, I can't get this new song, Looking for Paradise, by Alicia Keys and Spanish crooner, Alejandro Sanz, out of my head.

Now, Ieishah thought the song was horrible. I believe the words she used were "cheesy con queso." But somehow it's growing on me. And it's not because of the lyrics (they are cheesy con queso). It's got a catchy little refrain, yes, but more importantly, it's a kinky gazpacho duet that reminds me of me. Am I saying that Alicia is my sister-twin and Alejandro Sanz is a dead ringer for el esposo? No, I'm not that ridiculous. I just love to see Black and Spanish paired up together making beautiful (albeit a little cheesy) music together. It feels like a reflection of my reality.

So Meltingpot readers, do you do the same thing? Do you find yourself in music? Tell me what song speaks to your life story and you'll be entered in a drawing to receive an autographed copy of my life story, Kinky Gazpacho and a Kinky Gazpacho t-shirt from whatrugear.com. All entries must be received by Monday, November 23rd at midnight.

Peace.

Oh, and here's the song Looking for Paradise by Alicia Keys and Alejandro Sanz. Do you think it's cheesy?

My Kinky Gazpacho Life Can be Yours for a Price

Hi Meltingpot readers,

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'll be off to the Iberian peninsula in just a couple of days and I will be posting from Spain for the next few weeks. Look for my first post on Tuesday July 21. I'll try to bring you all of the Meltingpot news from the South of Spain and of course anything interesting with our little Kinky Gazpacho family. You know we always cause a stir when we go down there.

And in the meantime, for those of you who may want to plan your own little excursion to the South of Spain, perhaps inspired by all of my tales told here, not only can you visit some of the places I write about in my book, Kinky Gazpacho, you can stay in the former home of my in-laws. The house where I first met el esposo's family. Have they opened their home to American tourists, you wonder? No. They sold their home and it is now a hotel!

Yes, dear readers, some of my most treasured and intimate memories can now be experienced by you, the rest of the world, at Hotel Nuro in Barbate, Cadiz. Talk about the surreal life. It's more of a super nice hostel than hotel, but they do promise air condition and a TV in every room, so you can't go wrong. I met the couple that owns the hotel and they seem very nice.

Besides reliving my life, the only other reason one might go to Barbate is to study washed-up fishing towns, or to go to the beach, so I highly doubt the Hotel Nuro is going to be on your must-see lists, but if you do manage to go, tell the owners that La Americana Morena says "Hola" and you may get a discount.

Hasta Pronto.

(p.s. The picture is a street shot of the Hotel Nuro. And the door to the left is where el esposo's aunt still lives.)

Death be Not Proud...and Other Stuff

Hello Meltingpot Readers,

Thank you so much for your kind thoughts and patience. I really do appreciate it. I was kind of surprised myself as to how much the death of my uncle unraveled me. My uncle was the one boy in a family of 10 girls and was legendary in the family. With all of those sisters he kind of had to be.

Going home for the funeral included a healthy helping of drama. Big surprise, right? Why is it people have to act a fool when a loved one dies? In our family the drama erupted over the type of funeral my uncle would have. Coincidentally, my uncle's wife of 17 years is White and she belongs to a church that is "different" than the majority of the rest of my Black family. And that just didn't sit well with some of my aunties. At the end of the day, everything was worked out, with a few ruffled feathers and some "no she didn'ts." From my perspective, the biggest difference between the "White" funeral my uncle's wife planned, and the typical ones I've attended in Black churches, was the absence of weeping and wailing and a whole lot of carrying on over the dearly departed's dead body.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm a big fan of weeping and wailing at funerals. I feel like it serves a purpose. In fact, one of the reasons I feel like I had to grieve some more at home is because I feel like I didn't have a chance to get the bulk of my sadness out during the funeral. Does that sound crazy? I actually missed the shared expression of crying our eyes out together. Even though it's horrifically painful to see your mother and other elders who you look up to for guidance, wracked by grief, there's something about going through it together. What about you dear readers? How do the people in your family and/or culture deal with death? What are your rituals and do they help you process your grief? I'd like to hear your stories. Thank you.

Peace!

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And P.S.

If anyone is going to be in New York City tomorrow, July 14, I will be at the NACCP Author Pavilion as part of the 100th Annual Convention. The Author Pavilion is at the Hilton Hotel at 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York, United States 10019

I will be there all day, but signing from 12-2pm. There are going to be some great authors there, and the entire Author Pavilion is free and open to the public today, tomorrow and Wednesday (July 13-15). Yeah Colored People!

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And P.P.S.

The Meltingpot is heading to Spain next week and will be posting from her in-laws lovely seaside home for an entire month. Any questions you want to ask about Spain, things you'd like for me to investigate, post them here and I'll try to look into it.

Books to Give, Books to Get.

Hi Meltingpot readers,

I'm going to ask for a couple of favors today. All for a worthy cause of course.

First, I want you all to go visit, Color Online today and see what great work they're doing supporting multicultural authors and young girls at risk in their Detroit community. And then when you're feeling like, "Wow, what can I do to support such an amazing organization?" You can send a book to their Summer Book Drive. You can buy one from their Wish List at Powell's online book store, or send a gently used book directly to their library. All the details are on the site. Try adding them to your list of links.

I know I'm going to send ColorOnline a few books that I have that folks who have won here at the Meltingpot never claimed. If that's you, you only have a few days to send me your address at myamericanmeltingpot@gmail.com. Check back to see if you were one of the lucky winners recently.

And speaking of winners. I need some help, so I can be a literary winner. Meaning, I have to get the word out about Kinky Gazpacho being available in paperback or I will never sell another book. It's all about numbers people. And since my publisher has set aside zero dollars for the publicity of the paperback, it all falls on me. This is typical for authors who are not superstars, like Stephanie Meyer or Stephen King. So, I am not surprised, but it still is daunting.

So, faithful readers, I'm trying to go about this Obama style. I'm going to the people and asking for help. Not money, just help. If you have a blog, Facebook or Twitter account, would you please post about Kinky Gazpacho? It doesn't have to be a review. In fact, I don't even care if you've read it. You can just mention that it exists.

For example, you could write: "Hey, there's this new book out in paperback called Kinky Gazpacho. I wonder if it's about hairy soup?"

Or "Anybody hear about this new book out in paperback called Kinky Gazpacho? I wonder if it's about weird sex acts in Spain?"

Or my all time favorite: "Have your heard about this book Kinky Gazpacho? I heard it's just like Eat, Pray Love, only the woman is Black not blond and she goes to Spain instead of Italy. And she gets married not divorced. But other than that, very similar story."

Honestly I don't care. The rule of thumb is that if people hear a name seven times, then it finally sticks. So I want to see if I can at the very least make a lot of people aware that Kinky Gazpacho exists. That way when they wander into a bookstore or library and see the book, they'll go, "Oh there's the book I keep hearing about. I simply must read it." See how this works. Eventually, if it really goes viral, it might make it all the way to Chicago and into the ears of one Ms. Oprah Winfrey and then, my dear readers, we will know that we made something happen! That we changed the course of history. We gave a relatively unknown author who had a story to share a chance to speak to millions of people. I think we can do this. Yes We Can!

Thank you so much for your help and let's get this Kinky revolution started!

Peace!

Books Buzz from the Meltingpot (and a Giveaway!)

Happy June Meltingpot Readers.

Sorry I wasn't here last Friday, but I was in New York City at BookExpo 2009, which is the biggest literary trade show in the country. I was lucky enough to speak on a panel called Voices and Visions of a New American Dream, with journalist turned novelist, Farai Chideya and poet Patricia Spears Jones. The panel was sponsored by a wonderful literary organization called, Up South. I highly recommend you check them out and attend some of their events or at least donate to their cause. One of the best questions the moderator asked the three of us on the panel was, "Why do you write?" The three of us, in our own way, all answered, "because we love it."

So with a happy literary buzz, I explored the rest of the expo, looking for interesting books to bring back to the Meltingpot. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to check out even half of the exhibits, but I'll share what I did find.

- In December 2009, riding the all things Obama popularity wave, Duke University Press will be releasing Surviving against the Odds: Village Industry in Indonesia by...wait for it...Barack Obama's mother, S. Ann Dunham. But hasn't she crossed over, you ask? Yes, but this was her doctoral dissertation and one of her former professors and students have since edited it and prepared it for publication. And Dunham's daughter, Maya Soetoro-Ng has written the foreword.
The book is being billed as "an anthropological study by the mother of President Barack Obama," but in its own right, it sounds like a fascinating read about "the rural craftsmen of Java." Who do you think will be buying this book? I probably won't but Duke University Press has many other books about race, culture and religion coming up this fall and winter that sound fantastic.

- Of course I had my eyes open for good multi-culti children's books and was overjoyed to discover Cinco Puntos Press. Their small booth at BookExpo was filled with colorful books in English and Spanish covering topics as diverse as the civil rights movement in America to Haitian folktales. It turns out that Cinco Puntos Press is a family owned and operated publishing house and bookstore based in El Paso, Texas. Texas Monthly magazine wrote this about them, "Since 1985, this family-owned and–operated indie publishing house has been churning out fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books on social justice issues around the world." I totally (heart) them already. You can order books directly from their website or look for their titles at your local bookstore or library. But please, lets support this dedicated publisher and bookstore committed to telling Meltingpot stories.

- And finally, after my rant against the dearth of good multi-culti magazines, I was so happy to meet the people behind Kiki Magazine. Yes, I'm a little bit old for their target demographic of girls age 8-14, but I still love it. It's fresh and smart and pretty to look at. Sample stories include, "Spring Holidays around the world," Eco-friendly fashion" and "The Greenest Cities in the World." It's a quarterly magazine started by a woman with a daughter who was frustrated with the lack of quality publications...hmmm...sounds familiar...

And in personal Lori L. Tharps literary news, Kinky Gazpacho:Life, Love & Spain was just released in paperback by Washington Square Press. The paperback is very cute and portable, perfect for summer reading and comes with a nice Book Group reading guide and an interview with moi. Run, run, run to your local book store for a copy. Or (drum roll) you can wait for another year until my new novel comes out. Yes, dear readers, I have just signed the contract for my first novel. It is called, Substitute Me and is about the relationship between a young White woman and the Black woman she hires to be the nanny for her young child. The two women are the same age and the story explores that very unique friendship/relationship. Look for it summer 2010.

And to celebrate my literary luck, I'm giving away two copies of Kinky Gazpachoin paperback, to two random readers who tell me what they're most looking forward to reading this summer. Entries must be in by Friday, June 5 by midnight.

Peace!
(photo is book cover from Cinco Puntos Press)


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It's going to be a Kinky Weekend!

Tonight I'm going to take part in the First Person Arts Festival here in Philadelphia. The festival and the organization is all about celebrating memoirs and documentaries, which is so right up my alley. Rather than doing a straight reading from my book, Kinky Gazpacho:Life, Love & Spain, I think I'm going to use my fifteen minutes of fame to talk about the variations of Black Identity in America, because really that's what I tried to do with my memoir. I wanted to show the world that Black people come in all different flavors and combos and yet, we're all authentically Black.

When I come home after the festival, I'm going to pack my suitcase because tomorrow morning I'm off to Miami to participate in the famous Miami Book Fair. This book fair is purported to be one of the nation's largest and attracts a large international, mostly Hispanic, audience. I am so excited to see how this crowd engages with my story.

One time I gave a reading in New York City and a man from Barcelona was offended because he thought I implied that Spanish men think all Black women are whores. The conversation got a little dicey but I really appreciated hearing his opinion. In Washington, DC a Black woman from Venezuela, married to a Black American man, practically had tears in her eyes when she came up to me to tell me how much my life mirrored her own growing up as a chica de color in Venezuela. I love hearing these stories and hope to hear more when I get to Miami.

Here's to everyone having a very Kinky weekend!

Peace/Paz!

Housekeeping

Hello People,

I don't know about you but I'm still riding my Obama high. This morning my four-year old explained to me why it was important to dry his hands after washing them. In response I told him he was very smart. "That's right, mommy," he said with a very solemn face. "I'm smart like Obama." Don't you just love this man's influence! It's everywhere. If you've lost your Obama high, try listening to Will.i.am's new song,It's A New Day and I guarantee you'll be feeling Obamalicious once again. Don't let the feeling go.

I'm using Obama's amazing journey to become the 44th president of the United States to inspire me to make my dreams come true. No more excuses. One of those dreams is to become a successful novelist. I actually sold my first YA novel to HarperCollins in 2006 but am only now getting a chance to revise it. I've been a bit lax. But now with my Obama fever, I'm forcing myself to get it done by the end of November. That is November 28th to be specific.

The story is about Syrinthia James, a 15-year old girl with a White mother and a Black father. She's grown up however, without ever knowing her father's side of the family. Thanks to circumstances beyond her control, she's being "exiled" to Brooklyn for the summer to live with her father's brother and his family so she can "discover her roots." As it turns out, her uncle's family includes a colorful cast of characters including her Japanese aunt, her little cousin Miko, and an older cousin with a troubled past who helps Syrinthia learn to love her whole self. There's more to it than that, but I don't want to give away all the good stuff.

I'm going public with this book on my, website and charting my progress so if I give up or slack off, I will face public humiliation. Feel free to drop me a line and tell me to stop playing on Facebook and get back to work!

And finally, anyone living in the Philadelphia area should feel free to come to the Painted Bride Arts Center this Friday night, November 14 at 5:30 to hear me tell my Kinky Gazpacho story as part of the First Person Arts Festival. I promise to put on an exciting performance and it's free so what do you have to loose?

Peace!

Food for Thought-Pork Rinds & Cheerios?

Pork Rinds and Honey Nut Cheerios. That's what my four-year old son had for breakfast this morning. His choice. In fact, he wanted to put his pork rinds in the Cheerios, but I had to say no. There's only so much mixing of food stuffs that I can allow in my home.

But my son's new-found love of pork rinds got me thinking about the crispy, low-carb snack. As a child, my mom admitted to loving pork rinds, but there was this kind of quiet understanding that they were kind of a ghetto treat. Because, for real, in Milwaukee, where I grew up, you couldn't find pork rinds in the suburbs. You had to go into the city to find a bag. And admitting you actually ate fried pork skin to your non-black friends was about as popular as admitting that you chowed down on pig feet and chitterlings every now and again whenever the whole family got together. Of course, when the Atkins diet introduced the concept of low-carb eating to the general public, the pork rind gained a new kind of respect.

But here's why the pork rind means something special to me, as a member of a SpaNegro household. Black people love pork rinds (come on, we do.) and I just found out through watching a late night documentary on PBS, that it was the Spaniards who invented them! Yes, it was the Spanish people, known for utilizing every single portion of the pig, who introduced air puffed pig skin to the Americas. If you are a native Spanish speaker you don't call them pork rinds of course, but rather, "chicharones." Ah, more Kinky Gazpacho love!

Anybody like their chicharones with hot sauce? I recently picked up a gourmet low-carb cook book and found a recipe for fried chicken coated in crushed pork rinds? I've also tasted pork rinds coated in cinnamon and sugar. Got those at a Mexican bodega. Do you have a favorite pork rinds story or recipe? Please share.

Peace and pig grease!

Kinky Gazpacho: The Movie?!

I can neither confirm nor deny that Kinky Gazpacho the movie is in the works. But let's just play with the idea. Who would you cast as the Black American girl searching for her true self and the handsome Spanish man who steals her heart?

I have some ideas but I'd like to hear yours, especially those of you film buffs who might know the perfect up and coming Meltingpot stars.

Peace and Hollywood Dreams!