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.

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.

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)
Irvin Desir (St. Lucia) 
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)
Jane Ulysses Grell (Dominica/Uk) 
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)
Lawrence Scott (Trinidad)

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 (Mikey) Smith (Jamaica)
Michael Garfield (MG) Smith (Jamaica)
Celia Sorhaindo (Dominica)

Bruce St. John (Barbados)
Fr. Lambert St. Rose (St. Lucia)
Michael Stephenson (?)
Virgil Suarez (Cuba)
Patrick Sylvain (Haiti)

T

Harold M. Telemaque (Trinidad)

Daniel Thaly (Dominica/Martinique)
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

Bedspread By Lorna Goodison (Another Poem for Poetry Month)

Today, I am sharing Bedspread, Lorna Goodison's well-known poem about the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela. I did notice that a number of my blog readers appeared to be searching for this poem, and I thought I would share it, particularly since this is poetry month. I hope you will enjoy it. For more on Lorna Goodison and her work, please see my previous posts.

Bedspread

Sometimes in the still
unchanging afternoons
when the memories crowded
hot and hopeless against
her brow
she would seek its cool colors
and signal him to lie down
in his cell.
It is three in the afternoon Nelson
let us rest here together
upon this bank draped in freedom
color.
It was woven by women with slender
capable hands
accustomed to binding wounds,
hands that closed the eyes of
dead children,
that fought for the right to
speak in their own tongues
in their own land
in their own schools.
They wove the bedspread
and knotted notes of hope
in each strand
and selvaged the edges with
ancient blessings
older than any white man's coming.
So in the afternoons lying on this
bright bank of blessing
Nelson my husband I meet you in dreams
my beloved much of the world too is
asleep blind to the tyranny and evil
devouring our people.
But, Mandela, you are rock on this sand
harder than any metal
mined in the bowels of this land
you are purer than any
gold tempered by fire
shall we lie here wrapped
in the colors of our free Azania?
They arrested the bedspread.
They and their friends are working
to arrest the dreams in our heads
and the women, accustomed to closing
the eyes of the dead
are weaving cloths still brighter
to drape us in glory in a Free
Azania.

(From Selected Poems, The University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor. 1992)

Copyright Lorna Goodison. Reprinted with the author's permission.

Easton Lee on Caribbean Poetry, etc.

Today, I had a delightful interview with poet of the month, Easton Lee, who now resides in Florida. He is still busy with both writing and ministry, and shared some interesting thoughts with me.

Yasmin: What are your thoughts on the Caribbean literary scene?

Easton Lee: The Caribbean is producing a lot of good work right now and we have a talented crop of younger writers. However, there are some works that are bad and some that are in between. The availability of new literary prizes is also a positive thing.

Yasmin: Since writing From Behind the Counter, what other works have you done?

Easton Lee: My follow-up collection to From Behind the Counter is Encounters. I have also written a novel, Run Big Fraid. I am constantly writing.

Yasmin: You are probably the most well-known Chinese-Jamaican poet. Are there other Chinese-Jamaican poets that you know of?

Easton Lee: There are Chinese-Jamaicans writing in other genres. I am thinking of Father Richard HoLung who writes hymns, as well as Ray Chen, who does mostly photo-journalism.

Yasmin: In poems like "My Mother is a People", "Who Fa Granny", and "To a Mother Resting", you highlight the positive contributions of women. Growing up, did the women in your life play a positive role?

Easton Lee: I believe that Jamaican women have made a solid contribution. Generally, though, both  Jamaican men and women, the ordinary and unheralded folks have done so much. However, we tend to focus on the spectacular and sometimes the more prominent in society and forget what these ordinary citizens have done. Growing up behind the counter of our shop, I had a chance to meet and observe these hard working people who came from all walks of life - our customers, my mother's friends, people in the church and I heard their stories. I also noticed that it was their faith that kept them going.

Yasmin: You were ordained an Anglican priest in 2000. What moved you in this direction?

Easton Lee: Actually, I grew up in the Anglican church and knew from around age seven that I wanted to be a priest. In fact, when I met my wife, I told her I wanted to be a priest and she thought I was joking. However, I got married, raised children, and other events came in the way and the timing was not right until 2000. Yet, I knew all along that I would become a priest.

Yasmin: How are you able to balance ministry and your poetry writing?

Easton Lee: I am now retired from ministry. However, I assist as a volunteer at the Miami Gardens Episcopal Church of the Holy Family. I can now balance my own time and pursue things that I want to do.

Yasmin: Any advice for new poets?

Easton Lee: Keep writing. Don't stop. The minute you stop, the pipe dries up.

Yasmin: Are you planning on doing any poetry readings soon?

Easton Lee: I will be doing a poetry reading at Ryerson University's, English Department during the week of July 24. It is a symposium on the Chinese Shopkeeper. I have also been invited to read in Dubai, which has a small Jamaican community and I am thinking about that.

Yasmin: Thank you for taking time to share your thougths with me and best wishes on the reading in Toronto.

Easton Lee: Thank you too. Blessings.

Welcome to Poets of the Caribbean

Welcome to Poets of the Caribbean, a blog which aims to showcase the works of Caribbean poets and to highlight the richness of Caribbean poetry, be it from the English, Spanish, French or Dutch Caribbean. Each month, I will feature a Caribbean poet so that readers will learn more about the contribution that these poets have made.

I do hope that you will enjoy the poems I will share and the personalities I will shine the spotlight on. I welcome feedback from poetry lovers everywhere.

Enjoy Poets of the Caribbean!