Gina Loring event next week

Wednesday October 12th, Samuel Alexander SG1 from 2.30pm.

The Department of English and American Studies in association with the United States Embassy is pleased to announce an afternoon of soul, poetry and conversation with the multi-talented and award-winning Gina Loring. If you’re interested in African-American culture, history, politics, creative writing, film or the music industry, please do come along and listen, participate and talk with Gina about her career and experiences. As part of the cultural envoy programme, Gina has a unique perspective and educational insight into all of the above.  She is the daughter of celebrated Shakespearean actor William Marshall, (Best known as “Blacula”) cousin of Oscar nominated actor Paul Winfield and Jazz composer/musician Teddy Edwards Sr., and she dedicates her work to their memory. Above all else, Gina lives, creates and moves forward in honour of the life of her brother, Malcolm Marshall.

g i n a l o r i n g

www.myspace.com/ginaloring

With a rich, soulful voice, thought provoking lyrics, and a powerful stage presence, Gina Loring is in a league of her own. With a strong following in both Los Angeles and Atlanta, Gina’s music is reminiscent of classics like Nina Simone and Billie Holiday, with the innovation and talent of a Lauryn Hill or a Jill Scott. One of very few artists who seamlessly balance music and poetry, both of Gina’s talents are equally strong enough to stand on their own. As a guest poet of the American Embassy’s cultural envoy program, Gina has travelled to Kuwait City, Kuwait, Yekaterinburg Russia, and Togo and Ghana, West Africa.. According to the American Embassy and Kuwaiti records, Gina made
history as the first American poet/ hip hop artist to perform in Kuwait. While abroad in Kuwait, Russia, and West Africa, she made several television appearances, performed her original poetry and music to packed crowds, and conducted creative writing workshops for high school and University students. Among her other accolades, Gina was recently honoured to win Queen Latifah’s Cover Girl Persona Contest for female hip hop artists.

The top ranking female poet at the 2002 National Poetry Slam, she was featured on two seasons of HBO's Russell Simmons' Def Poetry and BET's Lyric Cafe. As a writer/ performer on legendary TV and film producer Norman Lear’s nationwide "Declare Yourself" tour, she helped register thousands of voters, and as a creative writing teacher at Community Harvest Charter School in Los Angeles, spent two years facilitating creative writing and poetry classes with teens. She is featured on De La Soul’s most recent album “Are You In?”, the Brand New Heavies album "We Won't Stop", and has been mentored by such artists as Suzan-Lori Parks, Saul Williams, Mos Def , Pharoahe Monch, and Marla Gibbs.