I have a question for folks…..

if you have a dream about someone, is it your responsibility to share it? Or should you keep it to yourself? Is it different if you know the person?

In my community of friends, we believe that dreams are sacred because they are an expression of our intuitive abilities of foresight. Some of my friends have been visited by ancestors in their dreams, receiving advice, wisdom, and insight; whether about themselves or others that they know….it is normal for us to call each other up randomly and say “Hey your grandmother came to me in a dream last night and she told me to tell you about…..” or “hey is everything ok? You were in my dreams last night and I thought I should call you to check in with you….” Or “Hey, my higher self came to me in a dream and I need help interpreting the information she gave me….”

Over a year ago I had a dream about this man that I barely knew…..when I woke up, I consulted a few friends as to what I should do….both of my friends agreed that it was my responsibility to share my dream with this person…and though my better judgement told me that I should just forget about it…(after all, it is not my responsibility to save everyone)….i was won over by my co-dependent desire to try to do good…..so I decided to share my dream with this man in  a very dry and scientific way….

I wrote this man an email saying: this was my dream…….and this is how I would interpret it……I began the email with a disclaimer….stating my intention behind sharing this information with him….

….well….i don’t think he took it very well….I think the dude must have thought I was crazy or something…..

I have had numerous experiences with crazy fans who use something that they know about me or my life to try to get close to me; Last October, one man in particular tried to use the death of my father as a way to get me to meet up with him alone….YEAH RIGHT!!!!…..I could see right through his intentions!!!

But then on the other hand….I have had experiences with strangers in which something about my life was revealed to me through conversation and I trusted that their information was coming from an honest place rooted in spiritual truth.

So then….does it come down to “INTENTION”? If our intention is to do good….is it then our responsibility to share our dreams about others with them? Maybe? Maybe not? 

And I think:

If a Doctor knew you were sick, or could prevent you from getting sick….is it their responsibility to share it with you? Or should they keep it to themselves because you are not one of their patients?

And so again, I end this blog, by bringing it full circle and ending with the question I began….if you have a dream about someone, is it your responsibility to share it with them? Or should you keep it to yourself?

My new book "In the Wake of Oya" is finally here!!!!

though it's "OFFICIAL" release is not till August 2nd!!!!….  

you can purchase it early…..online a:

www.gabrielagarciamedina.com

www.myspace.com/gabrielagarciamedina

or….if you live in LA you can go to Imix Books at:

5025 Eaglerock Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90041
(323) 257-2512

Some of my 2nd book tour performances are: 

AUGUST SHOWS:

AUGUST 2ND:
Name: A-Womb
Description: A Gathering of poets, musicians and artists coming together to celebrate the sacred feminine in art, music and poetry.
Date: Thursday, August 2nd, 2007
What time: 8pm
Where: Little Ethiopia (Fairfax Blvd/Pico Blvd)
Contact: myspace.com/lynnix
Cost: Free
 

AUGUST 5TH:
Name: Spoken Funk
Description: Comedy and Poetry Weekly Event
Date: Sunday August 5TH, 2007
What time: 8pm (sharp if you wanna make sure you get in!…it gets packed!)
Where: Aqua Lounge: 424 Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Contact: 1866 212 3676
Cost: $10

AUGUST 12TH:
Name: Talking Drum
Description: Feature Performance at Poetry and Music Open Mic
Date: Sunday August 12th, 2007
What time: 8pm
Where: Lost Souls Café: 124 W. 4rth Street. Los Angeles, CA 90013
Contact: 213 617 7006/ findyourself@lostsouls.com
Cost: Free

AUGUST 14TH:
Name: Organic Soul Movement
Description: Feature Performance at Poetry and Music Open Mic
Date: Tuesday, August 14rth 2007
What time: 9pm
Where: Industry Café: 6039 Washington Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232
Cost: Love Donations

AUGUST 16TH:
Name: Poet’s Jazz House
Description: Featured Artist at open mic in Leimert Park for  poets and musicians
Date: Thursday August 16
What time: 8pm-midnight
Where: Sunny’s Spot: 3349 West 43rd Place, Leimert Park (1 block south of McDonalds), LA, CA 90008
Contact: 323 291 4098
Cost: Free

AUGUST 17TH:
Name: Tia Chucha’s Cultural Café
Descrition: Feature performance at Tia Chucha’s Cultural Café Open Mic.
Date: Friday August 17th, 2007
What time: 8pm
Where: 10258 Foothill Blvd. Lake View Terrace, CA 91342
Contact: 818 896 1489/ info@tiachucha.com
Cost: Free

AUGUST 24RTH:
Name: Student Showcase and Benefit
Description:
Date: August 24rth
What time: 7pm
Where: Art Share LA
Cost: Free

AUGUST 25TH:
Name: Sappho’s Return
Description: Fashion Show and Perfromance
Date: August 25th, 2007
What time: 7:30pm
Where: Gay and Lesbian Center: 1625 Schrader Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90028
Contact: 323 993 7400
Cost: TBA

SEPTEMBER SHOWS:

SEPTEMBER 3RD:
Name: Urbane Culture
Description: Feature at the Hottest Open Mic in Ontario, CA
Date: Monday, Sept. 3rd, 2007
What time: 8pm
Where: 223 W. Emporia Street, Ontario, CA 91762
Contact: myspace.com/urbaneculturelounge
Cost: Free

SEPTEMBER 13TH:
Name: KCET’S Annual Latino Heritage Month Gala
Description: Gala/Benefit organized by KCET Television to honor Latinos in the Arts, Education, Business, Social Work, etc.
Date: Thursday September 13th, 2007
What time: 6pm
Where: KCET Television Studios (Sunset Blvd.)
Cost: FREE NOT OPEN TO PUBLIC 

SEPTEMBER 27TH:
Name: A Mic and Dim Lights
Description: Feature at the Hottest Open Mic in Pomona (and the place that I consider my HOME VENUE for Poetry!!!!….my favorite Open Mic in the Country)…also a SPECIAL BIRTHDAY FEATURE!
Date: September 27th, 2007
What time: 9pm
Where: Cal Poly Pomona Downtown Center: 300 W. Second Street, Pomona, CA 91766
Contact: 909 469 0080
Cost: $3

SEPTEMBER 28TH:
Name: OFFICIAL BOOK RELEASE PARTY FOR “In the Wake of Oya” and GABRIELA GARCIA MEDINA’S 25th BIRTHDAY PARTY!!!
Description: An amazing show, an incredible line-up of artists, a great dj….spoken word, hip hop, salsa and afro-cunab!!!
Date: Friday September 28th, 2007
What time: 8pm (SHARP!!!)
Where: TBA (STAY TUNED FOR UPDATED INFORMATION ON THIS EVENT!)
Contact: www.myspace.com/gabrielagarciamedina
Cost: FREE

SEPTEMBER 29TH:
Name: Timoi’s Gallery Opening
Description: Graffitti Gallery Opening with live artists, poets, emcees, and more
Date: Saturday September 29th, 2007 (MY BIRTHDAY!)
What time: 7:30pm
Where: 1640 North Spring St. Los Angeles, CA 90012
Cost: Free

OCTOBER SHOWS:

OCTOBER 27TH:
Name: Annual Festival de la Gente
Description: Feature Performance at annual Boyle Heights festival
Date: Saturday, October 27th, 2007
What time: All Day!
Where: 6th Street Bridge (it’s closed off at Downtown and at Boyle Heights and it is filled with stages, vendor booths, art, food and more!
Contact: festivaldelagente.org
Cost: TBA

OCTOBER 28TH:
Name: Annual Festival de la Gente
Description: Feature Performance at annual Boyle Heights festival
Date: Sunday, October 28th, 2007
What time: All Day!
Where: 6th Street Bridge (it’s closed off at Downtown and at Boyle Heights and it is filled with stages, vendor booths, art, food and more!
Contact: festivaldelagente.org
Cost: TBA

STAY TUNED FOR MY OFFICIAL BOOK RELEASE PARTY…AND BIRTHDAY PARTY INFORMATION!!!!…..A BLOG WILL BE POSTED SOON….STAY ALERT AND COME AND CELEBRATE MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!…….WITH ART….MUSIC AND LOVE! 

For more information on the book or any of my upcoming events, please feel free to leave a comment and i will get back to you!!!

hope to see you around!!

much love-

gabriela garcia medina 

I have given birth to a new poem!

…it is entitled "Self Empowered Love" and it was born from a series of events, but specifically from the following experience:

1. A female poet whom i love and appreciate both as a person and as a writer, has a love poem that i highly disagree with. The poem is extremly co-dependent and she basically talks about how she would quit everything for the man she loves. Though her poem is written excellently…i cannot agree with the message because it is the same message that has been forced upon us for generations through poetry, music and song….which got me listening to love songs and really paying attention to the co-dependent messages that we internalize and perpetuate. 

Self Empowered Love

I wanna write a self empowered love poem
Not co-dependent
Love poem

A poem that’s different from any other love song or poem
One that can be digested
Without affecting our self-esteem
A healthy organic love poem
Completely different from the spoon-fed love songs and poems
Our mothers and our grandmothers used to cry to
No more Air Supply on the radio telling my dad
That he’s All out of Love
And Mary J, if you’re going down cause he aint around
Don’t take my mama there with you
And Leanne Rimes “How will I live without you”
Was one of my first break-up anthems
And when Jorge was cheating
And emotions became physical beatings
Cindy Lauper told me to stay and take it “Time after Time”
And with Mark I would cry myself to sleep to Lila Downs
Telling me in Spanish that I should wallow in my own self-pity
While Tony Braxton gave me false hope with “Unbreak my heart”
And I would wake up to Billy Holliday singing “Good morning Heartache”
These love songs we internalized
And before we realized it was too late
We were already victims to these cycles of unhealthy relationships
Acting out of desperation
Our fears grow into monsters
Fed by our insecurities
Molding our perceptions of love
Tainting its potential
We become vulnerable to loneliness
And in the hopes of being fulfilled we selfishly CLAIM our lovers
Like Ritchie Valenz singing “You are mine and we belong together”
And Sarah Vaughan singing “You are mine you, you belong to me and I will never free you”
So we think we own people
Like slave masters
We are filled with self-hate
Wanting to imprison someone’s spirit,
Chastise their heart,
Manipulate their thoughts
Cause we are not enough for ourselves
And we are suckers for self-destructive romance
No wonder we misunderstand the meaning of love

So I write this self empowered love poem
Because I want to shape-shift this paradigm
I am my own person
And I refuse to be defined by these songs
These poems
I will not claim them
They do not sing to me
I release them
And I write this poem
This self empowered love poem
An independent
Not co-dependent
Love poem
That goes something like this:

So I write this poem
This self-empowered love poem
That doesn’t need your validation
Nor wants a response from you
This poem that doesn’t want to save you
Or enslave you
This poem that doesn’t need you to love back
Though it wants you to
I write this poem that is beautiful despite you
This poem that will exist without you
It can stand up for itself
This poem that will not wait for you
Once you are gone
This poem will move on
And keep shining
Mature, sexy and grown
Everlasting
Beautiful
Free
And loving itself
So that it can truly love you!

WHO SAID HIP HOP WAS DEAD? IT IS VERY MUCH ALIVE AND HAPPENING TONIGHT AT THE TROUBADOR!

As an artist, who is always trying to come up with something new and fresh; constantly challenging myself and what is pouring out of me….I am not easily impressed by art. Most times if poets, emcees, vocalists, painters, are not doing something different and unique, I AM JUST NOT INTERESTED!

And I have to say…..when I first heard ANKORE about 3-4 years ago….I was blown away! You listen to Ankore not just cause “you like the beat” but because their lyrics have substance, and they are really saying something…unlike most “Revolutionary groups” which only talk about how shit is fucked up, Ankore really carries a message of hope, and healing in their lyrics.

Ankore (pronounced “encore”) is a Hip Hop trio featuring two male emcess (Nkrumah tha Gr8 and Akili Shine) and a female vocalist (Queen Aanis). I see their name as a play on words: Ankh-Core. An Ankh meaning “life” in the Language of Ancient Kemet (before it became Egypt) is a symbol for both Physical and Etermanl Life. And Core, because I feel that their art is rooted in their past, their ancestors, they stay grounded and thus their music is a manifestation of their connection to themselves and the world around them!….Also a play on the word “encore” because you will always want an ENCORE!!!!

After getting my first dosage of Ankore, I became a loyal fan…bumpin the CD on the regular…..attending every show…from UCLA, to the Viper Room to the Key Club, UC Riverside, the Temple Bar, the Knitting Factory, the House of Blues…you tell me where they were playing and I was there, front row and singing along to every song!…What I love about going to an Ankore Concert is that they really go ALL out!While most Hip Hop acts are accompanied by a DAT or Dj droppin the beats in the background….ANKORE ROLLS DEEP…..THEY ARE USUALLY BACKED UP BY AN EXPLOSIVE 8 PIECE BAND!

In the past 2 years they have shared the stage with Ludacris,the Roots, Talib Kweli and Dead Prez, among others….

 Their Album “The People Said” is one that I like to listen to all the way through!

While some Albums have 1 or 2 good songs and the other ones are just “Space-fillers” if you skip any one song on the Ankore CD, then you miss a whole experience!!!

From KOS (A song about the importance of Knowledge of Self)  to Street Song (about growing up in the Streets), to Jezebel (a story of a street walker), to Black Rose (a song that describes Black women as queens and goddesses), to K10033 (about the Prison industrial Complex), to Still Here (a song about Slavery and Survival despite all odds) to To Sam (a song to Uncle Sam about “Breakin’ all their Fuckin rules”) to Fatherless Child (a song that empowers fathers and presents the experience of fatherless children), to Gifted (a song about how we are all gifted in some way, and if “we seek within we will find the gifts that lie inside”)…every song carries a genuine depiction of struggle along with a strong message of hope letting listeners know that despite what we may have been through, there is room for growth, for healing and for love!

WHO SAID HIP HOP WAS DEAD? IT IS VERY MUCH ALIVE AND HAPPENING TONIGHT AT THE TROUBADOR! 

I'M TELING YOU….

If you love Hip Hop!

if you want to be inspired!

if you like to dance to music with substance!

If you want to be surrounded by beautiful people!

COME TO THE ANKORE SHOW TONIGHT AT THE TROUBADOR…9PM! 

AND….IF YOU ALREADY MADE PLANS FOR TONIGHT…CHANGE THEM!….

YOU WONT BE DISAPPOINTED! 

IT WILL BE THE BEST $20 YOU SPENT ALL YEAR!….I GUARANTEE IT!….SO MUCH THAT IF YOU DONT LOVE IT!….SEND ME A COMMENT AND I WILL PERSONALLY GIVE YOU YOUR MONEY BACK!

I will be at the show tonight….I will be the sexy Cubanita in the very front, dancing to the rhythms of the  the drums, the melodies of the saxophones, signing along to Queen Aanis and bumpin my head to the words that Ankore spreads in their music!

Check out Ankore and add them on myspace at:
www.myspace.com/ankore
www.ankore.com

I just came home from an afternoon at the Laundrymat where i finally finished reading Octavia Butler’s book Wildseed and yet again, I am inspired and filled with so much creativity and insight!

My Octavia Butler obsession began in 2003 after reading Parable of the Sower (a 295-page novel which I finished in two days)!

…which made me realize that…I was never a "BAD" reader, who could not retain information….but rather…that i had never been exposed to books that  i could relate to on a political, spiritual and emotional level….

And thus my new found enthusiasm and love for reading lead me to the titles below:

Parable of the Talents
Blood Child and other stories
Kindred
Fledgeling
And finally Wildseed

Before Children of Men, and even before Blade Runner, Octavia Butler, a Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Author (it is a genius award), and the FIRST Black Womyn “Science Fiction” published writer, was already talking about the future!

But calling her work “science fiction” is an understatement and a mis-interpretation of all the social and political commentaries underlying her stories….i think that the reason why you can ONLY find her books in the  “Science Fiction” section of the Library or the Bookstore….is because the world does not know how to classify her work!….A Black, 6’2’’, Queer, Womyn, Author describing the future of all people of color?!?! ISNT THAT LIKE….DANGEROUS?!?

Her takes on poverty, oppression and life for minorities in the future is frighteningly realistic…and I think that classifying her work as “Science fiction” is a way to devalue the REALITY of her writing, and diminish the depth of her prophecies…SHE NEEDS TO HAVE HER OWN SECTION AT BOOKSTORES….CALLED: "Wake Up and change the world or be Exterminated" or "Ebrace Change or be Swallowed by it" or "Looking at our Past, our Present and Re-structuring and Re-defining our Future" but even that, would not encompass everything that Octavia writes about, it would not take into account her ability to redefine gender expression and propose new paradigms for the exploration of sexuality; nor would it take into account the messages of love, healing and transformation at the core of the harsh realities of the struggle for survival that her characters must undergo in every novel.

All of Octavia’s books have strong Black womyn leaders who overcome the impossible…but be prepared to be in pain, because Octavia really takes you there!!!…YOU CRY BECAUSE YOU FEEL THE PAIN, THE VIOLENCE, THE RAPE, THE OPPRESSION….and after your tears have cleansed you and you are done mourning…you feel empty inside….as if the world had just ended and you watched it happen but could not intervene…….

I RECOMMEND THAT PARABLE OF THE SOWER BE YOUR INTRODUCTION TO OCTAVIA’S WORK!!!!….THOUGH SOME PEOPLE LIKE TO START WITH KINDRED.

Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents is set in the future (2024-2039) addressing the social and political climate of the United States where Slavery has been re-instated, there is an All-Christian Fundamentalist (highly policed) Fascist State in rule, computer chips get implanted inside of people as a way to moderate their existence, neck-braces substitute prisons, rape, abuse, and ethnic cleansing become normalized, and extreme poverty leads desperate people to crime and murder. Under this backdrop of violence a young 15 year old black womyn and prophet, after watching her family and her whole community murdered embarks on a journey of Hell in search for a safe place for her and for those she meets along the way…a place where she can create a new life, and a place where she is free to practice “Earthseed” a new spiritual belief/religion she has developed over time believing that Change is ALL that there is and therefore God is Change.

Blood Child and other Stories is a collection of short stories that address issues of race, gender, politics, sexuality and more…but my favorite part of this book are the two essays "Positive Obsession" (about her love of writing from when she was 6 years old through her old age) and "Furor Scribendi" (practical advice for writers on becoming successful published authors).

 
Kindred is a story of a Black womyn in the 1970s who is in a bi-racial relationship with a white man, and one day she is sucked in through a time portal into the past, where she has to save a white boy, soon to become a slave-owner from any harm, for he is one of her ancestors and she must save him and endure the oppression in order to survive herself….again…OCTAVIA KNOWS HOW TO TAKE YOU THERE!!!

Fledgeling was her last novel before she died last spring….it is a story about Vampires that don’t look or act like the pale white depictions we see in films such as “Dracula” and “Interview with a Vampire”, NO NO NO…Again the main character is the spirit of an old womyn inside the body of a 12 year old black girl who’s family has been murdered and who’s life is in danger because her black skin allows her to endure sunlight, something that no other vampire can do, and thus she is seen as a threat who must be destroyed….the novel is about her journey to uncover the truth about her family’s murder, and to build a new family around her….On the surface one might see this book as a very imaginative action story….but it’s really about so much more than that…it is about the social and political oppressions and struggles which affect people of color in this day and age! But i would say that my favorite part about this book is the ways in which Octavia Butler's characters engage in sexual activity, and how partnerships are formed; something that to our "limited paradigms" may appear to be a "savage orgie" in the book is explained as a way for vampires to co-exist with their "symbionts" (humans). It is a beautiful way of opening up the readers to other ways of creating relationships and partnerships, showing polygamous healthy relationships manifested throughout the novel! Vampires feel no ownership over their symbionts as symbionts feel no ownership over the vampires….they love each other and co-exist together, challenging our thoughts on relationships, power dynamics and free-will.

Wildseed is a story of two spirits….Doro and Anywanu. Doro is a male spirit who has lived for over 4000 years and whose survival depends on killing humans and taking on their bodies. Anywanu is a female spirit who has lived for over 1000 years and whose survival depends on healing living things and through the process of healing she learns the DNA of all that she touches and thus has the ability to change shapes and become any animal, plant or being she comes into contact with. Doro and Anywanu are the only beings on the planet who can live eternally. And though Doro can kill Anywanu with his power, her power is much greater than his. They need each other to survive, yet they despise each other because they are so different!

WHY AM I TELLING YOU ALL THIS?

I am giving you all this information because Octavia Butler has been the most influential writer in my life thus far!….she came into my life at a time in which I had a thirst for substance and representation in art. And not only did she give me hope as an artist, but she also presented me with an in-depth understanding of struggle and survival, providing me with strong womyn of color role models, and touching not only my emotions, but also my spirit.

I LOVE OCTAVIA…. BUT I AM NOT A SELFISH LOVER….SO NOW I SHARE HER WITH YOU!

I hope that you get from her work, at least a fraction of what I have received!

If not now….surely when you are ready…..someone in your life will mention her name, or you might stumble upon her work at a bookstore, and you might think “Oh yeah, that name sounds familiar” and soon enough when your spirit moves you, you will pick up one of her books and your life (as you know it) will NEVER be the same!

 Other books by Octavia Butler that I am still in the process of discovering: