...and so, the Wind was Born is about a wind character who finds healing in the many forms of love; self, romantic, friendship, communal, familial, and spiritual. The main character, is the personification of a queer, gender fluid, poet and artist healing from their trauma. This individual discovers that they are wind and wonders what type of wind they are. Are they destructive like a hurricane or gentle love messages in a breeze? This character begins to think about how the wind might also be their love interest, Mon Coeur, because they feel the wind around them every time Mon Coeur is near.
The two wind characters begin self discovery outside of their trauma, but the Main character is struggling to let go of the past and searching the present for love. It takes this character a while to get past the desire and need to be accepted by others to feel validated. The main character feels they destroy everything in their path--especially love-- because they fear not being good enough or strong enough or loving enough, but after many tries comes to find that she/he is more than the wind--they are love--and it is important to free themself. They discover who they really are beyond titles. It is by stripping away titles that they find that there is something much deeper and more powerful than romance, but friendship, and sangha.
The trials and tribulations of the two characters show us how love not only heals two people in a relationship, but can extend beyond self and couples, and evolve into family and community. Which allows the main character to eventually discuss their desire to help heal the world around them through love, friendship, community, and
connection.
This book of poetry shows us how love is an ouroboros, constantly reshaping our love for ourselves and others and making room for more-it is limitless and ineffable. It shows us how we are all connected and that love of self is love for others, and vice versa. The wind character Mon Coeur teaches the main character that love is how we survive and strive through the liminal. She teaches us that endings are beginnings, and that life has just begun.
Duran, Gina: - Gina Duran is a mixed media artist, poet, substitute teacher, 252 hour yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance, 850 hour Certified Massage Therapist, art and poetry teacher for the youth, and has her Associate of Arts degrees in Liberal Arts and Science and Studio Art from Chaffey College, Bachelor's of Arts degrees in English and World Literature: Creative Writing and Studio Art from Pitzer College, and is a VONA (Voices of Our Nation Artist Foundation) alumna. She is also the founder of the IE Hope Collective; an outreach that helps the homeless living on the streets and in shelters, as well as provides poetry and art workshops for low income, homeless, foster, refugee, and LGBTQ2+ youth (ages 7-18)--focusing on coping skills, empathy, introspection, and community building, which she developed during her time as a volunteer Community Health Worker for the San Bernardino county and from her studies in child development, psychology, criminal justice, and her research as a summer fellow at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. As a yoga instructor, Gina teaches Restorative with Self-Care which allows her to combine her knowledge and practice of yoga and massage therapy for adults, as well as teach youth in schools and foster care in after school programs mindfulness and breath for stress relief. As an artist, poet, and educator, Gina plans to continue her education in Art Therapy to continue to help marginalized youth.
