Thriving Mindfully as the Real You!
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
1) August 10 at 8:00 p.m. EST – Natalie McNeal, the founder of The Frugalista Files blog (http://miamiherald.typepad.com/frugalista) and savings expert for www.geezeo.com, a financial site;
2) August 12 at 8:00 p.m. EST – Denene Millner, the founder of MyBrownBaby blog (www.mybrownbaby.blogspot.com) and co-author of What Brothers Think, What Sistahs Know: The Real Deal on Love and Relationships, What Brothers Think, What Sistahs Know About Sex, and Money, Power, Respect: What Brothers Think, What Sistahs Know;
3) August 13 at 8:00 p.m. EST – Holly Buchanan, a women’s marketing consultant (www.thesoccermommyth.com) and co- author of The Soccer Mom Myth;
4) August 14 at 8:00 p.m. EST – Lucrecer Braxton, the founder of Art-Slam blog (www.art-slam.com);
5) August 15 at 8:00 p.m. EST – Deb Rox, the founder of Deb on the Rocks blog (www.debontherocks.com) and author of 5 Ways to {Blank} Your Blog;
6) August 17 at 8:00 p.m. EST – Kamy Wicoff, the founder of SheWrites.com (www.shewrites.com) and author of I Do but I Don’t: Walking Down the Aisle without Losing Your Mind and I Do but I Don’t: Why the Way We Marry Matters; and
7) August 24 at 8:00 p.m. EST – Bronx Bohemian, the founder of Bronx Bohemian blog (http://bronxbohemian.wordpress.com).
Sisterhood, the Blog Radio features one-on-one conversations with women about sisterhood, self-discovery, self-expression, spirituality, self-care, self-expression, social justice advocacy, and social media. Sisterhood, the Blog Radio supports the following social media projects:
1) Facebook Group – http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=23050254985;
2) Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/sisterhdtheblog; and
3) WordPress – http://sisterhoodtheblog.wordpress.com.
Me and my father Dr. John F. Leeke affectionately
known as “J” hanging out in Adams Morgan in DC
Happy Wednesday!
Join me for a juicy conversation with my father Dr. John F. Leeke (a/k/a “J”) about fathers and daughters on the July 31st episode of The Ananda Leeke Show at 8:00 p.m. EST on Talkshoe.com. Click here to listen to the show: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/15820. We will discuss how our father-daughter relationship has impacted my life choices, creativity, and career.
We will also share our thoughts about the book, Daughters of Men: Portraits of African-American Women and Their Fathers (http://www.daughtersofmen.com) by Rachel Vassel. I recently gave this book to “J” for his 70th birthday. It’s one of his favorites!
If you miss the show, don’t panic. You can download a recording to your computer or via iTunes a few minutes after the show airs or whenever you have free time. Click here to download a recording: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/15820.
What is your relationship with your father?
How has your father impacted your life choices and career?
Enjoy your day!
Peace and Creativity,
Ananda
Happy Monday!
I am back from Blogher 2009 (www.blogher.com). I had a grand time with the Blogher ladies and sponsors in Chicago. I also had so much fun using my Vado Creative Cam and filming webisodes of Ananda Leeke TV (www.youtube.com/anandaleeke). I was able to create a groovy series on Black women bloggers who attended the conference. Look for the webisodes later this week. I also filmed some fun episodes featuring me sharing my insights and chatting with Sam Smith, one of the coolest guys at Blogher. I did something unexpected and participated in two video projects. One was for Tropicana Juice. I gave my healthy tip on eating oatmeal with raisins and honey for breakfast. My webisode will be posted on Blogher and Tropicana’s web sites. I also gave my two cents on what advertisers should consider when marketing to women in a documentary filmed by Holly Buchanon.
The Windy City weather was fabulous. I had time to meet my cousin Ellen and sistalove Mari for dinner at two Indian and Nepalese restaurants. I also went to the National Museum of Mexican Art. I will post videos from Ananda Leeke TV featuring my museum visit later this week.
Be sure to tune into Sisterhood, the Blog Radio Series on Blogher 2009 (www.blogher.com) beginning Tuesday, July 28 at 8pm EST on Talkshoe.com: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/42015. The first episode will feature yours truly sharing my reflections on Blogher 2009. I will reveal my reasons for attending the conference on July 24 and 25 in Chicago, favorite Blogher moments, and lessons learned from Blogher workshop sessions. I will also give a preview of the August series of interviews featuring approximately nine Blogher participants.
If you miss the live show, don’t panic. You can download a recording to your computer or via iTunes a few minutes after the show airs on July 28th. Click here to download: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/42015.
FYI – As of today, four dynamic women in the blogosphere have confirmed their participation in the August series on Blogher 2009. See below.
Natalie McNeal
1) Natalie McNeal, founder of The Frugalista Files blog (http://miamiherald.typepad.com/frugalista), will be interviewed on August 10 at 8pm EST. Natalie is a journalist and currently works for the Miami Herald. In 2008, she launched The Frugalista Files as a personal finance blog. She is the savings expert for www.geezeo.com, a financial site.
Denene Millner
2) Denene Millner, founder of MyBrownBaby blog (www.mybrownbaby.blogspot.com) will be interviewed on August 12th at 8pm EST. Denene co-authored several books with her husband, writer Nick Chiles: What Brothers Think, What Sistahs Know: The Real Deal on Love and Relationships, What Brothers Think, What Sistahs Know About Sex, and Money, Power, Respect: What Brothers Think, What Sistahs Know. They also wrote three novels: Love Don’t Live Here Anymore, In Love and War, and A Love Story. Denene partnered with writers Mitzi Miller and Angela Burt-Murray (Editor-in-Chief of Essence Magazine) to write The Angry Black Woman’s Guide to Life and The Vow, a novel. Denene and Mitzi penned a new teen novel series featuring HOTLANTA and If Only You Knew. For more information about Denene, visit www.celebrateblacklove.com.
Lucrecer Braxton
3) Lucrecer Braxton, founder of Art-Slam blog (http://www.art-slam.com), will be interviewed on August 14th at 8pm EST. Lucrecer established Art Slam as an art journaling blog that inspires and cultivates authentic creativity. Art Slam is also a community of scrapbookers, journalers, and mixed media artists.
Deb Rox
4) Deb Rox, author of 5 Ways to {Blank} Your Blog (www.hotblogstars.com/book.html) and founder of Deb on the Rocks blog (www.debontherocks.com), will be interviewed on August 15th at 8pm EST. Deb is also a partner in 3 Smart Girlz(http://www.3smartgirlz.com), a consulting firm that helps others diversify, expand, develop new streams of income, and implement new marketing or operational technologies.
Dr. Regina Benjamin
Happy Monday!
I am so excited about President Obama’s selecting Dr. Regina Benjamin, a fabulous and fierce African American woman, as the new Surgeon General. What a way to start a Monday! Click here to read the article from the Associated Press: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_surgeon_general.
Dr. Benjamin is founder and CEO of the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic in Bayou La Batre, Alabama. Her clinic is making a difference in the lives of the underserved poor in a small fishing village with approximately 2,500 people. She is a graduate of Xavier University in New Orleans (B.A. in Chemistry), University of Alabama at Birmingham (M.D.), and Tulane University (MBA). Dr. Benjamin was named by Time Magazine as one of the “Nation’s 50 Future Leaders Age 40 and Under. ” She was featured in a New York Times article, “Angel in a White Coat, ” and was chosen “Person of the Week” by ABC’s World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, “Woman of the Year” by CBS This Morning, and “Woman of the Year” by People Magazine. Click here to learn more about Dr. Benjamin and her Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic: www.bayouclinic.org/SubMenu.aspx?id=10.
President Obama’s administration has a cadre of powerful African American women affectionately known as the “Obama women.” They inspire me to live a full life, do my best, and serve my community and country by sharing my gifts. I celebrate the “Obama women” in my new book, That Which Awakens Me: A Creative Woman’s Poetic Memoir of Self-Discovery(Summer 2009 – iUniverse, Inc.). See the poem below. Let me know what you think.
What do you think about Dr. Regina Benjamin?
Who are your favorite Obama women?
My favorites are First Lady Michelle Obama, Valerie Jarrett, Desiree Rogers, Susan Rice, Lisa Jackson, and Dr. Regina Benjamin.
Enjoy your day and week!
Peace, Creativity, and Power to the Obama Women,
Ananda
First Lady Michelle Obama
Desiree Rogers (standing) and Valerie Jarrett (sitting)
POEM
Sista7: The Obama Women
Copyright 2009 by Madelyn C. Leeke
When I checked my email this morning, I had a message from my father, a 24/7/365 supporter of President Barack H. Obama.
Daddy’s email greeted me with positive news.
It was a Washington Post article about the brilliant, bold, and beautiful Black women in the Obama administration.
What a way to start a Wednesday in March during Women’s History Month!
The article profiled the Sista7.
Valerie Jarrett, a Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Liaison.
Desiree Rogers, White House Social Secretary.
Susan Rice, United Nations Ambassador.
Cassandra Butts, deputy White House counsel.
Mona Sutphen, the first Black woman to serve as deputy chief of staff.
Lisa Jackson, the first Black person to head the Environmental Protection Agency.
Melody Barnes, the first Black woman to run the Domestic Policy Council.
They represent something new in Washington: the largest contingent of high-ranking Black women to work for a president.
Trailblazers is the word that captures it all for me.
These phenomenal women have emerged from the margins of American society to the position of gatekeeper in one of the greatest countries in the world.
Each one is a household name in my life.
Tracking their efforts on the Internet is one of my favorite things to do.
Watching them in action inspires me.
They have become an affirmation of what’s possible for Black women in America.
That’s why I claim them as my sheros.
That’s why I continuously celebrate their presence, passion, and power.
May we all do the same.
Photo of my grandparents Dorothy Mae Johnson Gartin and Robert Warren Gartin, Sr. of Indianapolis, IN
Happy 97th Birthday to my feisty grandmother Dorothy Mae Johnson Gartin affectionately known as “Nanan.” Nanan is my mother’s mother. She was born on July 10, 1912 in North Vernon, Indiana to Ione Goins Johnson King and John Johnson. Nanan currently lives in Indianapolis, Indiana. I wrote a poem about her and featured it in my new book, That Which Awakens Me: A Creative Woman’s Poetic Memoir of Self-Discovery (Summer 2009 – iUniverse, Inc.). See below. Enjoy!
What are your favorite grandmother memories?
Nanan used to make this mad crazy delicious peach cobbler when I visited her in the summers. Yummy!
Peace and Creativity,
Ananda
POEM
My Grandmother Dorothy Mae Johnson Gartin (born in 1912)
Copyright 2009 by Madelyn C. Leeke
Nanan.
She is a woman with a 97 year old history.
Some of which I know.
Other parts remain hidden.
I believe that those parts may remain hidden for eternity.
They are parts of her soul.
Everyone should savor parts of themselves in silence.
A woman with glazed donut skin and winter white and gray hair.
Nanan is taller than I could ever imagine being.
Her personality is fierce.
Her conversation is sweet and sharp.
She don’t take no shit from anyone and will handle her business and yours too.
She is a woman who walks the earth with many titles.
Widow.
Mother.
Grandmother.
Great-grandmother.
Great-great-grandmother.
Domestic worker.
Community volunteer.
Entrepreneur.
My greatest memories of her are wrapped in summertime spent
eating her homemade peach cobbler, golden fried chicken, and potato salad.
Nanan’s soul food left me feeling rich, full, and loved.
Happy Monday!
Today I thought I would share an excerpt from my new book, That Which Awakens Me: A Creative Woman’s Poetic Memoir of Self-Discovery(Summer 2009 – iUniverse, Inc.). I decided to post the quotes that introduce Chapter 1 and two poems. Note that I use six-word memoirs (http://www.smithmag.net/sixwords) as chapter titles. I fell in love with six-word memoirs last year. They really helped me climb out of a serious writer’s block. Author Lori Tharp (www.loritharp.com) introduced them to me during a memoir writing workshop held at my church, All Souls Church (www.all-souls.org) in October 2008.
Let me know what you think about Chapter 1’s six-word memoir title, quotes, and poems.
Enjoy!
Peace and Creativity,
Ananda
Excerpt from That Which Awakens Me: A Creative Woman’s Poetic Memoir of Self-Discovery(Summer 2009 – iUniverse, Inc.)
Copyright 2009 by Madelyn C. Leeke
Chapter One: Honoring Ancestors. Family. History. Cultural Legacies.
“If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors. All of them are alive in this moment. Each is present in your body. You are the continuation of each of these people.” Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, activist, and author
“I feel like the ancestors brought us here and they expect great things. They expect us to say what we think and live how we feel and follow the hard paths that bring us near joy.” Drew Dellinger, European American poet, teacher, and activist
“Family represents a collection of individuals who are committed and bound together always and forever to provide love and support to one another.” John F. Leeke, African American educator, organizational development consultant, and entrepreneur
“I think knowing one’s history leads one to act in a more enlightened fashion.” John Hope Franklin, African American historian
“We are deeply, passionately connected to black women whose sense of aesthetics, whose commitment to ongoing creative work, inspires and sustains. We reclaim their history, call their names, state their particulars, to gather and remember to share our inheritance.” bell hooks, African American author, poet, professor, and cultural critic
“Cultural legacies are powerful forces. They have deep roots and long lives. They persist, generation after generation, virtually intact, even as the economic and social and demographic conditions that spawned them have vanished, and they play such a role in directing attitudes and behavior that we cannot make sense of our world without them.” Malcolm Gladwell, British-born Canadian author
_____________________________________________________________
Two Poems from Chapter 1
Me praying to the ancestors at Elmina Slave Castle in Cape Coast, Ghana – December 2003
Me praying to my female ancestors who were enslaved in the female slave cell located in Elmina Slave Castle in Cape Coast, Ghana – December 2003
Me standing in front of the Elmina Slave Castle in Cape Coast, Ghana – December 2003
POEM #1
Elmina: Homage to the Ancestors
#1
In the middle of the night Spirit woke me and instructed me to do two things.
Cut my locs and go home to sit, pray, release, and renew on holy ground in the midst and comfort of my ancestors.
So the next morning, I made two phone calls.
One to my hairdresser.
The other to my travel agent.
By the end of that week, my locs were cut.
My head resembled that of a Tibetan monk who had gone four weeks without a shaving.
My travel itinerary was confirmed for Ghana and a day was planned for a visit to Elmina Castle, the holy ground where my ancestors’ spirits reside.
I was going home.
#2
How can a slave castle built in 1482 by the Portuguese traders as the first European slave trading post in all of sub-Saharan Africa be my holy ground or my home?
How can one of the many slave castles holding horrific memories of the African holocaust called the Maafa, a disaster, a terrible occurrence be sacred space for me?
How can I separate the inhumane acts and suffering of more than 10 million people of African descent who passed through Elmina’s door of no return?
The answer is two fold – Spirit and Ancestors.
They call me home.
#3
I came seeking renewal and release.
As I walked through the Castle, looked out into the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean, and prayed in the dungeons, I heard their voices.
They urged me to give them my burdens.
They lovingly assumed my pain.
They reminded me of Sankofa, the Andinkra symbol that represents learning from your past in order to chart your future.
They are my past.
I am their future, grateful and humbled to reap and enjoy the benefits of their love, faith, greatness, strength, humility, and wisdom.
Because of their living.
Because of their suffering.
Because of their dying.
I am free.
POEM #2
They Want Me to Hear Their Songs
Inspired by artist Elizabeth Catlett’s I Have Given the World My Songs (1948, linocut).
Their voices are buried deep in my belly.
When will I let them out?
They want to sing their songs, but I fear their voices may be too loud for me to hear.
They speak to my spirit and remind me that their songs are my legacy.
Yes I know.
Yes I know.
Yes I know.
But I’m not sure I want to hear what happened to my great-great-grandmother Millie Ann Gartin before she was freed.
The rest of my womanline rises up in my gut and demands that I allow them to sing their stories – the good, not so good, and in between.
They refuse to leave me alone.
I try to run and hide, but they won’t let me escape.
They surround me and begin telling me about the sacrifices they made so I could be free.
Before they disappear, they say a prayer.
“Beloved one, so much has happened. We don’t mean to frighten you, but our stories must be told. You must tell them. In telling them, you will access wisdom from the way we lived and what we learned from our elders. Our voices will become your voice.
You will begin to carry our full legacy. It is our gift to you. We pray that you accept it.
Ase. Amen.”
Greetings All,
My heart broke open when I heard the news that Michael Jackson made his transition yesterday. I wasn’t prepared. None of us were. The shock continues to travel through my spirit, mind, and body. This is a hard one to take. Michael and his brothers played such a major role in my childhood, adolescence, college and law school experiences, and adult life. I feel like I grew up with him. His music and creativity inspired me to tap into and express my own creativity. I will miss his presence.
Why is Michael special in your life?
What are your favorite Michael moments and songs?
My favorite songs are “ABC” and “Ben.” I also love the albums Off the Wall and Thriller. His Thriller videos are incroyable as the French say! His performance in The Wiz was incredible.
May Michael’s spirit rest in peace. May his children, family, friends, and fans remember the beauty of his creative soul.
Peace, Serenity, and MJ Inspired-Creativity,
Ananda
PS: My cousin Lori sent me a link to All MJ Radio, an AOL Radio station dedicated to Michael Jackson. I am listening to it all day to stay connected to Michael’s creative energy and inspiration. Click here to listen: http://music.aol.com/radioguide/bb. There are commercials on the radio station. If that bothers you, create a MJ station on Pandora.com – www.pandora.com.
Great News! The Ananda Leeke Show, an online radio program that celebrates creativity in everyday life, will launch on June 30, 2009, at 8:00 p.m. (EST) on Talkshoe.com: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/15820.
Join me as I share my own creative adventures, advice, artwork, books, challenges, discoveries, healthy life practices, insights, inspiration, lessons learned, resources, and tips as an artist, author, writer, blogger, creativity coach, yoga teacher, Reiki Master practitioner, and innerpreneur.
The first episode will discuss my insights on writing my upcoming poetic memoir, That Which Awakens Me: A Creative Woman’s Poetic Memoir (Summer 2009 – iUniverse, Inc.).
Click here to read the press release: http://www.prlog.org/10257014-authorartistcreativity-coach-ananda-leeke-launches-the-ananda-leeke-show-to-celebrate-creativity.html.
Ananda Leeke 