Bed-Time Story by Louise Bennett

Happy New Year from Poets of the Caribbean! Wishing you peace, health, wealth, and happiness for 2012. Thanks for your interest in the blog, your suggestions and feedback throughout 2011. I hope to highlight more poets and share with you inspiring Caribbean poetry in the new year. Enjoy Louise Bennett's Bed-Time Story.

Bed-Time Story

Ah long fi see yuh tell ah short!
Whe yuh deh all dis time?
Dah pickinni yah woan go sleep,
She waan me tell her rhyme.

Mary had a little lamb
- Miss Mattie li bwoy Joe
Go kick May slap pon har doorway -
His feet was white as snow.

An everywhere dat Mary went
- Him modder never know,
An when she ear she ongle seh -
De lamb was sure to go.

She ongle seh de bwoy too bad
An tell May nuffi bawl
- Jack and Jill went up de hill -
An dat was all an all.

May mighta go to hospital
- To catch a pail of water;
Jack fell down and bruck him crown -
Jus like Miss Mattie daughter.

Yuh never know de baby bawn?
Him pa gi him name Marta.
Teng God him drop eento a doze
- An Jull come tumblin after.

Copyright Louise Bennett 1987

From Our Yard. Jamaican Poetry Since Independence. Jamaica 21 Anthology Series. Edited by Pamela Mordecai. Institute of Jamaica Publications Limited, 1987.

Reprinted with permission from the Louise Bennett-Coverley Estate.

Rainy Day by Louise Bennett

It is a rainy day today. In fact, it has been more of a rainy winter, rather than a snowy one here in Maryland. As I reflected on the weather, I thought I would share Miss Lou's poem, Rainyy Day. Miss Lou, however, was reflecting more on our figurative rainy day. You know, those lean times when funds and other resources are scarce.

As we enter the new year, let's plan ahead to ensure that when our rainy days come, we are prepared. Enjoy Rainy Day, and let me know of strategies you use to cope with your rainy days.

Rainy Day

If yuh want it an no need it
Curb yuh wanti-wanti ways,
Pudung wanti-wanti money
Fi de needy rainy days.

No might-be bout de rainy day,
No few a we, no some;
But eena everybody life
It must an boun fi come.

Tedeh, tomorrow, nex week,
Dis yah mont or tarra ear,
De rainy day deh pon de way
Fi ketch yuh unaware.

Sometime him creep up sofly like
A puss an stir up strife;
Sometime him drop like atom-bomb
An worries up yuh life.

But me gwine fi trick de bugger:
Day by day me dah prepare,
Dah save up lickle money an
Me ready fi him, me dear.

When rainy day strike me, ah gwine
Fi bring him to disgrace,
Jus wave me bank-book an bus out
A laugh eena him face!

Copyright Louise Bennett 1987

From Our Yard. Jamaican Poetry Since Independence. Jamaica 21 Anthology Series. Edited by Pamela Mordecai. Institute of Jamaica Publications Limited, 1987.

Reprinted with permission from the Louise Bennett-Coverley Estate.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you all!

Thanks for following the posts throughout the year, as well as providing feedback. I wish you peace, joy, health and happiness.

Enjoy your holiday break.

The Economics of Poetry

I thought I would share this interesting article from New York Magazine on the economics of poetry. See also Madeleine Crum's comments in The Huffington Post.

As Madeleine encouraged, don't stop writing, poets. Money and fame are not the only reasons why we write. As Shelley noted, "poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world".

Hula Christmus

In the spirit of Christmas, I am sharing Ms. Lou's poem, Hula Christmus, which is written in the Jamaican dialect. The poem relates how a mother sent her 8 kids with ten pounds to buy Christmas clothes in downtown, Kingston. Instead, the kids bought hula hoops, to the dismay of the mom. For context, the British pound was the currency used in Jamaica prior to 1969. Christmas market is a Jamaican tradition where many people turn out to shop in the downtown section of Jamaica's capital, Kingston.

Hula Christmus

Non-stop motion an commotion
Over Dina yard, me chile!
Har pickney-dem eena dem saal,
Dem start see Chrismus wile!

Dina sen de big gal dung-tung
Wid de seven lickle one,
Tell har fi buy dem Chrismus clothes,
Put ten poun in her han.

Before she tink dem ketch tung
Dem was back eena de place
Wid seven hula-hoop apiece
A wiggle roun dem wais.

Dem wine like wire, spin like gig,
Dem yo-yo up and down,
Dem meck breeze pon de spot, reverse,
An Sputnik roun an roun.

Like eight syncopatin rainbow
Jussa merry up de air -
Dem pretty, dem pretty, dem pretty so tell
We jus stan up an stare.

Till Dina bawl out 'Pickney, what
Happen to me ten pung?
Whe de shoes an socks an hat an frock
Yuh go fi buy dung-tung?'

De rainbow corkscrew slow dung,
Eight pickney voice hollar:
'Nutten dung-tung never sweet we
Like de hula-hoop, Mamma.'

Hear Dina: 'But dem mussa mad!
Is warra dem a seh?
Ten-poun note wut a hula-hoop!
A gwine kill dem tedeh!

Ah gwine show dem what gwine sweet dem!
Pas dah big-stick gimme deh!
Ah gwine lick dem pon dem hula
Till dem hoop in yah tedeh!

She pawn a junk a stick an lash out
Right an lef an cross.
Not a blow connec wid target -
Lawd, de pickney-dem was class!

Dem gadder speed an circle weh
Like peacock in de air.
Dina tired till she stagger back
And ketch har breat an swear.

She gwine bun-up every slip an
Pants an shoes an socks an frock,
Meck dem spen Chrisms season wid
So-so hula pon dem back!

But de pickney still in motion,
Chrismus joy eena dem face,
An de Chrismus hula-hoop-dem
Jessa simmer roun dem wais.

Copyright Louise Bennett 1987

From Our Yard. Jamaican Poetry Since Independence. Jamaica 21 Anthology Series. Edited by Pamela Mordecai. Institute of Jamaica Publications Limited, 1987.

Reprinted with permission from the Louise Bennett-Coverley Estate.

Miss Lou's Poetry

Below are some of the poetry and short story collections written by Miss Lou. Some of her co-authors on the collections include Rex Nettleford, Philip Sherlock, Mervin Morris and Walter Jekyll.

• Anancy Stories and Dialect Verse (1950)
• Jamaican Dialect Poems (195?)
  Laugh with Louise: A Pot-pourri of Jamaican Folklore: Stories, Songs, Verses (1961)
• Jamaica Labrish (1966)
• Jamaica Labrish: Jamaica Dialect Poems. (With Rex Nettleford) (1966)
• Jamaican Song and Story: Anancy Stories, Digging Songs, Ring Tunes, and Dancing Tunes. (With Walter Jekyll, Rex Nettleford, Philip Sherlock) (1966)
• Anancy and Miss Lou (1979)
• Miss Lou's Views (Audiobook) (198?)
• Jamaica Maddah Goose (1981)
• Selected Poems (1983)
• Aunty Roachey Seh (Louise Bennett and Mervin Morris) (1993)

Miss Lou in Her Own Words

Today, I am sharing these two YouTube videos of Miss Lou in her own words. In this first video, Miss Lou explains the Jamaican patois, sings some of her favorite songs and talks about some of the expressions used.

Here, Miss Lou also discusses the linguistic and cultural influences on the Jamaican dialect, in particular, the Jamaican dialect's relation to the Twi language of Ghana.

These are two funny videos which will give you a glimpse of Miss Lou's inimitable style. Nice walk down memory lane for a lot of Jamaicans, I am sure.

Enjoy!

Louise Bennett Official Website

The Louise Bennett Official Website has Miss Lou's biography, photos, news articles, useful links, as well as many other resources relating to the life of this great Jamaican poet.

Some of her poems, including the very popular Colinization in Reverse, are available on the site.

Louise Bennett (Miss Lou)

Miss Lou

Louise Bennett, affectionately known as "Miss Lou", and often described as "Jamaica's First Lady of Comedy", is December's poet. Louise Bennett's poetry is dear to my heart, because I grew up listening to her reading her poetry, as well as hearing many Jamaicans recite her poetry.

So much has been written about Miss Lou and her poetry, that the one month's spotlight on her this month will hardly do justice to this larger than life personality.

What I hope to do during this month is to share some of her poems that I love, as well as my fond memories of Miss Lou. 

December is perhaps the most apt month to share about Miss Lou, because she was such a vibrant, joyful and exciting personality.

I hope that those of you who may not be familiar with Miss Lou will enjoy reading her work and learning about this truly amazing Jamaican poet, actor, radio personality, social critic, and so much more.

More on Lasana Sekou

Lasana Sekou's author page on the House of Nehesi website gives more details on his writing style, books, etc.

House of Nehesi is the publishing company which Sekou co-founded. If you are interested in Dutch Caribbean literature, it is an excellent site.

I would love your feedback on Dutch-Caribbean poetry or any specific works of Lasana Sekou.

Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just a note of thanks to you my readers for regularly checking in to Poets of the Caribbean over this year. Your comments have been appreciated.

I am grateful for the growth I have experienced from reading and researching the lives and works of so many talented Caribbean poets, and I am thrilled to see so many readers from all over the world who have found the blog, and are interested in Caribbean poetry. I am happy that Poets of the Caribbean is playing its part in promoting Caribbean poets and poetry. I am thankful also for family, friends, and the freedom to read great literature.

What are you grateful for?

5 Interesting Things About Lasana Sekou

Here are 5 interesting things I learned about our poet of the month, Lasana Sekou:

1. He has authored over 13 books

2. Because of his prolific writing, Lasana Sekou has been described by Dr. Armando Lampo as the 'Walcott of the Dutch Caribbean'

3. Sekou is a multilingual poet, and has written in Spanish, French, Dutch and Creole

4. In 1982, he founded the House of Nehesi Publishers (HNP)

5. He co-founded the St. Martin Book Fair in 2003 with Shujah Reiph.

So, the Caribbean is truly fortunate to have such a talented, forward-thinking and prolific writer!

10 Ways to Support Caribbean Poets

In my post earlier this month, I shared that November is "Support Caribbean Poets" month (I am not sure if it has been declared by anyone, anywhere and since the focus of this blog is to promote Caribbean poetry and poets, I decided to declare it :)

So, if you like Caribbean poetry, here are 10 ways that you can support Caribbean poets:

• Attend their readings if they are taking place in your city, or a city near you
• Follow their blogs, and offer up a comment or two. Believe me, we really love your feedback!
• Follow them on Facebook or Twitter
• Send them a shout out via their Facebook page or Twitter. I am sure they would love to hear from you. I reached out to poets Ishion Hutchinson and Cherry Nature via Facebook and loved the interaction
• Blog about them and their works
• Reach out to them for interviews on your blog. I was fortunate that poets Easton Lee and Kwame Dawes graciously granted me interviews which I posted on this blog.
• Review their works as objectively as you can on Amazon, Goodreads, Smashwords or Library Thing. I was really pleased to receive three favorable reviews of my first collection, From Cane Field to the Sea, via Amazon and Goodreads. Poets can only grow and write better when readers offer both critique and praise.
• Purchase their works
• Read their works
• Recommend their books to family, friends and colleagues

So, hopefully you will be able to do many or all of these suggestions so that Caribbean poetry can continue to flourish. The Caribbean region is a diverse region in culture, language and literature and there are so many talented poets with acclaimed work.

I would love to hear from you about ways in which you are promoting Caribbean poetry, so please send me your comments.

Dutch-Caribbean Websites

Thanks to Caribbean Literary Salon, we have this great listing of Dutch Caribbean Websites. Check them out during this month as we focus on Dutch-Caribbean poetry, and in particular, the poet, Lasana Sekou.

Lasana Sekou

Lasana Sekou was born in Aruba, but grew up on the island of St. Martin. He began writing poetry at a young age and published poems in high school. Lasana attended the State University of New York at Stony Brook, where he received a BA in Political Science, and Howard University, where he completed the MA program in Communications.

Sekou has published eleven books of poetry and short stories, and his work has appeared in many publications, including Callaloo, The Caribbean Writer, and The Massachusetts Review.

Lasana Sekou has received numerous awards, including a James Michener Fellowship from the University of Miama, the Culture Time Literary Artist of the Decade, and a knighthood from the Government of the Netherlands.

Below is a selection of his writings:

Moods for Isis - Picture Poems of Love and Struggle (1978)
Mothernation - Poems From 1984-1987 (1991)
The Salt Reaper - Poems from the Flats (2004)
37 Poems (2005)

Dutch Caribbean Poetry

The islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao (popularly known as the ABC islands), together with St. Martin, make up the Dutch Caribbean. There are many talented writers from the Dutch Caribbean, and this month, I am pleased to feature the poet, Lasana M. Sekou, from the island of St. Martin. For more Dutch-Caribbean poets, check out the List of Caribbean Poets.

Lasana Sekou

Stay tuned during the month of November for more on Lasana Sekou. I am also declaring November as Support a Caribbean Poet month. Throughout my posts in November, I will be sharing many ways in which you can support the work of Caribbean poets, so be sure to check in regularly.

Happy November!

Doris At The River, By Ishion Hutchinson

Enjoy another poem entitled "Doris At The River", by poet of the month, Ishion Hutchinson. It certainly has been a real pleasure featuring the work of this extremely talented Jamaican poet.


Doris At The River

There, on the pendent boughs her coronet weeds
Clambering to hang, an envious sliver broke.
                                           - Shakespeare, Hamlet

Her melody broke through a shell
over the town that August we found
her in the arms of native Ariel,
strands of hair and leaves in her mouth.

Who knew she lived in such troubled
branches, in the corners of daydreams,
singing the perfect epitaph:
All things that you possess, possess their death.

The river streaked into a brown mirror,
the tail of her slime-green dress brushed
fallen woods of decay as we pulled her out.
Her hands were clasped on her chest.

This was the work of devotion,
not art - the silver of love, cracked.
Ants draped her eyelids, indifferent
to the sun and us staring down.

Copyright Ishion Hutchinson 2010. Far District. Peepal Tree Press Ltd. Leeds, UK.

Reprinted with author's permission.

UWI Writers' Workshop

The Department of Literatures, University of the West Indies at Mona, will be holding the first in a series of writers' workshops in early November. Renowed Trinidadian writer, Earl Lovelace, will be conducting the workshop. More details are in The Jamaica Gleaner. Read more here too on the Fifth Edward Baugh Distinguished Lecture, which Earl Lovelace will deliver.

Abeng, by Ishion Hutchinson

I am sharing today the poem Abeng, which is from Ishion Hutchinson's Far District. The abeng is a type of horn, used ceremonially by the Maroons of Jamaica. Present day Jamaican Maroons are descendants of the slaves who ran away in the mountains of Jamaica, fiercely resisted enslavement, and eventually forced the British to sign treaties with them. Famous Maroons were Cudjoe and Nanny (national heroine of Jamaica).  Abeng is believed to be the Akan word for horn.

Abeng

The colonel's face turns to mist,
the tasselled-horn trembles in his hand

before he raises it to his lips
and hears a goat's faint wail -

thin like straw grass he blew as a child
at the foot of the Blue Mountain.

They will come soon, the old people,
to the village centre, with no memories,

mist in their eyes, their mouths parched
at the once-a-month ceremonial meeting.

This is how culture dies, the colonel sighs,
watching as smoke goes through the leaves,

joining the horn's call, all one echo;
nothing from Cudjoe, or Queen Nanny,

neither long-head Accompong;
the smoke is just smoke,

but a flight of blackbirds
burst from the treetops.

He lowers the ranking ram's horn,
and says, At least some still runaway.

Copyright Ishion Hutchinson 2010. Far District. Peepal Tree Press Ltd. Leeds.
Reprinted with author's permission.

Far District - Reviews

Below are some links to reviews of Ishion Hutchinson's Far District:

http://jmww.150m.com/Hutchinsonrev.html

http://www.jamaicanliterature.com/2011/02/far-district-poems-by-ishion-hutchinson/

Just a reminder that the first person to post a comment will receive a copy of Far District.

Free Ebook!

In celebration of Poets of the Caribbean's one year mark, I am giving away the e-book version of From Cane Field to the Sea, throughout the month of October.

Enter coupon code SU57E here on checkout for your free copy!

Also, the first person to comment with the correct answer to who was the first poet featured on Poets of the Caribbean will win a copy of Ishion Hutchinson's Far District.

Don't miss out on these giveaways.

Ishion Hutchinson

October's poet is Ishion Hutchinson. Ishion was born in Port Antonia, Jamaica and attended Happy Grove and Titchfield High Schools, as well as the University of the West Indies, Mona. He was awarded the Calabash Writer's Workshop scholarship and is a founding member of The Workshop. Ishion also has an MFA in Poetry from New York University.

Ishion Hutchinson

Ishion's first collection, Far District (published by Peepal Tree Press), recently won the PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award for poetry. Prior to this award, he had also received the Larry Levis Prize for Poetry, which was awarded by the Academy of American Poets.

Ishion's work has appeared in LA Review, Callaloo, Caribbean Review of Books, Poetry International, and the chapbook, Bryan's Bay.

If you have read Far District, share your feedback. Stay tuned throughout the month for more on Ishion's work.

Poets of the Caribbean is One Year Old!

Happy Blogoversary to Poets of the Caribbean!

It is so hard to believe that Poets of the Caribbean is a year old today. As I celebrate my "blogoversary", I want to say a special thanks to you all for visiting the blog and checking out the celebrated and extraordinary poets that I have featured throughout the year. Thank you for your interest, your time, and your comments.

Your interest in Caribbean poets and poetry motivates me to continue to promote the rich literature of the English, Spanish, French and Dutch Caribbean. I look forward to bringing you more interesting poets and poetry in the months ahead.

Here are some interesting statistics about where you have tuned in from, and the most-viewed posts:

Top 10 Countries

• United States
• Jamaica
• United Kingdom
• Canada
• Trinidad & Tobago
• Germany
• India
• Belize
• France
• Russia

Top 10 Posts:

• List of Caribbean Poets
• Bedspread by Lorna Goodison
• Literary Life After the Caribbean International Literary Festival
• Joan Andrea Hutchinson
• Easton Lee, Talented Chinese-Jamaican Poet
• Easton Lee on Caribbean Poetry, etc.
• The Mulatta as Penelope
• Cyril Dabydeen
• Nancy Morejon
• Dat Bumpyhead Gal

As I promised in a previous post this week, there will be giveaways and other surprises throughout the month of October as I celebrate. Now, to make this as interactive and fun-filled as possible, you have some work to do!

To kick this off, the first person who comments correctly on the first poet I featured on this blog will receive our October poet, Ishion Hutchinson's Far District. Ready, Set, Go!

Stay Tuned for October Fun!

Dear readers,

On October 1st, Poets of the Caribbean will be one-year old! I am very pleased that so many of you have visited this site from all over the world, and have taken the time to comment on the postings.

I invite you to visit the blog frequently throughout October as I share giveways, stats, interesting posts, and feature a remarkable Caribbean poet.

I truly would like to thank and reward you for your time and interest in the blog, so don't miss out! As usual, your feedback is important and valuable to me, so don't be shy. Post a comment and let me know what's on your mind.

Yasmin

Cesaire's New Kindness

Hope you are enjoying the nice Fall weather, (or brilliant sunshiny days if you are in the Caribbean). As September winds down, I am sharing another Cesaire poem, New Kindness, or Nouvelle Bonte for my francophone friends. Enjoy!

New Kindness

to deliver the world to the assassins of dawn is out of the question
                                                                                                 death-life
                                                                                                 life-death
those who slap dusk in the face
roads hang from their flayer necks
like shoes too new
we're not dealing with a rout
only the traps have been whisked away during the night
as for the rest
horses that have left nothing more in the ground
than their furious hoofprints
muzzles aimed with lapped-up blood
the unsheathing of the knives of justice
and of the inspired horns
of vampire birds their entire beaks lit up
defying appearances
but also breasts nursing rivers
and sweet calabashes in the hollows of offering hands
a new kindness is ceaselessly growing on the horizon.

Aime Cesaire. From Lyric and Dramatic Poetry, 1946-82. Translated by Clayton Eshleman and Annette Smith. The University Press of Virginia. Copyright 1990.

Calabash's Legacy - So Much Things to Say

So Much Things to Say: 100 Poets From The First 10 Years of the Calabash International Literary Festival is now available. The book is edited by Kwame Dawes, and Colin Channer, who were the programming and artistic directors, respectively, of Calabash.

This is really a great resource for lovers of Caribbean literature.

Read more about this book in the Jamaica Gleaner.

100 Thousand Poets for Change

Get involved with the 100 Thousand Poets for Change global initiative tomorrow, Saturday, September 24th. Check out the events and their locations to see if there is something happening near you. Some Caribbean countries, including Jamaica, are listed.

One Belt At A Time

I know karate is a little off topic, but I thought I would share this photo from my karate belt test last night. I moved up one rung to gold belt, and although the black belt is a long way off, one belt at a time, I will get there.

In a previous post, I mentioned that karate and kickboxing are helping me to be a better writer, because I am learning to be more focused, disciplined, how to roll with the punches (literally!) and to keep my eyes on the prize.

Me, center, beside my green belt classmate

So, if you have had setbacks or disappointments with your writing career recently, don't be discouraged. Keep your eye on the prize, and take it one page at a time.

More on Aime Cesaire

Here are five more interesting things about Aime Cesaire:

• He won a scholarship in 1931 to attend the Lycee Louis-le-Grand in Paris
• Cesaire married Suzanne Roussi, a Martinican
• In 1945, he was elected mayor of Fort-de-France, and deputy in the Constituent Assembly on the French Communist Party ticket
• He founded the Parti Progressiste Martiniquais in 1958 in Fort-de-France after resigning from the French Communist Party
• Cesaire retired from electoral politics in 1993

Source: Aime Cesaire. Cambridge Studies in African and Caribbean Literature. Cambridge University Press, 1997.

The Strength To Face Tomorrow (La Force De Regarder Demain)

Here is another Cesaire poem, The Strength To Face Tomorrow (La Force De Regarder Demain).

the kisses of meteorites
the ferocious chest-bearing of volcanoes starting
with eagles' games

the push of subcontinents
also bracing themselves against underwater passions

the mountain that brings down its cavalcades in a full gallop
of contagious rocks

my words capturing angers
suns by which to reckon my native
                natal being
                                violet cyclops of the cyclones
regardless of the arrogant brand
                 flint high enough to torch the night
exhausted by a resurgent doubt
the strength to face tomorrow.

From: Lyric and Dramatic Poetry 1946-82. By Aime Cesaire. Translated by Clayton Eshleman and Annette Smith. Copyright 1990. The University Press of Virginia.

Cesaire's Martinique

I have never been, but from pictures, Martinique seems breathtakingly beautiful. No wonder Cesaire was inspired to write. In my last post, I featured his Song of the Sea Horse. For Caribbean writers, the sea is a constant theme. Below is one slice of Martinique scenery. Have you ever been there? I would love to hear your thoughts on the experience.

                                                                       Martinique

Photo: Google

Song of the Sea Horse

Enjoy Cesaire's Song of the Sea Horse (Chanson de l'hippocampe)

Song of the Sea Horse

Tiny horse escaped from time
braving the towpaths of wind and waves and turbulent sand
tiny horse
              arched back saltpetered by the wind
head low toward the cry of mares
tiny horse without fins
                               without memory
debris from the end of the run and the sedition of continents
proud tiny horse stubborn from calculated loves
badly torn in the hiss of stagnant ponds

one restive day
            we will mount you

and away you'll gallop tiny horse
fearless
unerring in the wind the salt and the wrack 


From: Lyric and Dramatic Poetry 1946-82. By Aime Cesaire. Translated by Clayton Eshleman and Annette Smith. Copyright 1990. The University Press of Virginia.

Aime Cesaire

Aime Cesaire is considered perhaps the best known French Caribbean poet. Cesaire was born in Basse Pointe,  on the French Caribbean island of Martinique on June 26, 1913. In 1931, he left Martinique for France to study at the Lycee Louis-le-Grand, where he met fellow Senegalese student Leopold Sedar Senghor, with whom he co-founded the negritude movement.


              Aime Cesaire

Cesaire was also a playwright and statesman. He was involved in electoral politics in Martinique. Aime Cesaire was awarded numerous literary prizes, including the Grand Prix National for poetry. Among his works is the well-known Cahier d'un retour au pays natal (Notebook of a return to the native land).

Throughout this month, some of his poems will be featured, in English with the French translation.  If you have read or studied Cesaire, please share your reflections on his work.

Coming to Poets of the Caribbean...

Dear readers,

I hope that you have enjoyed reading about Cherry Natural, our August poet. I am excited to share with you a sneak preview of upcoming posts and new features. First, stay tuned as I highlight a French Caribbean poet in September. This will be the first francophone poet highlighted on the blog, in keeping with my promise to provide balanced coverage of English, Spanish and French Caribbean poets.

Also, October will be the one-year anniversary of Poets of the Caribbean. Yeah! Thanks to all you readers who have visited the blog over these past months. Some of you left thoughtful comments for which I am grateful. I have been pleasantly surprised at the wide geographic readership so far, and the range of poets and topics that you are interested in. I am glad that you found my blog and look forward to sharing with you the works of many Caribbean poets.

Which leads me to my next announcement. In October, I will be having some surprise giveaways, so be sure to check in with me regularly so that you don't miss out. One such surprise will be the giveaway of my October poet's first collection. I will also be picking your brain with a poll to see what you would like to see on Poets of the Caribbean as we move into another year.

So, thanks again for checking in and stay tuned!

Cherry Natural's Writings

Below are more details on Cherry's works:

• Come Meck We Reason (1989)
• Her poems also appear in the anthology, Utterances and Incantations: Women, Poetry, and Dub (Sister Vision Press, 1999)
• Earth Woman: Selected Poems, 1989-2001. (Rastazumska Productions, 2003)

Cherry was also nominated for a Reggaesoca Award in 2000, in the category of best dub poet. And, I believe I also mentioned in a previous post that this talented poet also has a black belt and is a martial arts instructor. Phenomenal woman!

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!

National Book Festival 2011

If you are going to be in the DC area in September, check out the 2011 National Book Festival.  Cedella Marley will be among the many authors participating this year.

Be sure to try and connect with some of the poets as well, such as Yusef Komunyakaa,

See you there!

Thanks to Kind Reviewers

Reviews of any kind help writers to hone their craft, so it is great when readers take the time to share their reflections.Through this post, I am expressing sincere (and a little overdue) appreciation to two reviewers who recently took the time to  write favorable reviews about my first poetry collection, From Cane Field to the Sea.

First, thanks to Helen Frazer, for her comprehensive and thoughtful review which she posted on Amazon.com.

Thanks also to Melanie, who posted her review on Goodreads, after winning a copy of the book.

Sincere thanks as well to Jennifer Brown-Banks of Pen and Prosper  for sharing some of the poems on the Coffee House for Writers Blog during Poetry Month.

So, a lot of love shown to my book so far. As a fledgling writer, this is very encouraging.

Thanks to you all.

Dub Poetry and a Cherry Natural Performance

Dub poetry originated in Jamaica during the 1970s, and evolved from dub music. Its popularity grew and spread to Canada and England. In dub poetry, the poet performs,  accompanied by musical instruments, such as drums, guitars, etc. For more information on dub poetry, see Geoffrey Philps' primer on the origins of dub poetry. See also Wikipedia's take on dub poetry.

In addition to Cherry Natural, other notable dub poets are Linton Kwesi Johnson, Oku Onuora, Benjamin Zephaniah, Lillian Allen, Mutabaruka and Afua Cooper.

Here in this video, Cherry Natural performs her poem, Be You. Enjoy.

Cherry Natural (Marcia Wedderburn)

Cherry Natural (aka Marcia Wedderburn) is an internationally acclaimed dub poet. Cherry is Jamaican and has been performing dub poetry since 1979. I had the pleasure of seeing her perform recently at the Jazz in the Garden program held in June in Kingston, Jamaica, and what a performance!

Cherry Natural

I am pleased to feature Cherry as my August poet. She is also a motivational speaker, holds a black belt and is a martial arts instructor (Hmm, based on my previous post, Cherry and I have something in common, an interest in karate). This versatile poet focuses on social, political and economic issues, as well as women's rights.

Cherry has published two poetry collections so far, and has also done recordings.

Stay tuned throughout this month for more on this fascinating poet.

How karate and kickboxing are helping me to be a better blogger/poet

Hi readers. Sorry for the delay in posting. This summer is shaping up to be a busy one!

My girls and I recently started taking karate classes and we are having a lot of fun. In addition to the karate, I also started kickboxing at the same venue. So, having gone almost two months without quitting both, despite the intense workouts involved, I have been reflecting a lot on how both activities can help me to be a better blogger and poet. Here are some observations:

• Karate requires a lot of discipline. Discipline to show up for class, wear the proper uniform, practice the kicks and punches, staying the course for the ultimate black belt. Blogging and poetry writing also require discipline; carving out time to post, finding time to connect with your readers, experimenting with new styles, taking time to read other poets' works. I must say that I am having an interesting time reading the works of the poets I feature each month on my blog.

• Kickboxing is fast-paced, and perhaps the most challenging activity I have ever undertaken. I really find it rewarding just to punch out my frustrations on the punching bag. In my writing, there are times when I get frustrated with my lack of productivity, or when plans go awry. I am learning to take things one punch at a time. There are great days in the kickboxing class though, when the instructor acknowledges that I did a great job. It is also heartwarming when readers give a totally unsolicited great review of my poetry collection. As a new poet, that is encouraging.

• Partnership and teamwork are key in both these activities. In karate, sparring is used to teach techniques and to promote cooperation among students. Through sparring, I am getting to know my classmates better, and we encourage and support each other, as we perfect our kicks and blocks. So too with my blogging and poetry. I have met some interesting bloggers who have taken the time to comment on my blog, promote my book, and from whose postings I am learning so much. Through my blog, I have also had the chance to interview some interesting and internationally acclaimed poets, such as Easton Lee and Kwame Dawes.

• I am still at the white belt, beginner's stage in karate. However, my eye is on the black belt prize. While not every poet may have many awards in their future, my hope is that my writing will improve with each collection, and that as a blogger, I will always strive for quality content that I can share with my readers.

How about you? What impacts your blogging or other writings in a major way?

More on Modeste Downes

For more on Modeste Downes' collection, Phases, and his life and work, check out Jako Productions, his publisher's website. Included on the site are some reviews of Phases as well as links to other Jako publications.

If you have read Phases, please let me know what you think about it. Also, I would love to hear from you about which Caribbean poet's work you are currently reading.

I am also tossing the ball in my readers' courts regarding upcoming spotlights on poets of the month. If you have a favorite poet that you would like to see featured, please let me know. As always, your feedback is important, as I try to promote Caribbean poets and poetry.

Modeste Downes

Hi readers,

Major computer hiccups delayed my posting on July's poet.  The hiccups have now gone and I am happy to feature St. Lucian poet, Modeste Downes, whose work was actually commented on by one of my readers, Jonathan Says (big shout out to you, Jonathan!)  You can check out Jonathan's comments  on my previous posting of the list of Caribbean poets, which by the way, is a work-in-progress for which I am constantly seeking feedback.

Modeste is the author of Phases, which was awarded the National Arts Prize for Literature in 2005. Throughout July, I am hoping to share with you as much information as possible about this poet and welcome your thoughts on this poet, St. Lucian poets, Caribbean poetry or poetry in general.

Kwame on Caribbean Poets and Poetry

Below is an email interview with Kwame Dawes, June's poet of the month. My thanks to Kwame for taking time to share his thoughts with us. As usual, I welcome your feedback on Kwame's reflections.

You have finished two very well-received projects, LiveHopeLove and Voices from Haiti. Are you currently working on other projects, whether solo, or collaboratively?

I am not working on a project quite like either of these two.  There are a few projects that are off-shoots of the work I have done on HIV AIDS and especially on Haiti.  I am currently editing an anthology of poetry by Haitian poets written after the earthquake.  I am also rehearsing on a production of the poems written about Haiti to be performed with musicians Kevin Simmonds and Valetta Brinson. 

I am currently re-reading Gomer's Song because I liked it so much the first time I read it some time ago. It is an interesting collection, especially with the linkages and parallels to the Old Testament book of Hosea. Could you share a bit about what inspired you to write it, and what the writing experience was like for you?

This was a difficult book to write for two reasons: the first was that I decided to tackle a subject that relates to issues of sexuality, sexual abuse and desire and I was doing so in the context of the bible. The narrative of Hosea is fascinating in and of itself, but it is the relatively little that we are given about Gomer that fascinated me.  I did not begin, however, with Gomer.  I began with the central character of the the book, telling a very contemporary story of a Christian’s struggle with addiction, abuse and faith.  As the work developed I found some value in framing the work around the story of Gomer.  The truth is that Gomer’s story opened the work up for me.  This, of course, is not the first book of mine that borrows from or engages Biblical narratives.  Perhaps the most notable example of this is the book Jacko Jacobus in which I retell the story of Jacob and his family through verse.  It, too, attempts a contemporary enactment of an ancient narrative.


What are your thoughts on the state of the Caribbean publishing industry, and what that means for poets in particular?

There are, I believe, not enough publishers of Caribbean writing.  But that has been the case for as long as there has been literature written in the Caribbean. Nonetheless, now, more than ever, with the existence of Peepal Tree Press with its unequivocal commitment to Caribbean writing, and especially to publishing Caribbean poetry, the opportunities for our poets is actually quite good.  At the same time, with the strength of our mid-career and senior poets in the last twenty years, there is, in the minds of many periodicals and publishers of literature in English a place for work from our region.  Simply put, any poet coming along now, can be assured that they do have a chance to interesting a publisher in their work.  It is difficult for a poet to get published under any circumstance, and I do not think that the chances for a Caribbean poet to be published are any less than for any other poet.  That is the good news, I think.

The OCM Bocas Lit Fest was launched around the same time that the Calabash International Literary Festival, your brainchild, was winding down. Are you optimistic about a vibrant Caribbean literary scene, particularly at this juncture, and what are some of the challenges to be overcome, and the resources required to ensure vibrancy?

Calabash was the “brain-child” of Colin Channer.  We then drew together with Justine Henzell to create an exciting and dynamic entity.  Our aim was to produce a well run, professional and visionary festival in the Caribbean.  We did so.  And I think we have achieved one of the most important things possible: the desire in others to create something similar around the region.  There have been many festivals that could be said to have grown out of Calabash—Festivals in St. Lucia, Antigua, Dominica, Montserrat, and Trinidad.  Next year Barbados will have its first festival.  For years, Lasana Sekou has hosted, in St Maarten, an impressive and engaging festival. There is a lot happening.  Since the closing of Calabash in Jamaica, at least three literary festivals have began.  This is a great deal of activity, and while I can’t say that the quality of these festivals is always as strong as it ought to be, I think that the instinct to celebrate our literature is a good one and one that can’t hurt a great deal.  I do think, however, that the work that really needs to be done is institutional.  Apart from festivals, we need legitimate literary awards and we need a few MFA programs in Creative Writing in the Caribbean.  We also need to have more publishing in the region, and greater attention to the development of writers.  These things can happen.  The represent some of the matters that the Calabash International Literary Festival Trust is considering for the future.

Who are your favorite Caribbean poets, and why?

As an editor I would be silly to present you with such a list.  I can say that the poets I encourage people to read right now are Christian Campbell, Kei Miller, Tanya Shirley, Ishion Hutchison and Malika Booker.  There are many more from all over the region and outside of the region who one should read.  I continue to find the work of our senior poets engaging, but it is worth noting Dionne Brand who recently won the Griffin Prize for her work.  She is a truly amazing voice. Again, there are so many more voices that continue to produce excellent work that we ought to be reading even more.  


Who would you say are the emerging Caribbean poets to watch?

I have answered this question above.  The list, of course, is longer, and a good place to find such a list is the Peepal Tree catalogue.


Do you have any advice to share with Caribbean poets?

Keep writing.  Keep reading the work of poets who are like you and those who are not like you. When you think classics, don’t only think of British or even European voices, but Chinese, Japanese, Indian, African voices.  Read and imitate and then allow your own voice to come through.

Wisteria

I am sharing again another poem by Kwame Dawes. Enjoy Wisteria.

Wisteria

Circumspect woman,
you carry your memories
tied up in a lipstick-stained
kerchief in a worn straw basket.
When you undo the knot,
the scent of wisteria,
thick with the nausea of nostalgia,
fills the closed-in room.

You lean into the microphone,
smile at the turning tape,
while fingering the fading petals.
You intone your history,
breathing in the muggy
scent of wayward love.
Your anger is always
a whisper, enigmatic,
almost unspoken,
just a steady heat.

I don't like 'em
never did, never could...

Verse vs. Verse

Verse vs. Verse is a program which the Jamaica Poetry Society hopes to launch soon (Source: Jamaica Gleaner Online, Sunday June 19, 2011).  The Society plans to establish literary centers in schools throughout the island in order to promote poetry, and it is hoping to collaborate with the University of the West Indies to achieve this. You can learn more about the efforts of the Jamaica Poetry Society through Facebook and Twitter.

End of the Affair

Today's poem is End of the Affair by Kwame Dawes. Hope you like it.

End of the Affair

I hate the word deploy
let's use use, although I am sending
and sending these lies to you,

but not sending but letting them go
in what I am not saying,
and waiting for the end of things,

though I know the end of things
and fear are the bridge I slide on,
waiting for you to stare at me,

cold as stone, asking me what,
after all is said and done, is the ploy.

From Gomer's Song. Copyright 2007 Kwame Dawes. Used with author's permission.

More on Kwame Dawes

Kwame Dawes has used his poetry to highlight the HIV/AIDS situation in Jamaica. His interactive site Live Hope Love, won an Emmy Award for its innovative approach to news and documentary. It contains poems, photos, and video based on his visits to Jamaica during 2007 in which he captured the experiences of Jamaicans living with HIV/AIDS.

See also more information on Ashes from the Summer 2010 Virginia Quarterly Review. Ashes, a series which details the effects of poverty and racism on youth in the United States, is a collaborative effort by Kwame Dawes and photographer Andre Lambertson.

In addition to the above, you can check out Voices of Haiti: A Post-Quake Exploration Through Poetry, on the Pulitzer Center. Dawes completed the project after visiting Haiti. Check out more details  on Voices of Haiti, which premieres at the National Black Theatre Festival on August 3, 2011. It will feature Kwame Dawes and Andre Lambertson.

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.

Mad Woman of Harvard

It has been my pleasure during May to spotlight the Guyanese-Canadian poet, Cyril Dabydeen.  Below is another Cyril Dabydeen poem, Mad Woman of Harvard, which I hope you will find interesting. Have you read any of Cyril Dabydeen's poems? If yes, what are your thoughts on this poet? I would love to hear from you.

Stay tuned in June for poet Kwame Dawes.

Mad Woman of Harvard

As if flies are after her,
she flits incessantly
with a thin-leafed book,
this woman, grey-haired,
a long brown coat draping

her frail body. She walks
swiftly to another tree,
swats, then struts off again,
waging her wars; she turns,
looking around,

seeing me, she with fierce eyes,
my spirit oddly in tune with hers.
A couple close by also look at her,
amused at her cryptic smiles, Eumenides
dogging her path. The mind's weakness,

I say, my own, with this longing for knowledge.
She cries out deep inside at the dim sun's
rays. "You there, it's no good watching
other people - you in the dark glasses!"
A scholar's grimace, all on green grass

splayed out as I am, alert
to other traumas, other worlds, as
she keeps marching up and down,
all words waywardly expressed, if you must
know, or keep thinking about, always.

(Harvard University Campus, August 1986)

From Imaginary Origins. Selected Poems 1970-2002.

Copyright Cyril Dabydeen 2004. Reprinted with author's permission.

Winning Writers

Winning Writers, founded in 2001, is an excellent resource for poets who are interested in keeping up with poetry contests and other literary news. The site is included on the list of 101 Best Websites for Writers by Writer's Digest , and received the Truly Useful Site Award (well-deserved, I would add) in 2006 from Preditors & Editors.

The War Poetry Contest, which focuses on the theme of war, is their current contest. May 31st is the deadline. I'm sorry for the short notice, but if you are inspired to, and can complete up to three poems on war before the deadline, please check out their submission guidelines and go for it! You can enter online, which is convenient, since the end-of-month deadline would mean mailed entries would not be received on time.

Of course, if you miss the deadline for the War Poetry Contest, there are many other upcoming contests you can enter.

I would be happy to hear about any successes, so please send me your comments.

Good luck!

The Big Apple

Today, I feature another Cyril Dabydeen poem, The Big Apple. Enjoy.

The Big Apple

I have decided to be cheerful;
on Fifth Avenue, I lost
twenty dollars in a card game.

I, who felt I was smart,
fell into such a trap,
mesmerized by the sleight of hand.

Now, back at my own game,
responding to words only,
I wait here by the New York City Library,

thinking how best to pursue my craft,
mulling over passers-by,
the old man chasing after a youth -

"Stop him!" he cries.
A few feet away, a woman
reads Marquez; asks her boyfriend

if he knew him
and what solitude conveys
to the rest of us. I consider

metaphor like distance -
the forest floor of a city
swirling in the summer's heat.

The drama continues to grip
our minds; the crowd larger;
finger on the trigger;

this assault forced upon us,
as I imagine greenbacks -
an orchard in me perhaps -

eloquent with each new card
a cue to meaning,
grappling with a youth's escape,

as hands proliferate like leaves
on a tree, this ruse of losing
one's money and succumbing

to art for art's sake:
I flutter in this make-believe,
clinging steadfastly to words!

Copyright Cyril Dabydeen 2004. From Imaginary Origins. Selected Poems 1970-2002. Reprinted with author's permission.

Cyril Dabydeen's Amazonia

Amazonia

We discussed how Caribbean
writers only look north,
and how maybe I'm unique
among them (I want to believe)
because of my interest
in all of South America.

Indeed, when you came to my home
in Ottawa, we ate
barbecued capybara,
and for starters swallowed
anaconda's eggs whole -
you better believe it -
and drank Irish beer,
Guinness and Smithwick's
(I'd just returned from Dublin, you see,
spent time at the Writer's Museum
with Yeats and Joyce,
Behan and Beckett).

You told me of the time
when you wanted to come
to Georgetown from Brazil,
to the university, and travelled
to Boa Vista on the border,
and ended up in Lethem
where you planned to board
a plane...

But somehow
a cow had hit the plane
and the trip was cancelled,
and with another woman,
with your scholar's ways,
you travelled to Venezuela instead
to continue your work: this interest
in poetry - mine, if only for a while
because I'd been born in Amazonia.

Now you snap a picture of
my daughter, with my wife
looking on; and Pilar from Spain,
keen on Margaret Atwood,
noted our different ways
in the one place I call home -
far more than Canadian Studies,
now that we're indeed here.

Copyright Cyril Dabydeen, 2004.
From Imaginary Origins. Selected Poems 1970-2002.
Reprinted with author's permission.

Thanks, Toronto

Special thanks to family and friends in Toronto who turned out for the book party for From Cane Field to the Sea, despite snow and rain (I forgot how snowy Spring in Toronto can be sometimes). Nevertheless, it was delicious food (that curried chicken was want-more good), great company, and good poetry. My first public poetry reading ever, and I had fun!

So, thanks again, for your support.

Blessings.

Derek Walcott's White Egrets Wins the 2011 OCM Bocas Prize

Derek Walcott's White Egrets has won the 2011 OCM Bocas Prize.

I knew it! White Egrets is a great read, and I absolutely enjoyed reading it.

Congratulations, Derek Walcott, for another deserved win.

Cyril Dabydeen

My poet of the month, Cyril Dabydeen, is such a prolific writer and internationally-acclaimed poet, that my posts during this month will hardly scratch the surface of the works and achievements of a poet of his stature. However, I will try...

Cyril Dabydeen

Cyril Dabydeen, of Indian descent, was born in Guyana in 1945. He is a poet, novelist, short story writer and book critic. He left Guyana for Canada during the 1970s, where he attended Lakehead University and Queen's University. His masters thesis was on the American poet, Sylvia Plath.

Featured in over 60 literary magazines, and anthologized in approximately 20 volumes in 7 countries, he is the author of approximately 17 books. He was the Poet Laureate of Ottawa from 1984-1987. Cyril Dabydeen has received many literary awards, some of which are:

Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence (Guyana Council of Canada)
Sandbach Parker Gold Medal
A.J. Seymour Lyric Poetry
Archibald Lampman Poetry Prize (four-time finalist)
Ottawa Book Award (finalist)
Okanagan Fiction Prize (twice)

Cyril Dabydeen's poetry titles include:

Poems in Recession
Unanimous Night
Uncharted Heart
Imaginary Origins: New and Selected Poems
Hemisphere of Love
Discussing Columbus
Stoning the Wind
Born in Amazonia
Coastland: New and Selected Poems

I hope to share so much more on the works of this talented Guyanese poet. As usual, I invite you to share your thoughts on either our poet of the month, any other featured poet, or Caribbean poetry in general.

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)
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)
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)
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)

Christina Williams (Jamaica) aka Antonia Valaire

X

Y

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

Z

Selection from Inna Mi Heart

A You Mi Want Fi Deh Wid is from Joan Andrea Hutchinson's latest book and CD, Inna Mi Heart. Inna Mi Heart is a collection of Jamaican love poems, written by Joan in the Jamaican dialect, which is very colorful and expressive.

A You Mi Want Fi Deh Wid 

·      Even if you put on fifty poun

Even if you sick and mawga down

Even if you bleach di black fi fayva brown

A you mi want fi ‘deh wid’

Even if you foot shape like afoo yam

And you hand look like song of di banana man

Even if you claim rasta but quietly lick di ham

A you mi want fi ‘deh wid’

So even though you a behave like a clown

And your name a call all over town

A you mi want fi be around

A just you mi want fi ‘deh wid’

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

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.

Literary Life After the Calabash International Literary Festival

Joan Andrea Hutchinson

Thanks to my poet of the month, Joan Andrea Hutchinson, for bringing to my attention the planned Asante Adonai Literary Lyme, being organized by Dr. Leachim Semaj, for May 2011 at Asante Adonai, Winefield, St. Ann in Jamaica. See the Jamaica Sunday Gleaner of March 27, 2011 for more details.

Dr. Semaj plans to build on the Calabash model, and in the above Gleaner article, he noted that "where we thought Calabash was weak, we are trying to improve it." As such, the Asante Adonai Lyme hopes to include a children's package. I think this is really great, because children's poetry is an area of Caribbean poetry that is often overlooked. Children do appreciate poetry, and the earlier it is introduced, the better.

Other literary events that are being organized to fill the Calabash void include the Jamaica Poetry Festival, which is being organized by Jamaican poet Yasus Afari, on August 14, 2011 at the Louise Bennett Garden Theatre. Local poets such as Joan Andrea Hutchinson, Mutabaruka, Michael Abrahams, Viv Morris Brown, and Royal African Soldiers will be in performance, as well as international poets.

Jamaica's south coast, which benefitted from Calabash since its inception, will also host the Treasure Beach Breadbasket Festival, which will include the Talking Trees Fiesta, from May 27-29.

So, while we regret that the Calabash International Literary Festival is no more, I am pleased to see that local poets and poetry lovers in Jamaica are keeping Caribbean poetry alive and vibrant with these new literary events. If you can attend or contribute in any other way, please do, whether it's through blogging, tweeting, attending, or financial support. Also, if you have a literary event that you are hosting, please let me know, and I would be very happy to spread the word about it.