Answers from Gloria

Gloria Rose Responds and Amuses

Q. A while ago, you considered doing a one-woman show in New York. Are you planning to revive those plans any time soon?

A. Well, I was ready, but I don't think that the business side of it was correct. Getting people into the theatre can be demanding especially when the content is so varied. I could consider it again if the particulars are better.

Q. Fair enough. Are you going to develop new material or what?

A. Have you ever seen Robin Williams just riff and riff? He is so dynamic and inspiring. I love it when he does the Pope followed up by Eminem. It is just delightful and refreshing. So to answer your question, a blend of old and new, in the present, but not exclusively so.

Q. You have a unique look and an optimistic outlook. Is that hard to maintain?

A. Being yourself should be easy and rewarding. That is what I strive for on a daily basis.

Q. What kind of music do you like to listen to?

A. Vintage Stevie Wonder and Earth, Wind and Fire make me smile. I like George Howard and George Duke, too because they are jazzy and mellow. Toni Braxton has a marvelously rich voice. Although I don't listen to country much, Jessica Andrews and Sara Evans have hauntingly beautiful voices. I listen to some world music as well. When Marc Antoine plays, I am uplifted.

Q. Tell us about your background.

A. There is plenty to tell. I am the youngest of three daughters. One sister is in real estate and business education. The other is working on a degree in public health and does some social work. My Mom taught sixth grade, then reading. Now she is a parent educator. My Dad works at the post office where during breaks, I think--he plays chess and lectures his fellow workers about the importance of World War II and all things Russian. He keeps afer me about my not having read the Russian classics. I tell him they look so intense and daunting. My parents are really different from each other. Dad is an extravert. Mom is very bashful. Dad is not a planner. Mom writes a list even is she is just going to buy one thing at the grocery store. Dad does not bother to write a list even if he is going to purchase 100 items. I grew up in Ohio. I went to Georgetown University...

Q. Your voice is very melodic. Your laugh is very robust. Natural or put on?

A. Again being yourself is natural. I suppose I could temper the laugh. At times it is earsplitting, but like Zora Neale Hurston once wrote, "I love myself when I am laughing." Which reminds me of what our beloved Langston Hughes said about humor is laughing at what you don't have when you ought to have it. He went on to say that laughter was cleansing. He was correct. I think he had so much to say. He celebrated life so well with his words. Langston traveled a great deal, too. I find him and his work affirming.

Q. Travels. Ah, you have been so many places. Where would go, somewhere you haven't been before tomorrow?

A. Tomorrow! Well, that's soon. I think I would like to visit a tea garden in India. I would like to experience the source of Margaret's Hope personally.

Q. Margaret's Hope? What's that?

A. It is a tea, the second flush of Darjeeling. I enjoy tea with its soothing splendor. I sometimes think about opening dozens of tea houses in North America.

Q. So you don't drink coffee, only tea?

A. Very seldom, very seldom do I partake in coffee. I like its aroma, but I am a tea and tisane drinker. A little orange pekoe when I was a young girl made me appreciate tea for life. It is very quenching and yet a little scintillating.

Q. In your spare time, what do you like to do?

A. I like being of help to others. In 2004, I plan to visit Haiti to assess what they need. I'd like to assist them in becoming more self-sufficient. I would love for the Haitian people to prosper. I like learning new things in addition to helping others in my spare time.

Q. Do you have any collections?

A. I used to collect handbags. Their shapes, colors and textures can dazzle. Lucite bags rock. The fifties had a lot of style. I like things with butterflies on them, too.

Q. New things like what?

A. Well, I have begun a little Pilates. I like its gentle flow. I from time to time take a cooking class. In fact, last time I was in New Orleans, I learned to make jambalaya.

Q. You are single. Any plans to change that?

A. The moment some gallant and jovial gentleman comes along on bended knee with a bouquet, I shall let you know.

Q. You seem to have a lot of ideas and visions that have yet to come to fruition. Is that fair to say?

A. Depends upon how you look at it. Sometimes concepts need to evolve. I think currently we are on a good path. Timing is important obviously. Ultimately, the universe rewards action.