Sidney Poitier Studies

Sidney Poitier Studies is one of the poems in Christian Campbell's first collection, Running the Dusk. Campbell was the poet featured last month.

Sidney Poitier Studies

University of Cambridge International Examinations
General Certificate in Education
Ordinary Level Studies

Section A (100 Marks)

Choose the option that best describes Sir Sidney Poitier.
Poitier is_____________:

(a) A barefoot Bahamian boy of so-they-say Haitian
      blood who grow up pickin tomato on Cat Island.

(b) The perfect black man and the rightful heir
      to the Kingdom of Negrolandia.

(c) The G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time).

(d) A Civil Rights cyborg invented by MLK,
      X, Garvey and black genius scientists.

(e) A Victorian rebel.

(f)  Chuckling at his image on the screen,
      sprawled on the couch, his shirt fully unbuttoned.

(g)  All of the above.

Copyright Christian Campbell 2010. Reprinted with author's permission.

More on Nancy Morejon

Here is a link to Nancy Morejon's website, for more details on this fascinating Cuban poet and her poetry. It is, however, mainly in Spanish, so it helps if you read or speak Spanish. Very nice photo gallery too, especially photos of Morejon with Nicolas Guillen.

http://www.cubaliteraria.com/autor/nancy_morejon/index.htm

If you have read Nancy Morejon's poems, I would love to have your feedback. Also, just a thought: how much freedom of expression do you think Cuban poets have?

The Whole Island: Six Decades of Cuban Poetry: A Bilingual Anthology

I'd like to recommend the bilingual anthology, The Whole Island: Six Decades of Cuban Poetry. Mark Weiss (ed.), University of California, 2009.

I have not yet purchased my own copy, but this is definitely something I will be adding to my collection. From my review of the table of contents on Amazon, it seems that editor, Mark Weiss has done an excellent job with this bilingual anthology of six decades of Cuban poetry (a grand total of 624 pages!!). Nancy Morejon is included among the poets, although only just one of her poems was featured. I suppose this was due to attempts to include as many talented Cuban poets as possible drawn from six decades, so I quite understand the limitations. If you are interested in Cuban poetry, I would recommend this anthology, since the Amazon editorial reviews are also very positive.

For more details on pricing, etc. see Amazon.com. I also came across this interesting interview which the editor, Mark Weiss, gave on Latino Book Forum, which provides more information on the book, as well as an overview of the political, cultural and economic environment in which Cuban poets seek to express themselves.

Nancy Morejon

February's poet is Nancy Morejon of Cuba. Nancy Morejon was born in Havana, Cuba in 1944 to an Afro-Cuban father and a mother of Chinese and European ancestry. Morejon began writing poetry at 13 years old and her first collection, Mutismos, was published when she was 18. She attended the University of Havana, majoring in European, Caribbean and Cuban Literature. She is fluent in English and French.

The Afro-Cuban poet Nicolas Guillen has been a major influence on the writings of Nancy Morejon. Her themes focus on Cuban nationalism, the Cuban Revolution, Afro-Cubans and the role of women in Cuban society.

In 1986, Morejon won the Cuban Premio de la Critica for her work Piedra Pulida. In 2001, she was awarded Cuba's National Prize for Literature, becoming the first Afro-Cuban woman to receive it.

For more details on this interesting Cuban poet, check out Nancy Morejon.
Smith College also has some more information on Nancy Morejon at its Poetry Center. See also the International Artist Database for more on Morejon's life and work.

I must confess that I have not read a great deal of Morejon's writings, so I am hoping to delve into them in the coming weeks and invite you to follow my postings as I bring you more on this interesting and internationally acclaimed Cuban poet.

I would also like to reflect on the artistic freedom of Cuban poets over the coming weeks and invite you to share your reflections with me.