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“When you get past her God given beauty, her God given INNER talent holds your attention just as strong!”
- Pos, De La Soul
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 traveled 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 honored to win Queen Latifah’s CoverGirl 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.
Gina wrote and starred in a currently airing Women in Film PSA and was awarded the prestigious Bibby scholarship to the Idyllwild Intensive poetry workshop, where she studied under Pulitzer Prize winning poet, Natasha Trethewey. Gina attended the VONA writing workshop at the University of San Francisco, and spent a month in Nice, France, studying at the France Langue School. While visiting Paris, France, she was warmly received at performances at Notre Dame de la Croix, Opus Café and Café Universel. Adding to her teaching credits, Gina served on the faculty at Hope Springs Institute’s Women’s Poetry Retreat, where she facilitated writing workshops, sat on several panels and performed in their fundraiser show.
A graduate of Spelman College, Gina is currently working towards an MFA in creative writing at Antioch University. A gifted actress, Gina starred in a production of George C. Wolfe's "The Colored Museum" and various theatrical shorts during her time in the Atlanta/ Tri-State areas. A member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Gina would like to follow in the footsteps of such pioneers as Ruby Dee and Lena Horne in positively contributing through her art. With influences ranging from classic Hip Hop to Sonia Sanchez, her highly reflective lyrics demonstrate her ability to reveal the intimate. 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 would like to dedicate her work to their memory. Above all else, Gina lives, creates and moves forward in honor of the life of her brother, Malcolm Marshall.
To read the latest article about Gina, go to:
http://www.in-color.net/index.php/article/she_moves_us
Check Gina on KCET.COM:
http://kcet.org/explore-ca/web-stories/childrenofslam/gina.php
Join Gina's FACEBOOK fan page:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=67058605601
