The 7 Links Challenge

Darren Rowse is sponsoring a 7 Link Challenge over at his web site and I thought I’d give it a try. Here goes!


1.         Your first post:
"Why Do I Continue to Write?": A bit of throat clearing. But for the most part, I’ve stayed true to the initial vision.


2.         A post you enjoyed writing the most:
"Chicken Soup and my Family': One of the first posts in which I talk about my mother’s influence on my life.


3.         A post which had a great discussion:
“Another Presumptuous Post About Calabash 2009”: The future of the Calabash Literary Festival seemed to have been in jeopardy, so I joined with several other writers and wrote an open letter to the Hon Bruce Golding, Prime Minister of Jamaica. I was singled out for a scorching private e-mail by one of Jamaica’s leading critics (who shall still remain nameless) who repudiated me for my "presumptuousness."


4.         A post on someone else’s blog that you wish you’d written: “Patriarchy damages men too… no really”
A healthy discussion with quotes from two of my favorite authors, Audre Lorde and bell hooks, about the limiting views of masculinity and the detrimental effects on men, especially black men. Besides the humor in my latest collection of short stories, Who’s Your Daddy? And Other Stories, I hoped reviewers would be able recognize a similar theme that runs through the collection: What does it mean to be a Jamaican / Caribbean man?


5.         Your most helpful post:
“The Top Ten Things Every Writer Should Know.” Hands down the winner. As a published writer from the Caribbean, this is my giving back to younger writers in the hope that they will keep the faith.


6.         A post with a title that you are proud of:
“Big Wheels Keep on Turnin’.” I loved signifyin’ of this great song by Tina Turner to describe my reading from Who’s Your Daddy? And other Stories in Jamaica @ the Calabash International Literary Festival.


7.         A post that you wish more people had read:
“Estimated Prophet: Version” is a sonnet about the BP Oil Spill that uses influences from William Blake, Derek Walcott, and Burning Spear to describe the environmental disaster. This poem is included in my forthcoming collection of poems, Dub Wise.

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