June 28, 2013
Dispatches from the Yardstick Festival: Lorna Goodison
June 25, 2013
THE UNIA MARCUS GARVEY AWARDS CEREMONY
http://www.causes.com/actions/1722148-urge-congress-to-exonerate-civil-rights-leader-marcus-garvey
We are also petitioning President Barack Obama to exonerate Marcus Garvey:
http://signon.org/sign/exonerate-marcus-garvey?source=c.url&r_by=4631897
Thank you for your support..
My Books @Yardstick Festival
A few of my books (and a couple in which my work appears) on
display at the Yardstick Festival:
Visit my author page for the other books:
***
June 24, 2013
Lineup for the Yardstick Festival
If you are anywhere in the British Isles (or even if you're not!), come and full-joy (as I&I would say) four days of poetry, storytelling and all round good times: http://www.yardstick.org.uk/2013-programme/#.Uccl_fmshzI
***
June 20, 2013
Now Accepting Entries: Jamaica 51 Essay Competition
The Consulate General of Jamaica in Miami is now accepting entries for its Annual Essay Competition to commemorate Jamaica’s Independence 51st Anniversary.
The competition is open to all Jamaican children, first and second generation, residing in Florida State, and forms part of the Independence celebrations across the Florida communities.
Eligible students can choose from a selection of topics related to the island’s cultural heritage some of which include community leadership, entertainment, education, history, cultural heritage, geography and national development.
Applicants must be between five and eighteen years of age, normally resident in the State of Florida, and submit entries in one of three age categories - five to eight (5-8); nine to twelve (9-12); and thirteen to eighteen (13-18).
For more information, please follow this link:
J51 Essay Competition - Consulate General of Jamaica:
'via Blog this'
***
http://www.causes.com/actions/1722148-urge-congress-to-exonerate-civil-rights-leader-marcus-garvey
We are also petitioning President Barack Obama to exonerate Marcus Garvey:
http://signon.org/sign/exonerate-marcus-garvey?source=c.url&r_by=4631897
Thank you for your support..
June 19, 2013
Call for Papers: Islands in the Mainstream: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Caribbean Rhetoric
Proposals are sought from scholars, teachers, practitioners, and researchers in rhetoric, communication, literature, Caribbean studies, indigenous studies, diaspora studies, cultural studies, gender studies, and the visual and performing arts for contributions that explore aspects of Caribbean rhetorical expression from an interdisciplinary perspective. In particular, original essays are sought that will contribute to and fortify emerging work in the study of Caribbean rhetoric by envisioning the scope and dimension of what such work might entail. Such essays will engage, challenge, and move beyond the traditional perimeter of rhetorical analysis, encompassing the epistemic, pedagogical, and public work that occurs in a broad range of Caribbean texts: oral/aural, visual, scribal, tactile, digital, environmental, supernatural, etc.. Essays about the anglophone, francophone, and hispanophone Caribbean are strongly encouraged, though authors are asked to submit their proposals (and their essays, if accepted) in English, except in the case of specialized terms, phrases, and concepts (annotated accordingly).
The first of its kind to specifically consider the rhetoric of Caribbean cultural production from interdisciplinary perspectives, this collection will provide scholars, teachers, and students with innovative approaches for discussing the range of motives, histories, and social realities that necessitate inquiry and inclusion in rhetorical studies. Similarly, it will contribute to Caribbean studies and other disciplines represented in the volume by providing a dynamic set of robust rhetorical theories for reading Caribbean culture. In addition to defining theoretical parameters for reading Caribbean rhetoric and exploring areas of practice for further research, contributors will be encouraged to consider the pedagogical implications of their ideas. This can include developing curricula (introductory, intermediate, or advanced courses in rhetorical education among undergraduate writing majors, or courses that respond to particular writing-intensive programs, writing centers, or Writing Across the Curriculum), community literacy/publishing initiatives (ongoing or envisioned), or research studies (archival, ethnographic, qualitative, quantitative, etc.) on projects that engage students on matters of Caribbean import. Essays that are collaboratively authored by faculty and students and/or faculty and professionals are particularly welcome.
While the following list is not exhaustive, possible chapters may fall within these broad categories:
- Carnival Theatre
- Dance/Performance Art
- Digital Humanities/New Media/Technology/Broadcast Media
- Fine Art/Photography
- Food
- Geopolitics
- Historiography/Interrogations of Historical Narratives
- Labor Union/National/Political Parties
- Literature
- Music
- National/Sub-Supranational/
Transnational - Oratory/Public Address
- Pedagogy
- Postcolonial/Neocolonial
- Public Archives/Public Memory/Concepts of Vernacular Memory
- Race(d) Relations
- Surveillance
- Vernacular Bodies/Love, Sex, Sexualities
Please submit a proposal, approximately 500 words, that discusses the proposed chapter to the editor, Kevin A. Browne (browne@syr.edu). Questions and queries are welcome. The deadline for proposal submissions is November 1, 2013.
Celebrating Juneteenth 2013
http://www.causes.com/actions/1722148-urge-congress-to-exonerate-civil-rights-leader-marcus-garvey
We are also petitioning President Barack Obama to exonerate Marcus Garvey:
http://signon.org/sign/exonerate-marcus-garvey?source=c.url&r_by=4631897
Thank you for your support..
June 18, 2013
Interview With Jamaica Diaspora on Blog Talk Radio: Geoffrey Philp
Listen to internet radio with Jamaican Diaspora on BlogTalkRadio
http://www.causes.com/actions/1722148-urge-congress-to-exonerate-civil-rights-leader-marcus-garvey
We are also petitioning President Barack Obama to exonerate Marcus Garvey:
http://signon.org/sign/exonerate-marcus-garvey?source=c.url&r_by=4631897
Thank you for your support..
Global Writing Talent Heads to Bath for Major Literature Festival | Bath Business News
Businesses are being invited to support a festival that will bring an impressive array of international writing talent to Bath and Bristol later this month.
A dozen of the best writers and performance poets from across the African Diaspora will take part in the Yardstick Festival from June 27 to 30.
Prestigious authors at the festival will include Lorna Goodison, Tanya Shirley, Geoffrey Philp (all Jamaican), Lemn Sissay (British Ethiopian), Warsan Shire (Somali), Mukoma Wa Ngugi (Kenyan), Nick Makoha (Ugandan), Leeto Thale (South African) and Jamal Safari (Congolese).
Also taking part will be Emman Egya Sule (Nigerian), Nii Ayikwei Parkes (Ghana), Dean Atta (British Jamaican) and Chioma Okereke (Nigerian)
Global writing talent heads to Bath for major literature festival | Bath Business News:
'via Blog this'
June 17, 2013
Feeling the Love at the Anancy Festival 2013
It
wasn't Father's Day and they weren't my children, but I could feel the love at
the Anancy Festival on Saturday at
the South Regional/Broward College Library.
The
workshop, Anancy
Writes Poetry, and the reading from The
Christmas Dutch Pot Baby were well attended. I was happy that my friends, Andrea Shaw,
Malachi Smith, and Michele Fievre--all published writers--participated in the
workshop and read unfinished pieces for the audience.
The
children, of course, stole the show with wonderfully imagined poems that they
were able to write by the end of the workshop.
The
reading from The Christmas Dutch Pot Baby
was a success and fulfilled my mission for writing children's books: to get Jamaican
parents and children together to read a book that has characters that look and
sound like us. The parents readily appreciated the subtle irony of the title because of the associations of Dutch
pots with Jamaican colorism in a story I like to call "the redemption of
Dutchie."
The
children loved the story and were in awe of the graphics. It felt so good to
say, "My daughter drew all the pictures!" To which a young asked,
"Is she in art school?"
Thank
you to all the parents and children who came to the workshop and the reading.
Thanks also to the organizers of the Anancy Festival, Andrea Shaw and Xavier
Murphy, for inviting me to read and to conduct the workshop. I'd be remiss if I
did not include Valrie Simpson and the South/ Regional/Broward College Library
for opening their doors to the festival and providing a space for the
community. Much blessings.
I'm
looking forward to Anancy Festival 2014!
June 13, 2013
Anancy Festival: Common Core Standards
My upcoming contributions to the Anancy Festival may be
of special interest to educators. The two activities, A
Poet’s Toolbox and Grandpa
Sydney’s Anancy Stories, meet the Common
Core Standards for Literacy and Multicultural Literacy:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy
(RL.3.1CCSS.ELA-Literacy; RL.3.2CCSS.ELA-Literacy; RL.3.3CCSS.ELA-Literacy; RL.3.4CCSS.ELA-Literacy; RL.3.5CCSS.ELA-Literacy; RL.3.6CCSS.ELA-Literacy; RL.3.7CCSS.ELA-Literacy; RL.3.9CCSS.ELA-Literacy; RL.3.10)
(CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3; CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3a
; CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3b ;CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3c ; CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3d
; CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.4 ; CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.5; CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.6
;CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.7 ; CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.8 ; CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.10 )
MulticulturalLiteracy
(RL.9-10.6.;RI.9-10.7.;W.9-10.2.;W.9-10.4.;W.9-10.5.;W.9-10.6.;W.9-10.7.;
W.9-10.8.;SL.9-10.4.;SL.9-10.5.;SL.9-10.6.;RH.9-10.6.;WHST.9-10.6.)
As a preview, Grandpa
Sydney’s Anancy Stories, which as a part of a bullying series on WAMC won "Special Mention" from the
Associated Press (http://www.wamc.org/post/wamc-wins-19th-annual-communicator-awards),
is available for a free download until June 15, 2013.
Here’s the link for the free download of Grandpa Sydney’s Anancy Stories: http://goo.gl/kjUHP
Hope to see you there!
***
June 12, 2013
Anancy Writes Poetry!
For the upcoming Anancy Festival, I’ve gone back into my folders from my days as a “Bicycle Poet” (see below) and updated an exercise that should enable parents and children to write a poem by the end of the presentation. The exercise should also be of interest to educators who are interested in meeting Common Core State Standards: Literacy and Multicultural Literacy.
I won’t tell you how it’s done—you’ll have to come to the festival for that--but the primary goal is to have parents and children working together on an imaginative project—which is what the Anancy Festival is all about: Family Fun!
Hope to see you there!
June 15th, 2013
Time: 12:00 noon – 5:00 pm
South Regional/Broward College Library
7300 Pines Boulevard, Pembroke Pines, FL 33024
Admission: Free
Contact: Andrea Shaw (andreaeshaw@yahoo.com) or Xavier Murphy (info@anancyfestival.com)
June 11, 2013
ANNUAL SUNRISE CEREMONY REMEMBERS ANCESTORS AND MIDDLE PASSAGE
On
Sunday morning, June 23, 2013, beginning at 5:45 a.m., Miami’s Annual Sunrise Ancestral Remembrance of the
Middle Passage Ceremony will be held at Historic Virginia Key Beach Park,
4020 Virginia Beach Drive (off Rickenbacker Causeway), on Virginia Key
island. (The entrance to the Historic
Beach Park is a left turn at the second traffic signal on the island, just
before the Bear Cut Bridge to Key Biscayne.
Gates will open at 5:30 a.m.)
Remembering and Giving Thanks
The
Ceremony, now in its 24th year, pays tribute to all Ancestors who
endured the Middle Passage (or so-called Atlantic “slave trade”): the millions of
men, women, and children who senselessly perished, and those who survived to
give life to present and future generations.
It
also honors and gives thanks to the Ancestors of these lands (including the
three who were killed at this very site on the island during the Second
Seminole War), through an “Opening of the Way” Native American ritual performed
by Carib Tribal Indian Queen Mrs. Catherine Hummingbird Ramirez, a longtime
advocate who was highly instrumental in saving the Miami Circle.
Historical Connections
The
Annual Ceremony, which is held on the Sunday closest to the summer solstice,
has come to be linked over the years with the growing nationwide observance of
Juneteenth, the June 19 commemoration of the date in 1865 on which the last of
the enslaved population in the US, in East Texas, received word of the
Emancipation Proclamation, and therefore marks the true end of slavery.
It
should be also noted that Historic Virginia Key Beach Park is a fondly
remembered, recently restored environmental and historic treasure, which was
once Miami’s only legal “Colored Beach” during the segregation era, which
brought together all neighborhoods and social classes at a site of rare scenic
beauty.
All Are Welcome
Aside
from the Native American blessing and the traditional African pouring of a
libation, the Ceremony is a very informal gathering at which all are welcome to
share thoughts, prayers, art and artifacts, performances, and offerings of
fruits, grains, flowers, and other appropriate items which are carried out to
the ocean to culminate the event. Drums,
music, and refreshments to be shared among participants are also welcome.
Admission
is free and open to the public. (There
is a $1.75 toll per vehicle on Rickenbacker Causeway.) For further information: 305-904-7620 or
786-260-1246.
***
http://www.causes.com/actions/1722148-urge-congress-to-exonerate-civil-rights-leader-marcus-garvey
We are also petitioning President Barack Obama to exonerate Marcus Garvey:
http://signon.org/sign/exonerate-marcus-garvey?source=c.url&r_by=4631897
Thank you for your support.
Free Download: Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories
In celebration of the Anancy Festival 2013, Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories is available for a #FREE download from June 11-15, 2013.
About Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories.
Jimmy Harrison loves school and his favorite subject is snack time! But when a new boy, Kevin, joins his class, he begins to pick on Jimmy and the rest of the children. What’s worse, he begins to take away Jimmy’s snacks. Jimmy doesn't want to be a tattletale, but he also doesn’t want to be bullied. When Grandpa Sydney finds out that Jimmy is being bullied, he reads an Anancy story to Jimmy. Will the story help Jimmy to overcome Kevin's bullying?
Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories is available exclusively at Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/Grandpa-Sydneys-Anancy-Stories-ebook/dp/B009JYLDZO/ref=la_B001K819L0_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1349178428&sr=1-14
Please share the good news!
***
June 10, 2013
An Open Letter to Senator Bill Nelson and Representative Frederica Wilson
Dear
Senator Bill Nelson and Representative Frederica Wilson,
On
January 6, 2013, the Coalition for the Exoneration of Marcus Garvey began a
petition drive with a goal of collecting 10,000 signatures:
On January 10, 2007, Representative Charles Rangel
introduced H. Con. Res. 24 to the 110th Congress: "Expressing the sense of
the Congress that the President should grant a pardon to Marcus Mosiah Garvey
to clear his name and affirm his innocence of crimes for which he was unjustly
prosecuted and convicted." This bill didn't make it out of committee.
We, the undersigned, are requesting the assistance of
our representatives in reintroducing the resolution with the following change
in the wording: "Expressing the sense of the Congress that the President
should exonerate Marcus Mosiah Garvey to clear his name and affirm his
innocence of crimes for which he was unjustly prosecuted and convicted."
We urge Congress to take action and reintroduce H.Con.Res. 24 to exonerate
Marcus Mosiah Garvey.
In fewer than five months, we have reached our
goal and would like to deliver the petition to you or your representative at an
appropriate date and time during Caribbean –American Heritage Month.
We
look forward to hearing from you.
Yours
truly,
The
Coalition for the Exoneration of Marcus Garvey
***
Urge Congress to
Exonerate Civil Rights Leader Marcus Garvey
10,241 PEOPLE SIGNED THE
PETITION*
To: Senator Bill Nelson, Representative
Frederica Wilson, and the Congress of the United States of America.
Marcus Garvey
Marcus Mosiah Garvey, a leader in the human
rights movement for people of African descent, was unjustly convicted for
crimes he did not commit. Congress should correct this historic injustice and
exonerate Marcus Garvey.
Issues: human rights, justice, exoneration, civil rights and liberties
Location: Miami Gardens, FL
*May 31, 2013
The Coalition for the Exoneration of Marcus Garvey is petitioning Senator Bill Nelson, Representative Frederica Wilson, and the Congress of the United States of America for the exoneration of Marcus Garvey:
http://www.causes.com/actions/1722148-urge-congress-to-exonerate-civil-rights-leader-marcus-garvey
We are also petitioning President Barack Obama to exonerate Marcus Garvey:
http://signon.org/sign/exonerate-marcus-garvey?source=c.url&r_by=4631897
Thank you for your support..
June 5, 2013
Now in 8 Cities: Anancy Festival 2013
The Anancy Festival will be held in eight cities from the USA to Jamaica to Africa in June 2013. The event takes place in the following eight cities: Orlando, Ft Lauderdale, Washington DC, Atlanta, New York, Nairobi (Kenya), Accra (Ghana) and Kingston (Jamaica). The event will be simulcast between each city giving attendees an opportunity to see performances at different locations.
The Anancy Festival, named for Anansi, the West African trickster of folklore, is a celebration of Caribbean-American culture that’s geared toward children and teens. The festival provides a unique way for youngsters to learn about their cultural heritage and experience a rich collection of stories, music and dance. This year the film One People, a documentary celebrating Jamaica’s 50th anniversary of independence, will be shown at selected locations.
Last year’s festival was held in 5 cities and drew over 600 attendants in Pembroke Pines FL.
For more information about the 2013 Anancy Festival visit the website at http://www.anancyfestival.com or our Facebook page at http://facebook.com/anancyfestival.
For more information about the 2012 Anancy Festival visit the website at or our Facebook page at http://facebook.com/anancyfestival.,
June 4, 2013
1 Minute Book Review: Every Boy Should Have a Man by Preston Allen
Name of the book: Every
Boy Should Have a Man
Author:
Preston L. Allen
Publisher:
Akashic Books
What's the book about?
In a world
where Oafs are at the top of the food chain and humans have become pets, what
happens when a "female man" wanders into the life of a poor, young
oaf?
Why am I reading the book?
Preston
Allen is one of the most gifted writers working in Miami. Read all of his
books. You will not be disappointed.
Quote from the book: [Description of the mans] "In
color, they ranged from the crystalline pale of a sea bell to the golden
yellow-brown of a burnt met stick...And their noses! They were generously bulbous, impertinently pointed, gallantly winged, impudently pugged, or nobly sloping like an oaf's."
Where to buy: http://www.amazon.com/Every-Boy-Should-Have-ebook/dp/B00CAZ49BE/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1
Preston L.
Allen grew up in Boston and Miami, where as a latchkey eldest brother of five
he learned to tell stories to entertain the others and keep them from bouncing
off the walls while their parents were at work.
A recipient
of a State of Florida Individual Artist Fellowship in Fiction and winner of the
Sonja H. Stone Prize in Literature, he is author of the short story collection Churchboys and Other Sinners (Carolina
Wren Press 2003) and the novels All or
Nothing (Akashic 2007) and Jesus Boy
(Akashic 2010), which "O the Oprah
Magazine" listed as one of "Ten More Titles to Read Now,"
Dennis Lehane called "a tender masterpiece," and about which the New York Times proclaimed, "no one
does church sexy like Allen."
His short
stories have appeared in numerous literary journals and have been anthologized
in Miami Noir, Las Vegas Noir, Brown
Sugar, Wanderlust, Making the Hook Up, and Here We Are: an Anthology of South Florida Writers.
His latest
novel, Every Boy Should Have a Man,
which has been called by Booklist
"Imaginative, versatile, and daring," is about, well, boys in a fictive
world who own men as pets.
He holds a
BA in English from the University of Florida and an MFA in creative writing
from Florida International University. He lives and teaches writing in South
Florida.
***
I've
modified this format from One Minute Book Reviews:
http://oneminutebookreviews.wordpress.com/
***
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)