PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award goes to Jamaican Poet

Jamaican poet, Ishion Hutchinson, has won the PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award for his first collection, Far District. Read more here for the full story in the Jamaica Gleaner. Far District is a publication of London-based Peepal Tree Press.

This is a great achievement, especially for a debut collection. Congratulations from Poets of the Caribbean, Ishion. Excellent!

Eating With Fingers, by Kwame Dawes

I love this Kwame Dawes poem, Eating With Fingers, and I hope you will enjoy it too.

Eating With Fingers

  I've returned to South Carolina
where summer is barefaced and plain-
  speaking, no dalliance here in Dixie.
For three days, I am comforted
  by the lingering spice of your daal
in my fingers, and somehow
  while it lasts, it is enough.
Still I am sure I will return
  without warning to Marlowe's dark
Thames, that ancient stream
  on whose southern banks New World
Kurtzes rave among the natives.
  I will come incognito, travelling light,
and seek out the shelter
  of your sun-washed loft, there
to make poems and scoop
  handsful of basmati
souped in your garlic-flecked sauces.

From Kwame Dawes' collection, Midland. Ohio University Press. Copyright 2001 Kwame Dawes.
Used with author's permission.

Kwame Dawes



 The Poets of the Caribbean spotlight shines this month on poet Kwame Dawes, who was born in Ghana to a Ghanaian mother and a Jamaican father. He grew up in Jamaica, studied, as well as taught in Canada, and now teaches English at the University of South Carolina. Kwame Dawes, son of author Neville Dawes, is an internationally acclaimed poet and was co-founder of the former Calabash International Literary Festival. Below are some of his works to date:



Progeny of Air (Dawes' first collection and winner of the Forward Poetry Prize)
Resisting the Anomie
Prophets
Requiem
Jacko Jacobus
Shook Foil
Mapmaker
Gomer's Song
Back of Mount Peace
Hope's Hospice
Wheel and Come Again: An Anthology of Reggae Poems
Bivouac (a novel)

His non-fiction works include:

Natural Mysticism: Towards a New Reggae Aesthetic
Talk Yuh Talk: Interviews with English-Speaking Caribbean Poets
Learning to Speak: The New Age of HIV/AIDS in the Other Jamaica

Stay tuned this month as I feature more information on Kwame Dawes and share with you a few of his poems.

List of Caribbean Poets

So, I've noticed that some of my blog readers search for a listing of Caribbean poets. There might be some lists around, but with many new Caribbean poets emerging, I thought about how fluid the situation is, and that a work-in-progress type of listing might be helpful to readers who are interested in learning more about Caribbean poets. This is where my Caribbean poets, publishers and bloggers come in. I will start this listing, but would love your interaction, so that I don't miss anyone!

Poets will be listed in alphabetical order, with their country in brackets. Poets from the Spanish, French and Dutch-speaking Caribbean will also be included, and this is where I will probably need the most help. As I learn of new poets, I will add them. Here we go:

A

Michael Abrahams (Jamaica)
Opal Palmer Adisa (Jamaica)
Yasus Afari (Jamaica)
John Agard (Guyana)
Lillian Allen (Jamaica)
Phyllis Allfrey (Dominica)

Keisha-Gaye Anderson (Jamaica)
Martin Samuel Allwood (?)
Julia Alvarez (Dominican Republic)
Kofi Anyidoho (?)
Frank Martinus Arion (Curacao)
Maria Arrillaga (Puerto Rico)
Naomi Ayala (Puerto Rico)

B

Michael Bailey (Mbala) (Jamaica)

Lindamichelle Baron (Dominica)
Edward Baugh (Jamaica)
Vera Bell (Jamaica)

Janeth Benjamin (Jamaica)
Louise Bennett (Jamaica)
Anton Bernard (Trinidad)
James Berry (Jamaica)
Marion Bethel (Bahamas)
Valerie Bloom (Jamaica)
Frank Booi (Aruba)
Hubert Booi (Bonaire)
Danielle Boodoo-Fortune (Trinidad)
Malika Booker
Edward Kamau Brathwaite (Barbados)
Dionne Brand (Trinidad)
Jean Binta Breeze (Jamaica)
Jean Brierre (Haiti)
Beverley Brown (Jamaica)
Stewart Brown (?)
Lloyd Brown (Trinidad)
Wayne Brown (Trinidad)
Julia Burgos (Puerto Rico)
Ruby Bute (St. Martin)

C

Edgar Cairo (Suriname)
Christian Campbell (Bahamas)
George Campbell (Jamaica)
Vahni Capildeo (Trinidad)
H.D. Carberry (Jamaica)
Marie-Magdeleine Carbet (Martinique)
Jan Carew (Guyana)
Peggy Carr (St. Vincent)
Martin Carter (Guyana)
Lourdes Casal (Cuba)
Adrian Castro (Cuba)
Jesus Cos Causse (Cuba)
Aime Cesaire (Martinique)
Brian Chan (Guyana)
Faustin Charles (Trinidad)
LeRoy Clarke (Trinidad)
Michelle Cliff (Jamaica)
Judith Ortiz Cofer (Puerto Rico)
Marie-Therese Colimon (Haiti)
Loretta Collins (Puerto Rico)
Merle Collins (Grenada)
Frank Collymore (Barbados)
Anna Corniffe (Jamaica)
Chal Corsen (Curacao)
Christine Craig (Jamaica)
Dennis Craig (Guyana)
Tico Croes (Aruba)

D

Luis Daal (Curacao)
Cyril Dabydeen (Guyana)
David Dabydeen (Guyana)
Leonard Dabydeen (Guyana)
Fred D'Aguiar (Guyana)
Leon-Gontran Damas (Martinique)
Mahadai Das (Guyana)
Kwame Dawes (Jamaica)
Neville Dawes (Jamaica)
Rene Depestre (Haiti)
McDonald Dixon (St. Lucia)
Carel de Haseth (Curacao)
Norman de Palm (Aruba)
Rene de Rooy (Suriname)
Robin Dobru (Robin Ravales) (Suriname)
Marcia Douglas (Jamaica)
Modeste Downs (St. Lucia)

E

Nydia Ecury (Aruba)
Kalilah Enriquez (Belize)
Gloria Escoffery (Jamaica)
Martin Espada (Puerto Rico)

F


Howard A. Fergus (Montserrat)
Barbara Ferland (Jamaica)
John Figueroa (Jamaica)
Honor Ford-Smith (Jamaica)

G

Richard Georges (Trinidad & Tobago, British Virgin Islands)
Michael Gilkes (Guyana)
Margaret Gill (Barbados)
Edouard Glissant (Martinique)
Anson Gonzalez (Trinidad)
Ita Gooden (Jamaica)
Lorna Goodison (Jamaica)
Grace Walker-Gordon (Jamaica)
Samuel Gordon (Jamaica)
Jean Goulbourne (Jamaica)
Millicent Graham (Jamaica)
Yashika Graham (Jamaica)
Cecil Gray (Trinidad)
Stanley Greaves (Guyana)
Nicolas Guillen (Cuba)
Esther Gumbs (St. Martin)

H

Jamel Hall (Jamaica)
Claire Harris (Trinidad)
Maggie Harris (Guyana)
Wilson Harris (Guyana)
Henry Habibe (Aruba)
Judith Hamilton (Jamaica)
Albert Helman (Suriname)
A. L. Hendriks (Jamaica)
Kendel Hippolyte (St. Lucia)
Charles Borromeo Hodge (Aruba)
Abdur Rahman Slade Hopkinson (Guyana)
Ishion Hutchinson (Jamaica)
Joan Andrea Hutchinson (Jamaica)

I

Arnold H. Itwaru (Guyana)

J

Cynthia James (Trinidad)
Mirlande Jean-Gilles (Haiti)
Amryl Johnson (Trinidad)
Linton Kwesi Johnson (Jamaica)
Evan Jones (Jamaica)
Elis Juliana (Curacao)

K

Ellsworth McGrahahan Keane (St. Vincent)
Paul Keens-Douglas (Trinidad & Tobago)
Anthony Kellman (Barbados)
Jane King (St. Lucia)
Roi Kwabena (Trinidad)

L

John La Rose (Trinidad)
Leon Laleau (Haiti)
Pierre Lauffer (Curacao)
Tato Laviera (Puerto Rico)

Chantelle Lawes (Jamaica)
Joy Lawrence (Antigua)
Easton Lee (Jamaica)
John Robert Lee (St. Lucia)
Ann-Margaret Lim (Jamaica)
Basil Lopez (Jamaica)
Edward Lucie-Smith (Jamaica)
Vladimir Lucien (St. Lucia)
John Lyons (Trinidad)

M

Thomas MacDermott (Jamaica) * He wrote under the pen name Tom Redcam.
Raymond Mair (Jamaica)
Roger Mais (Jamaica)
Belkis Cuza Male (Cuba)
Delano Malik (Grenada)
Rachel Manley (Jamaica)
E. A. Markham (Montserrat)
Jose Marmol (Dominican Republic)
Una Marson (Jamaica)
Jose Marti (Cuba)
Mark Matthews (Guyana)
Tip Marugg (Curacao)
Marina Ama Omowale Maxwell (Trinidad & Tobago)
Michael Bailey 'Mbala (Jamaica?)
Shara McCallum (Jamaica)
Ian McDonald (Trinidad)
Basil McFarlane (Jamaica)
Claude McKay (Jamaica)
Anthony McNeil (Jamaica)
Mark McWatt (Guyana)
Pauline Melville (Guyana)
Ras Michael (Guyana)
Avi Miller (Jamaica)
Jeanette Miller (Dominican Republic)
Kei Miller (Jamaica)
Pedro Mir (Dominican Republic)
Rooplall Monar (Guyana)
Pamela Mordecai (Jamaica)
Yasmin Morais (Jamaica)
Nancy Morejon (Cuba)
Mervyn Morris (Jamaica)
Monique Morrison (Jamaica)
Elton (Elombe) Deighton  Mottley (Barbados)
Mutabaruka (Jamaica)

N

Philip Nanton (St. Vincent)
Jit Narain (Suriname)
Cherry Natural (aka  Marcia Wedderburn) (Jamaica)
Grace Nichols (Guyana)

O

Federico Oduber (Aruba)
Oku Onuora (Jamaica)

P

Herberto Padilla (Cuba)
Yves Padoly (Martinique?)
Walter Palm (Curacao)
George Parfitt (Trinidad)
Gustavo Perez-Firmat (Cuba)
Sasenarine Persaud (Guyana)
Saint-John Perse (Marie Rene Aguste Alexis Leger) (Guadeloupe)
Marlene Nourbese Philip (Trinidad)
Rene Philoctete (Haiti)
Geoffrey Philp (Jamaica)
Marlene Phipps (Haiti)
Joseph Polius (Martinique)
Velma Pollard (Jamaica)
Aida Cartagena Portalatin (Dominican Republic)

Q

Victor D. Questel (Trinidad)

R

Jennifer Rahim (Trinidad)
Rajandaye Ramkissoon-Chen (Trinidad)
Claudia Rankine (Jamaica)
Norberto James Rawlings (Domincan Republic)
Roberto Fernandez Retamar (Cuba)
Eric Roach (Trinidad)
Reina Maria Rodriguez (Cuba)
Jacques Roumain (Haiti)
Heather Royes (Jamaica)

S

Andrew Salkey (Jamaica)
Veronica Salter (?)
Pedro Perez Sarduy (Cuba)
Dennis Scott (Jamaica)
Lasana M. Sekou (St. Martin)
Olive Senior (Jamaica)
A.J. Seymour (Guyana)
Philip Sherlock (Jamaica)
Tanya Shirley (Jamaica)
Hazel Simmons-McDonald (St. Lucia)
Louis Simpson (Jamaica)

Safiya Sinclair (Jamaica)
Jonathan Small (Barbados)
Malachi Smith (Jamaica)
Michael Smith (Jamaica)
Bruce St. John (Barbados)
Fr. Lambert St. Rose (St. Lucia)
Michael Stephenson (?)
Virgil Suarez (Cuba)
Patrick Sylvain (Haiti)

T

Harold M. Telemaque (Trinidad)
Fabian Thomas (Jamaica)
Ralph Thompson (Jamaica)
Guy Tirolien (Guadeloupe)
Trefossa (H.E. De Ziel) (Suriname)

U

V

Antonia Valaire (Jamaica) aka Christina Williams

H. A. Vaughan (Barbados)
Pedro Velasquez (Aruba)
Chiqui Vicioso (Sherezada) (Dominican Republic)
Vivian Virtue (Jamaica)

W

Derek Walcott (St. Lucia)
Rudolph Wallace (?)

Mavric Webb (Jamaica)

Beryl R. Williams (Dominica)

Christina Williams (Jamaica) aka Antonia Valaire

X

Y

Mirta Yanez (Cuba)
C. Dale Young (?)

Z

Dat Bumpyhead Gal

Dat Bumpyhead Gal was written by Joan Andrea Hutchinson, in response to public criticism of her for wearing the nubian knots hairstyle on a local Jamaican television station in 1996. Joan has since published seven CDs and three books, and Dat Bumpyhead Gal is the title of one of her books and CDs.

Joan's hairstyle,
the inspiration for Dat Bumpyhead Gal





Dat Bumpyhead Gal

Tell mi say mi no good enough fi you TV screen

How mi offend you eyesight

Tell mi say mi is a black, ugly, bumpyhead gal

And mi tell you, mi feeling right

Cuss mi say mi is a bootoo, and mi no have no class

Trace mi and galang rude

Tell mi say a educated woman shoulda know better

And I tell you mi feeling good

 You say mi hairstyle disgusting chaka chaka an tan bad

And favour like something out a street

And say mi should a shame fi lef mi house tan so

And mi smile, for mi feeing sweet

You see, the truth is, mi not ashamed of mi owna self

Mi not afraid of me

When mi look into the mirror, mi like the somebody

Weh mi  see a look pon me

Mi like her thick nappy hair and her broad face

Mi like her in and out of clothes

But most of all mi love weh she stan up for and defend

And, a no pose she a pose

But serious, when you a go fall in love with you

And leggo of all you fear

When you ago take the time tell God thanks fi you life

Instead of fret bout ‘hair’

For if it kinky or straight, if it black or white

Transparent or opaque

God make all a wi fi a special reason

And God don’t make mistake

So if you want to criticize the Father work

Then you life going to be ‘salt’

For the Creator love all a wi and look out fi wi

Even when wi have plenty fault

So galang, call mi black and bumpyhead if you  want

But make sure say you say it loud

Because the Creator love me and me feel good

Fi be bumpyhead, black and proud.

Copyright Joan Andrea Hutchinson. Reprinted with author's permission.

Joan Andrea Hutchinson

Joan Andrea Hutchinson is an amazingly talented and versatile Jamaican poet. In addition to her poetry, she is also a teacher, motivational speaker, actress and storyteller. Joan has often been compared to the late Louise Bennett, Jamaican poet and storyteller, who wrote and performed in the Jamaican dialect.

Joan has a passion for preserving Jamaican culture and dialect, and her poems and CDs reflect the many proverbs and expressions unique to Jamaica. She continues to work with young Jamaicans throughout the island to highlight the island's rich cultural heritage.

The following are some of Joan's poetry collections and CDs:

Inna Mi Heart: Jamaican Love Poetry
Meck Mi Tell Yuh
Dat Bumpy Head Gal
Jamaica Kin Teeth
Everyting Jamaican
Jamaica Ridim and Ryme.

Joan also had a role in the play Laugh Jamaica. To date, as a testament to her talent, she has received the following awards:

Caribbean Hall of Fame Award for Excellence in the Peforming Arts
Jamaica Music Industry (JAMI) Award for Dub Poetry

Throughout this month, I will continue to shine the spotlight on Joan's writings. What are your thoughts? If you have read or listened to any of Joan's work, please let me know.