Returning The Bones

10/29/2024

Gin was interviewed on the Courageous Wordsmith with Amy Hallberg and the episode just recently went live! Give it a listen for a deep dive on the book, audiobook, and performance process, and for simply a great time with Gin and Amy.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts:
https://courageouswordsmith.com/episodes/gin-hammond-87

From Amy: Gin Hammond is a friend of a friend, and when I heard about Returning the Bones, Gin's fictionalized account of her beloved Aunt Bebe, I very much wanted to talk with her. Gin had one request: that we release it before elections because this book's themes are so timely. Twenty days out from Election Day, that's what I'm doing. I highly recommend the audiobook.

06/27/2024

I'm thrilled to share that Returning the Bones has won the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Gold Award! 🏆

Competing with 2,400+ other great books to land this award is an accomplishment the little girl with the accordion would be thrilled for.

Thank you all for your support and for believing in and sharing this story! 💖

06/05/2024

Had the honor of being interviewed on the Theatre of Others podcast. Topics included the JUNE 8TH auditions for the Seattle Film Institute MFA program in Filmmaking, Acting and Producing!

‎Show The Theatre of Others Podcast, Ep TOO Episode 230 - Conversation with Actor, Writer, and Director Gin Hammond Part II - 2 June 2024

04/02/2024

Gin Hammond is an icon in the Seattle Theatre scene, and an award winning writer, director, playwright, and performer.

An excerpt from her artists statement:
"I am a theater artist who has developed a love for the marriage of technology and story-telling; and real stories, about real people, and their real courage, are the hallmarks of my work. Stories about people who, despite the terror in their own hearts, believed in asserting the fullness of their own humanity, and believed that they were a part of something bigger than themselves.

Examples of the kinds of stories I tell include the award-winning The Westerbork Serenade, which I directed and adapted for immersive theater as well as VR; Subprime! Inside the Heart of the Mortgage Meltdown, which I directed and which was based on the experiences of someone who worked inside the predatory subprime mortgage industry; and Returning the Bones, based on 10 years of interviews with my Aunt Bebe about her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, and which will had a month-long run at Book-It Repertory Theater in Seattle in March 2019. All of these are multicharacter solo shows -- a format which I believe exposes the potential we all have to be very different people from who we assume we are."

Read Returning the Bones (link in bio) to experience her incredible work.

03/26/2024

I've been fortunate enough to share readings of Returning the Bones in various states, but the one in Minnesota holds a special place in my heart. Why, you ask? Well, it took place at my very own alma mater, the place I had to leave behind due to some painful financial challenges.

Here's a delightful twist of fate - during the event, I had the opportunity to discuss the profoundly meaningful concept of Sankofa. But that's not all! I also read passages, performed scenes, and shared chapters from the pages of Returning the Bones.

Now, here comes the amazing part. Despite the whirlwind of a journey, including a groggy 4 am wake-up call for an early morning return flight, this particular homecoming was nothing short of a healing experience. If someone had told my 19-year-old self, lost in despair, that this would come to fruition, I would never have believed it.

Oh, and let's not forget - even though I was feeling slightly delirious for the rest of the day, there was an equal sense of joy in returning home to Seattle.

You see, the story behind Returning the Bones is so much more than words on a page. It's about finding strength, reclaiming what's at risk of being left behind, and embracing our roots. It's about forging connections, both personal and universal, that have the power to heal and inspire.

So, join me on this captivating journey within the pages of Returning the Bones. Let's uncover the hidden treasures together and discover the transformative power of storytelling.

Here's to adventure, healing, and the magic of coming home.

03/07/2024

I'm a Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist! https://www.forewordreviews.com/awards/books/returning-the-bones-9798887470603/

03/04/2024

“I am what time, circumstance, history, have made of me, certainly, but I am also, much more than that. So are we all.” ~ James Baldwin

02/15/2024

Gin is heading to Minnesota to do a Carleton College Convocation tomorrow morning!

Come and see a speech and performance from Gin, and get your book signed.
Details here: https://www.carleton.edu/convocations/

The Carleton College Convocations program is a weekly lecture series that brings fresh insights and perspectives from experts in a variety of fields, to stimulate thought and conversation on a wide range of subjects.

It will later be available on the podcast: Carlton Convos!
🎓

01/18/2024

Gin appeared on the Theatre of Others Podcast!

"In this episode, Adam and Budi are in conversation with Gin Hammond as she shares stories about the struggles faced by mixed-race individuals as they navigate different spaces, emphasizing the power of our narratives in providing comfort and support.

Moreover, Gin offers insightful tips on self-care, highlights the importance of staying grounded, and introduces us to her innovative idea - Meditations for Actors, an app designed to help actors manage the unpredictability of their profession."
-pod description

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4kPAvHfyTej2R3K1hLAHJb?si=96824fe37dc54b57

01/16/2024

So this Returning the Bones article came out today:

In Gin Hammond’s Returning the Bones, we find ourselves alongside a brilliant young Black woman kneeling in bone-filled trenches at Auschwitz shortly after the end of World War II, in the midst of realizing that the Holocaust was real. That she was raised in a racist west Texas, earned a prestigio...

01/11/2024

Gin appeared on the History Through Fiction podcast to talk Returning the Bones!
Have a listen here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6yoaLEny1VJ8EWmoPDkQ0F?si=536d00f181f345c1 or wherever you get your podcasts!

12/14/2023

Returning the Bones is now available on Audible! Author-Narrated by Gin Hammond, award winning voiceover artist!