![]() ![]() The word “vampire” only appears a handful of times in the book, a clear indication that it intends to reclaim the concept on its own terms. However, they don’t use their power to replicate those systems of oppression. Gilda and her compatriots, most but not all of whom have African roots, begin their lives with little power in society due to racial and cultural oppression, and when they become vampires, they can outpace that society and thrive. This impetus is what makes The Gilda Stories an example of Afrofuturism, an artistic movement that explores the history and future of the African diaspora using the tools of speculative fiction, imagining utopian possibilities outside the dominant white cultural narrative. “In Gilda,” she says, “I created a character who escapes from her deep sense of helplessness as a slave and gains the ultimate power over life and death” (xii). ![]() In her introduction to the novel’s 25th anniversary edition, Jewelle Gomez writes that she first invented Gilda after an infuriating experience being sexually harassed on the streets of Manhattan. While some of the stories are center around the dangers in the vampire community and can be quite action packed, other stories bare deep into Gilda's connection with others. ![]() The novel will soon be adapted for a television mini-series. ![]() The book explores vampirism not as a curse but as a powerful force for good. Each of Jewelle Gomez's stories seem independent of each other, despite Gilda's memories of past characters. Jewelle Gomez is the author of 8 books including the cult favourite vampire novel THE GILDA STORIES as well as the musical based on the book: 'Bones and Ash' which was commissioned by Urban Bush Women Company and toured 13 US cities. ![]()
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