gumbolife

This week my guest is the incomparable Pamela Wood. We discuss her journey to Cane River and her adventurous introduction to New Orleans. Pamela is a philanthropy and fundraising professional and has been successful as a business consultant and stylist. She currently serves as the Major Gifts Officer for the Center for Third World Organizing, a Black Lives Matter ecosystem satellite. 

You can find Pamela on Facebook at Pamela Wood or contact her at skinnybillionairess@gmail.com.

A conversation with my friend, one of my wedding officiants and academic Dr. Rain Prudhomme-Cranford. Rain is the Executive Editor and Publisher of That Painted Horse Press, a borderless Indigenous/BIPOC non-profit publishing house. We talk about her upcoming projects, the intersection of Creole and Native culture and her two definitions of Creole. And there's lots of laughter! If you're a writer then this is an episode you need to listen too.

You can find the That Painted Horse Press on Facebook or their website at thatpaintedhorsepress.blogspot.com or thatpaintedhorsepress@gmail.com

A conversation with Allison LaCour, Makeup Artist, about ancestry, the movie Cane River and on being within culture. Allison is a New Orleans, Louisiana based, and nationally recognized makeup artist. She has expressed her talent in a variety of industries such as fashion editorials, local and national publications, a makeup artist for TV and film, politics, and celebrity glamour. Constantly evolving, Allison strives to stay on the cutting edge delivering the latest trends and techniques in her artistry. Her mission of using beauty as an empowerment tool has spread across the country and even across waters internationally.

Allison and I talk about our summers on Cane River at our grandmothers houses, her grandmothers legacy, family connections and the recent resurgence of the movie Cane River. This was such an authentic and honest conversation. Allison also talks about her most recent tv and film projects and some of her work that has just been released. You can follow her on Facebook and Instagram @allisonlacour and @ritualnbeauty on Instagram for her online store.

If you want to check out the early 80s movie, Cane River, that we discussed you can rent or buy it here.

Thanks for listening and don't forget to check out the GumboLife store for your Christmas shopping!

This week I have as my guest Dr. Andrew Jolivette, creator of beautiful things, my best friend and wedding officiant.  Andrew, former professor and department chair of American Indian Studies at San Francisco State University (2003-2019) is an accomplished internationally recognized researcher, educator, writer/poet, speaker, socio-cultural critic, and an aspiring chef. He has authored eight books and is currently the Professor, Chair of the Department of Ethnic Studies at University of California San Diego.

Andrew and I have known each other for over twenty years and discussed how at the time we met we were always the youngest in the room. There was not a lot of representation of our generation at Creole events and how social media impacted that so much. We went from being a small group of young people that were dedicated to preserving Creole culture to a much larger group of people that were finding their familial roots and cultural ties. 

 We talked ancestry and cultural pride and how the “What are you” question still pervades and why that matters. Andrew also talks about his definition of Creole and how definitions are different for different people. 

 I am honored to have had my best friend and my brother as my first guest. Andrew is much more than a friend, he’s family and has been there for us through our toughest times. He is giving to his community and to his culture and has done a tremendous amount of work in preserving and promoting the Creole culture.

To find out more about Andrew:

 Email: ajolivette@ucsd.edu

Facebook: @Andrew Jolivette

Instagram: @creoleandres

Speakoutnow.org – Andrew Jolivette

 You can also find his literary work on Amazon by searching his name. The most relevant title to this conversation would be Louisiana Creoles: Cultural Recovery and Mixed-Race Native American Identity.

The introduction to GumboLife the podcast and your chance to explore your roux. Learn about your foundation, Creole culture and more.