Welcome to Love's Troubadours, a
Lorraine Hansberry-inspired novel series about people learning and living as they love.Ananda
Kiamsha Madelyn Leeke (www.anandaleeke.com) is the author of the series. Click here to find out how it was made: www.lovestroubadours.com/id7.html.
The first book in the Love's Troubadours'
series is entitled Love's Troubadours - Karma: Book One (iUniverse,
Inc. - August 2007). It tells the story of Karma Francois, a thirtysomething Oakland-born BoHo B.A.P.
(Bohemian Black American Princess) with Louisiana roots and urban debutante flair. The novel begins with Karma's
life in an uproar. Her relationships and the museum curator career that she struggled to form in New York City have crumbled,
leaving no viable options to rebuild. Relocating to Washington, DC, Karma struggles with denial, depression, and debt.
A lack of full-time employment opportunities forces her to craft a gypsy existence as a Jill of Many Trades: yoga teacher,
art consultant, and freelance curator at Howard University Gallery of Art. Unable and unwilling to appreciate these jobs as
gifts, she wallows in a pool of lost identity-and doesn't see a way to keep from drowning. When she looks in the mirror, Karma sees a woman whose choices have dishonored her true character.
Now, for the first time in her life, Karma must learn to see herself for who she really is.
Love's
Troubadours - Karma: Book One is available on Amazon.com for $20.95. To purchase a copy, click on the link below.
Are you a poet? If yes, consider joining fellow Poet and Author Ananda Leeke in writing a poem each day
during National Poetry Month. That means 30 poems in 30 days. Ananda's poetry will be posted on her poetic
memoir blog. http://kiamshacom.blogspot.com
If you are looking for 30 ways to celebrate National Poetry Month, visit the American Academy of Poets'
web site: www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/94.
Also, check out Read Write Poem, an online gathering place for those who love poetry
— and for those who suspect that, with a little nurturing, they could grow to love poetry. http://readwritepoem.org/.
Become one of Love's Troubadours in April by purchasing Love's Troubadours - Karma:
Book One and reading several poems written and recited by various characters. Click on the link to read some of the poems:
Love's Troubadours also references the poetry of Rumi, Emily Dickinson, and Ntozake Shange. Click
on the links below to learn about these amazing poets.
On April 4, Dr. Maya Angelou will celebrate her 80th birthday. As a poet, educator, historian, best-selling author,
actress, playwright, civil-rights activist, producer and director, she continues to travel the world, spreading her legendary
wisdom. She has authored twelve best-selling books including I Know Why the Caged Bird, Heart of A Woman, A Song
Flung Up to Heaven, and Even the Stars Look Lonesome. To learn more about her life and work, visit http://www.mayaangelou.com.
Duke Ellington
Alice Coltrane
John Coltrane
Billie Holiday
Wynton Marsalis
April
is also Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM). Visit www.smithsonianjazz.org. Celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month by reading Love's Troubadours which references jazz artists including Duke
Ellington, Billie Holiday, John Coltrane, Alice Coltrane, Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Omar Sosa, and Wynton Marsalis. Purchase
their music and find yourself falling deeply in love with jazz. Create a free music radio station dedicated to their music
on www.pandora.com. You can listen to their music all day long.
Financial Literacy Month is also celebrated during the month of April. Take some time and
examine your financial well-being. Follow in the footsteps of Love's Troubadours main character Karma Francois
and seek the support of a financial advisor.
Author Ananda Leeke can honestly testify to the power of having a
financial advisor's support. Since 2002, Ananda has worked with Ameriprise Financial Advisor Judy Weathers on her financial
well-being. For more information about Ameriprise, visit www.ameriprise.com/amp/default-refresh.asp. As a result, she was able to become aware of her personal relationship with money and the reasons she overspent and created
debt. Ananda worked with Judy to change these patterns and adopt a healthy attitude towards her finances. As Ananda grew in
her financial health awareness, she was able to reduce her debt, save and invest money, and create a life plan that included
financing her yoga teacher training, Reiki certification, business formation of Kiamsha.com, LLC, and publication of her first
novel. Judy continues to help Ananda navigate her financial health even when Ananda slips and spends. Judy reminds Ananda
that she is human and a work in process.... That's why Ananda gave Judy a shout out in Love's Troubadours.
Judy makes a cameo appearance as the main character's financial advisor.
In January, Ananda decided to strengthen
her commitment to financial well-being by reading and completing the chapter exercises in Suze Orman's Women
& Money. So far Ananda has taken advantage of Suze's Save Yourself money market account at TD AMERITRADE. In
2007 the Save Your Self money market account was offered to people who purchased a copy of Women & Money and
opened an TD AMERITRADE money market account by March 31, 2008. Ananda signed up on March 21. The Save Your Self money market
account requires Ananda to deposit a monthly amount of $50 or more for twelve months. At the end of the twelve months, TD
AMERITRADE will deposit $100 into Ananda's money market account. To learn more about TD AMERITRADE's money market
account, visit www.tdameritrade.com/welcome1.html.
In addition, Ananda has organized her bill paying process and instituted the practice of reviewing all financial
mail as soon as it is received. Ananda has also taken steps to increase her savings for her business Kiamsha, LLC by expanding
her current business banking relationship at Adams National Bank (www.adamsbank.com), a woman-owned bank located on 17th Street, NW in her DC neighborhood. The wonderful folks at Adams National Bank helped
Ananda to set up a monthly electronic transfer from her checking account to her new TD AMERITRADE Save Your Self account and
open up a savings account for future business expenses which includes automatic monthly withholdings from Ananda's income.
By the way, Ananda first learned about Suze by watching The Oprah Winfrey Show. Since then, she has read
several of Suze's books and column in O Magazine. Ananda has also tuned into Suze's television show on MSNBC. She
has found Suze to be a great financial resource. For more information about Suze and her financial wisdom, visit www.suzeorman.com.
5) Wise Up, a financial education demonstration project targeted to Generation X and Y women, and sponsored
by the US Department of Labor's Women's Bureau www.wiseupwomen.org
FIFTY FABULOUS FEMALE-CENTERED BLOGS AND WEB SITES THAT ANANDA LEEKE LOVES
After September 11, 2001, Author
Ananda Leeke became a newsaholic. She felt compelled to stay abreast of current events during the wee hours of the morning
before heading to her 9-5 and into the night owl hours prior to falling asleep. When the war in Iraq started, Ananda
increased her TV time. That's when her TV obsession began. Having access to all of the news and information overwhelmed and
caused her to have restless nights. While visiting her brothalove friend John in January 2004, she admitted her
TV obsession and inability to relax. John gently suggested that she let go of her TV to create
more peace in her spirit, life, and home. That was a hard one for her to process, but she eventually let go and
gave her TV to someone who needed one.
Since then, Ananda has learned to create more balance in her
spirit, life, and home. She also discovered many online blogs and web sites that keep her informed. In honor of Women's
History Month, the Love's Troubadours Team thought it would be a great idea to share Ananda's favorite fifty
fabulous female-centered sites. See the list and links below. Check out these dynamic sites. If you have any favorite female-centered
sites, please send them to us at info@lovestroubadours.com. In April, we will begin posting an updated list.
By the way, Ananda did come back to TV through her
DSL connection, lap top, Netflix, and online TV programs posted on ABC, CBS, and the CWTV network two years ago. Now she
engages in targeted TV watching when she feels like it.
11) Authentic Art Visions - Connecting You to a World of Art in the Washington,
DC Area and Beyond http://authenticart.blogspot.com/
12) B-More BAP - The thoughts and perusings of a B-More BAP (Black American
Princess) --learning, loving and coming into her own http://bmorebaplife.blogspot.com/
16) Black Women in Europe - Created by an African American expatriate in
Europe as a place to celebrate women in the African Diaspora living in Europe http://blackwomenineurope.blogspot.com/
50) What About Our Daughters - Combating the negative portrayals of African
American women and girls in popular culture (also blog radio show) http://whataboutourdaughters.blogspot.com
This month,
honor the legacy of women by reading Inner-course: A Plea for Real Love by Toni Blackman (2003) and Mr
Unavailable and The Fallback Girl: Book One by Natalie Lue - NML (2008). These two incredible books are
soul food for Love's Troubadours readers who are seeking to deepen their understanding of the main
character Karma Francois's choices in relationships and journey of self-love.
Toni Blackman's Inner-course is a marriage of sacred poetry and prose. Each page echoes
Toni's authentic voice. She sings the melody of TRUTH with hip hop style. Her words testify
to the human experience and offer wisdom about the journey of love of self and others. If Karma and many of Love's
Troubadours' characters ever had a chance to read or hear Toni's words, they would stand up and shout AMEN!
Mr Unavailable and The Fallback Girl: Book One by Natalie Lue - NML was born of out of Natalie's relationship
experiences. She first began writing about them in her London-based blogs Baggage Reclaim and Mr. Unavailable Guide. Mr
Unavailable and The Fallback Girl: Book One explains the basics of emotional unavailability and how it’s tied
into fear of commitment. Natalie introduces Mr. Unavailable’s complicit partner, the Fallback Girl and explains
that even though there are millions of women out there believing that they are working hard to make their relationships work
with these men, the very act of being with them is actually a subconscious act of sabotaging any chance of a healthy relationship.
She describes common situations that women get involved in with Mr Unavailable’s such as being with them when they
are attached, dating several people, only communicating via text and email, or obsessing about their ex-girlfriends/partners.
Natalie also gives a list of the key characteristics and behaviors of Mr Unavailable and provides in-depth explanations
about how and why he behaves as he does in relationships.
Mr
Unavailable and The Fallback Girl: Book One would be the relationship bible of Love's Troubadours' main
character Karma. If you can relate to Karma, I highly recommend this book. It is available as an e-book through
Pay Pal. Click here to purchase a copy: http://www.baggagereclaim.co.uk/mr-unavailable-and-the-fallback-girl-book-one/.
Moving into March with Women's History and More .....
Yayoi Kusama
Elizabeth Catlett
Kara Walker - The End of Uncle Tom, 1995
Maria Izquierdo - Naturaleza Vida, 1946
Lois Mailou Jones - Les Fetiches, 1938
Faith Ringgold's Jo Baker's Bananas, 1997
March is Women’s History Month
(www.nwhp.org). The 2008 theme is Women’s Art:
Women’s Vision. During the next thirty-one days, we are called to celebrate and recognize
the vision of women artists. Love's Troubadours - Karma: Book One features the artwork and photography
of many female artists from the African Diaspora, Americas (USA and Mexico), Europe,
and Japan such as Lois Mailou Jones,
Kara Walker, Renee Stout, Yayoi Kusama, Faith Ringgold, Elizabeth Catlett, Frida Kahlo, Maria Izquierdo, Annie Lee, Betye Saar, Alison Saar, Margaret Burroughs, Amalia Amaki,
Joyce Scott, Lorna Simpson, Sister Gertrude Morgan, and Adrian Piper. Click on the following link to read more about their
work: http://kiamshacom.blogspot.com/2007/09/blessings-all-my-debut-novel-loves.html.
If you visit Baltimore in March, I encourage you to visit Making
Herstory 3: Connected Sisterhood Art Exhibition at Peace and A Cup of Joe Cafe, 713 W. Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD.
The exhibition features celebrates the visual, literary, and creative art of wonderful women.The
opening reception will be held on Sunday, March 9 from 3:00pm to 6:00pm. The exhibition is co-sponsored
by Authentic Art Consulting and The ThickArt Collaborative Art with Joe Series presents Making Herstory 3: Connected Sisterhood,
an art exhibit celebrating the visual, literary and creative art of women. For more information, visit http://makinherstory.blogspot.com/.
Love's Troubadours also celebrates the contributions of female
singers, spoken word artists, composers, and musicians such as Alice Coltrane, Ella
Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith, Alberta Hunter, Victoria Spivey, Edith Wilson, Maria Callas, Mahalia Jackson, Deva Premal, India.Arie, Amel Larrieux, Julie
Dexter, Les Nubians, Susana
Baca, Sista Shree Regina, Rickie Byars Beckwith, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, J. Scales, Monica McIntyre, Doria Roberts, Suresha
Hill, Jill Scott, Patti of Tuck and Patti, Terri Knox, and Jazzyfatnasties. Click on the following link to read more about
their work: http://kiamshacom.blogspot.com/2007/05/music-mentioned-in-loves-troubadours.html.
In addition, Love's Troubadours pays homage to Black female writers Gwendolyn Brooks,
Margaret Walker, Lorraine Hansberry, bell hooks, Ann Petry, Nella Larsen, Connie Briscoe, Zora Neale Hurston, Thulani Davis,
Ntozake Shange, Dorothy West, Paule Marshall, Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, Gloria Naylor, Pearl Cleage, Jewell Parker Rhodes,
Sandra Kitt, Sheneska Jackson, Donna Hill, and Tajuana Butler.
MORE ABOUT
MARCH'S SPECIAL DAYS...
March is also Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.'s "SIGMA MONTH." During
SIGMA MONTH, members serve their local communities and celebrate their national and local contributions to women, children,
families, communities, educational institutions, churches, and organizations. www.sgrho1922.org/index.html
March 8 marks International Women's
Day, a worldwide celebration that honors
the economic, social, cultural and political achievements for women.The first International Women’s
Day (IWD) was held on March 19, 1911, in Germany, Austria, Denmark and further European countries. German women selected this date because in 1848 the Prussian king
had promised the vote for women. Subsequently over one million leaflets calling for action on the right to vote were distributed
throughout Germany before IWD in 1911.
Now IWD is always celebrated on March 8 and is an occasion marked by women's groups around the world. This date is also
commemorated at the United Nations
and is designated in many countries as a national holiday. Women in every country, often divided by ethnic, linguistic, cultural,
economic and political differences, come together to celebrate this important date that represents equality, justice, peace
and development. www.internationalwomensday.com/about.asp.
Reading Love's Troubadoursis a perfect way to learn about the diversity of women and their achievements, organizations, spiritual practices, fashion
sense, and life experiences. The novel pays tribute to the work and achievements of women such as:
-Indian filmmaker
Deepa Mehta
-British "Chick Lit" author Helen Fielding
-Americans such as entertainer
and human rights activist Josephine Baker, Broadway actress and women's rights Etta Moten Barnett, yoga teacher Lilias
Folas; dancer Katherine Dunham; activists Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Angela Davis, Assata Shakur, and Elaine Brown; Reverend Johnnie Coleman of Christ
Universal Temple; designers Denise Goring, Eileen Fisher and Cassandra Broomfield; and entrepreneurs Gladys Joyner Holcombe
of Gladys' Luncheonette, Dawn Griffin of Dawn to Dusk bed and breakfast, and Lisa Price of Carol's Daughter.
Love's Troubadoursalso introduces readers to Black women's community
organizations and universities such as:
March
10 is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. It
raises awareness on the increasing impact of HIV/AIDS transmission on women and girls. www.omhrc.gov/hivaidsobservances/women.
The main character Karma Francois, her cousin Colette Baptiste who works as a social worker for The Women's
Collective, and several of her Sista7 friends in Love's Troubadours
are actively involved in promoting HIV/AIDS awareness. The novel also gives a shout out to The Women's Collective, a Washington. DC-based non-profit organization that provides HIV Care Management
and HIV Prevention Services to women and families. It was founded by Patricia Nalls, a woman living with HIV/AIDS, who used
her personal lessons learned to create this unique organization. www.womenscollective.org
The Women's Collective is
hosting a forum by and for women to celebrate Women's
History Month and Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on March 10 from 9:30am-3:00pm in its offices located at 1436
U Street, NW, Suite 200 (3 blocks from the U Street metro station) in Washington, DC.The forum will discuss the decisions women make about sexual health, address how to fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic in
D.C., share how women are creating our stories for ourselves, and provide free and confidential HIV tests. For more information,
contact 202.483.7003.
Spring Flowers
March
20 is the Spring/Vernal Equinox.
The Equinox is a festival of new beginnings, rebirth, and fertility. It is celebrated
as the first day of Spring and occurs when the sun crosses the equator on its journey northward. Day and night are of equal
duration. The Spring Equinox is sacred to dawn, youth, the morning star and the east. http://www.infoplease.com/spot/riteofspring1.html
Easter is derived from the Judeo-Christian and Pagan traditions. Both traditions Christians celebrated
death and resurrection themes following the Spring Equinox . http://www.religioustolerance.org/easter.htm.
Has Artist/Author Ananda Leeke's work made a difference
in your life this year? If yes, then click on the PayPal button above
and make a donation to Kiamsha.com, LLC, Leeke's healing arts company. PayPal offers Visa, MasterCard, and American Express
secured payment options.It also offers a PayPal card that you can use for other purchases. Many thanks
in advance for your gift. It is greatly appreciated!
Kiamsha.com, LLC promotes creativity through coaching
and expressive arts, teaches contemplative practices (i.e. yoga, Reiki healing touch, meditation, breathing exercises, journaling,
affirmations, and prayer), and builds community that awakens your soul and transforms your life.
AKOMA is a Ghanaian Andinkra symbol that represents the heart and
means keep an open heart filled with compassion.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud It
is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil,
but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
WHAT IS LOVE'S
TROUBADOURS?
Love's Troubadoursis a healing fiction series that features stories told by people who are learning and living as they
love. The healing fiction series is deeply rooted in the storytelling traditions of the West African griot and troubadours
of the French Middle Ages. To learn more about these traditions, read the sections below.
Senegalese Griot, 1890
WHAT IS A GRIOT?
A griot is a West African poet, storyteller, historian, advisor, arbitrator, and wandering musician
who serves as a repository of oral history tradition. Griots are walking history books who memorize traditional songs
and teachings, folktales, cultural history, and family relationships. This information is passed down through generations. Griots
also marry them with current events and chance incidents to create praise songs and stories with wisdom teachings, comic relief
and satire, political commentary, and gossip. Today, griots live in Senegal, Mali, Gambia, and Guinea. They are present among
the Wolof, Serer, Mande, Malinke, Bambara, Fula, Tukuloor, Wolof, and Mauritanian people. There are several African names
for griots including jeli (a word that means "blood in the Manika language that is derived from ; northern Mande areas),
jali (southern Mande areas), guewel (Wolof), gawlo (Pulaar, a Fula language), and igiiw (Hassaniyya, an Arabic language).
WHAT IS A TROUBADOUR?
Troubadour is derived from an Old French word "trobador" which comes
from the verb "trobar" that means to invent or compose. When you put it all together, troubadour refers to a composer
and performer of lyric poetry. The French Middle Ages (1100-1350) gave birth to the troubadour tradition in the eleventh century.
The tradition defined troubadour lyric as poetical, rhetorical, and musical fiction. They dealt mainly with themes of courtly
love, chivalry, nature, life, and death. Most troubadour lyrics were metaphysical, intellectual, and formulaic. They also
included many genres including alba (morning song - the song of a lover as dawn approaches, often with a watchman warning
of the approach of a lady's jealous husband), canso or canço (the love song, usually consisting of five or six
stanzas), dansa or balada (a dance song with a refrain) ensenhamen (a long didactic poem, usually not divided into stanzas,
teaching a moral or practical lesson), enuig (a poem expressing indignation or feelings of insult), escondig (a lover's
apology), partimen (a poetical exchange between two or more poets in which one is presented with a dilemma by another and
responds), planh (a lament, especially on the death of some important figure), salut d'amor (a love letter addressed to
another, not always one's lover), and tenso (a poetical debate which was usually an exchange between two poets, but could
be fictional).
ODO NNYEW FIE KWAN is a Ghanaian Andinkra symbol that means the power of love.
Copyright 2009-2012 by Madelyn C. Leeke. All rights reserved.
The
slogans "Love's Troubadours"; "Be love, love light, and live as the spirit of life"; "YOGA is Your
Opportunity to Graciously Accept yourself"; "Honey I'm OM"; "OM on My Mind"; "Our Womanist Spirit";
"BAP Living"; "Black American Princess...BAP Being At Peace"; "Sisterhood, the Blog"; “Ananda
Leeke TV”; “The Ananda Leeke Radio Show”; and "That Which Awakens Me" are the intellectual property of
Kiamsha.com, LLC. They may not be used without the prior consent or licensing by Kiamsha.com, LLC.
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