"Shepherds flock round the manger" by Pamela Mordecai

Shepherds flock round the manger

Den some shepherd, seven or eight of dem,

come round, say dem was in de field

wid dem flock and dem get a big fright

when a angel appear out of a great light

so bright likl most it blind dem.

And because dem did know

is Jah-Jah miracle, dem frighten for so!

But angel smile and say dem mustn’t fraid

for de good news him bring

going make people on earth

jump for joy. So of course,

everybody well eager to hear.

Angel say a baby just now born

into David city is Saviour,

Emmanuel, de Anointed One.

And him give dem a sign. Him say dem

going find de baby wrap up tight

in warm clothes lying down in a animal trough.

And same time a big crowd of angel

join up wid de first one. Dem all

praising God and singing,

“Glory to Jah up high in de heavens!

Peace to all down here pon de earth

dat please him!” Talk about a story!

Dem say soon as de angel dem gone

dem set out to look for de baby.

So me show dem my likl boy child,

him face smiling wid sense.

No pikni me know have two eye open so

studying de world right as him born!

All dis while me did glean wid my nose

de liklest shepherd was frighten so bad

him pee up himself. When dem reach,

him did come to de front to look on

de baby, den him hide at de back,

for him shame. So me call him, “Eli!”

(How me know de boy name, Jah to tell!)

“Come, Eli. You want hold de baby?”

When me hand him de child,

him look down on Jesus and him face

catch a fi re like somebody strike it

wid a flint. And same time

sweet algum fill de air

all around and boy and baby flare

in a bright candle glow.

de Book of Mary is now available @ Amazon:

 http://tinyurl.com/perf7lo

de Book of Mary is an epic poem in Jamaican Creole based on the Biblical story of Mary, Joseph and Jesus. The first book of a trilogy, Pamela Mordecai's, de Book of Mary covers Mary's life from her early years, through the arrival of the Archangel Gabriel and the birth of Yeshua, to her death. 

A Chorus of male and female voices provides an accompanying commentary. This exciting Canadian-Jamaican retelling, profound and tragic, yet told with humour and gusto, is a major event, continuing Mordecai's project of hybridizing one of the most significant cultural-religious phenomena in world history. The last book of the trilogy, de Man, about the crucifixion of Jesus, was published by Sister Vision Press in 1995 and is now out of print. The poet is currently working on de book of Joseph, second book of the trilogy.

About Pamela Mordecai

Pamela ('Pam') Mordecai’s previous collections of poetry include Journey Poem (1989); de Man, a performance poem (1995); Certifiable (2001); The True Blue of Islands (2005), and Subversive Sonnets(2012). de book of Mary, from which “Jesus Takes Leave of Mary and Goes  into the Desert” comes, will appear in fall, 2015. In 2006 she published Pink Icing, a collection of short stories; her first novel, Red Jacket, appeared in February, 2015. 

She has edited and co-edited ground-breaking anthologies of Caribbean writing including Jamaica Woman (1980, 1985, with Mervyn Morris); From Our Yard: Jamaican Poetry since Independence (1987); Her True-True Name: An Anthology of Women's Writing from the Caribbean (1989, with Betty Wilson) and Calling Cards: New Poetry from Caribbean/ Canadian Women(2005). Her play, El Numero Uno had its world premiere at the Loraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People in Toronto in 2010. In spring 2014, she was a fellow at the prestigious Yaddo artists' community in upstate New York yaddo.org. Pam and her family immigrated to Canada in 1994. She lives with her husband, Martin, in Kitchener, Ontario

"Mary has a baby boy" by Pamela Mordecai

Mary has a baby boy

Well next thing you know,

de Roman emperor name Caesar

Augustus send out a instruction

dem must count all-o-we!

Dat time in Syria, one man name

Quirinius was governor.

Dem send orders dat every man jack

must find himself back to de town

where him born to write him name

down into a book. So Joseph

set off from Nazareth town where him live

in Galilee country and go to de city of David

what dem call Bethlehem, for is where

him family come from. Him take me

wid him, no mind me big wid baby,

for him say is him response for de two of we.

We leave Judith and Sarah

wid my ma and pa.

At de self same time when we reach

to Bethlehem, dis baby

decide him coming too.

Joseph ask for a room at de inn

but de place pack up right to de brim,

not one likl corner nor crack leave over.

Me sorry for Joseph! Him look high,

him look low till him find a stable and is dere

me born Jesus, wrap him in warm clothes,

give him a first taste of my breast,

and like how we never have no crib, settle him

in de dumb animal feeding box.

***

de Book of Mary is now available @ Amazon:

 http://tinyurl.com/perf7lo

de Book of Mary is an epic poem in Jamaican Creole based on the Biblical story of Mary, Joseph and Jesus. The first book of a trilogy, Pamela Mordecai's 
de Book of Mary covers Mary's life from her early years, through the arrival of the Archangel Gabriel and the birth of Yeshua, to her death. 

A Chorus of male and female voices provides an accompanying commentary. This exciting Canadian-Jamaican retelling, profound and tragic, yet told with humour and gusto, is a major event, continuing Mordecai's project of hybridizing one of the most significant cultural-religious phenomena in world history. The last book of the trilogy, de Man, about the crucifixion of Jesus, was published by Sister Vision Press in 1995 and is now out of print. The poet is currently working on de book of Joseph, second book of the trilogy.


About Pamela Mordecai

Pamela ('Pam') Mordecai’s previous collections of poetry include Journey Poem (1989); de Man, a performance poem (1995); Certifiable (2001); The True Blue of Islands (2005), and Subversive Sonnets(2012). de book of Mary, from which “Jesus Takes Leave of Mary and Goes  into the Desert” comes, will appear in fall, 2015. In 2006 she published Pink Icing, a collection of short stories; her first novel, Red Jacket, appeared in February, 2015. She has edited and co-edited ground-breaking anthologies of Caribbean writing including Jamaica Woman (1980, 1985, with Mervyn Morris); From Our Yard: Jamaican Poetry since Independence (1987); Her True-True Name: An Anthology of Women's Writing from the Caribbean (1989, with Betty Wilson) and Calling Cards: New Poetry from Caribbean/ Canadian Women(2005). Her play, El Numero Uno had its world premiere at the Loraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People in Toronto in 2010. In spring 2014, she was a fellow at the prestigious Yaddo artists' community in upstate New York yaddo.org. Pam and her family immigrated to Canada in 1994. She lives with her husband, Martin, in Kitchener, Ontario.

My Ideal Schedule: Miami Book Fair International

Havana and Haiti: Two Cultures, One Community
An Evening with Robert B. Reich
World’s Smallest Poetry Reading: An O, Miami Party
A Special Evening With 2015 Man Booker Prize-winner Marlon James
An Evening With Gary Snyder
Authors Congressman John Lewis, and Andrew Aydin
An Evening With the National Book Awards Winners, Finalists, and Longlisted Authors
Four 2015 National Book Award Finalists in Poetry: A Reading
True Tales of Miami Hip Hop
Voices of the Caribbean: New Poetry
Cultivating the New American Canon
On American Civil Rights: March: Book Two
Caribbean Literature: The Steel Pan of the 21st Century
American Lives: Memoirs from Literary Greats
Hair: A Cultural Exploration
It’s All Greek Heroes to Me!
Land of Upheaval: A Literary Journey Through Haiti’s Modern History
Four Poets: A Reading
City Lights Publishers at 60
In Search of Our Roots: Genealogy and the African Diaspora
Bridges to/from Cuba
New Poems: A Reading
Saved by the Sunshine State: Writers Find Themselves in Florida
Two U.S. Poets Laureate: A Reading and Conversation
Two Trailblazers in Music
Sven Birkerts in Conversation with Albert Goldbarth: Reading in a Digital Age
Short Stories, Tall Tales
Poems: Readings from New Books
American Lives: Two Memoirs

To create your own schedule, visit: http://miamibookfair.com/

The Miami Book Fair International, 2015

More than 200 national and international book exhibitors and publishers, bestselling authors, artists, entertainers, and food vendors will participate in the Street Fair Weekend as part of the 32nd Miami Book Fair,  the largest and finest literary event in the U.S., presented by Miami Dade College (MDC). The Street Fair runs Friday – Sunday, Nov. 20 – 22, from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.


The Street Fair brings together all the elements of the Fair during one jam-packed weekend! In addition to the more than 200 publishers and exhibitors, there will be book presentations and readings by some of the world’s most celebrated authors and poets, representing various genres and in multiple languages. The Swamp, a pop-up lounge and stage, and The Porch, the central gathering place for the Fair, will feature round-the-clock performances, live music, poetry readings, theater, and more. In addition, there are literacy and learning activities for children/tweens/teens during Generation Genius Days and The Kitchen will offer demos and panels for food enthusiasts in partnership with the MDC’s Miami Culinary Institute. The International Food Court at the southeast corner of 3rd St. and 1st Ave. will offer a variety of treats, including shish kabobs, frozen lemonade, crepes, ice cream, and more.   
This year, the Fair will also host several celebrities, including John Leguizamo, Rosie Perez, Paul Giammatti, Jesse Eisenberg, and Kunal Nayyar, as well as hip-hop legends Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell, Christopher “Fresh Kid Ice" Wong Won and FAB 5 FREDDY, among others.
Admission to the Street Fair is free Friday, Nov. 20. General admission Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 21 – 22, is $8; admission for those 13-18 or over 62 is $5; those 12 and under are admitted free. The Street Fair will be located on N.E. 2nd Ave. between N. 3rd St. and N. 5th St., and along adjacent side streets. The Street Fair is presented with the generous support of OHL Arellano Construction.  
"OHL-Arellano takes pride in giving back to the community by supporting the Miami Book Fair, internships, philanthropic and educational programs,” said Alicia Cuervo, Regional Director for OHL-Arellano Construction. “We believe that philanthropic endeavors are the private sectors' opportunity to look at our past for lessons and inspiration while looking forward to successful projects and events like the Miami Book Fair that enrich our community.
For a complete list of Street Fair exhibitors and activities, please visit the Miami Book Fair site and download the printable guide at www.miamibookfair.com..

The North Coast Writing Retreat: Grande Riviére, Trinidad, 7-10th January, 2016

The course is a three-day intensive which will include master classes in life writing, with Monique Roffey, and poetry, with Loretta Collins Klobah.

Held on the Caribbean island of Trinidad, the retreat is for writers who have experience of work-shopping their work, and have either been published or are working towards publication. Morning workshops will be given over to poetry and afternoons will be centered on life writing. The two strands of writing workshops are intended to weave together and complement each other. There will also be time to work on your own writing, and evenings will feature readings from students and discussions about the creative writing process. The course is open to 16 participants.

APPLICATION GUIDELINES

To apply, 1) submit either two poems or 2000 words of life writing (or both) and 2) a short resume of your writing experience to date to moniqueroffey@gmail.com Once your application has been accepted, booking is done via Mt. Plaisir Estate Hotel, Grande Riviére at maktoub@mac.com. You will need to liaise with Piero Guerrini at Mt. Plaisir Estate Hotel, for transport from Piarco International Airport, Trinidad, to Grande Riviére.  A welcome dinner at the hotel is at 7 p.m. on Thursday night, 7th January, and we will start out first informal session at 8:30 pm. Please aim to be at the hotel in time for the Thursday night dinner.

The cost of the retreat is $TT 900 per day (including tuition, accommodation and meals) or $TT2700 for three days (£280 British pounds or USD $420 in total). Accommodation is shared and en suite. Single occupancy will be available at an added cost.

About the tutors:

Both tutors have many years of teaching experience.

Loretta Collins Klobah is poet and professor of Creative Writing and Caribbean Literature at the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan. She has published poems in many regional and international literary journals. Her poetry collection, The Twelve-Foot Neon Woman received the 2012 OCM Bocas Award for Caribbean Literature in the category of poetry (Trinidad and Tobago). It was also one of five books shortlisted for the 2012 Felix Dennis Prize, offered by Forward Arts Foundation in the UK. She has received a Pushcart Prize and the Earl Lyons Award from the American Academy of Poets.

Monique Roffey is a writer and creative writing tutor, who has taught at COSTAATT in Port of Spain, Goldsmiths College, London, for the Guardian/UEA Master classes, The Arvon Foundation and privately in Trinidad. She is the author of four novels and a memoir. Her third novel Archipelago won the OCM Bocas Award for Caribbean Literature in 2013. She has also been short-listed for the Orange Prize, the Encore Award, the Orion Award and the Costa Fiction Prize in 2015. Her work sells in the UK, Caribbean, USA and has been translated into five languages.

Mt. Plaisir Estate is a world-renowned eco-lodge on the north coast of Trinidad. Behind the hotel, there is a small village and rain forest and in front of the hotel is a half-mile of white beach, the nesting destination of thousands of leatherback turtles every year. For more see www.mtplaisir.com

Forthcoming Young Adult novel by Diana McCaulay

Papillote Press is delighted to announce the forthcoming publication of Gone to Drift by the award-winning Jamaican writer Diana McCaulay. This young adult novel, which won second prize in the CODE’s Burt Award for Caribbean Literature (2015), will be published on 29 February 2016.

Gone to Drift tells the story of a 12-year-old Jamaican boy, Lloyd, and his search for his beloved grandfather, a fisherman who is lost at sea. An adventure story about a boy confronted with difficult moral choices it will inspire its readers to choose bravery over cowardice and to follow their hearts. 

"This is my first novel for young adults," says McCaulay, "and as reading meant so much to me as a teenager, I'm hoping Gone to Drift will be read and enjoyed by many Caribbean young people. I wanted to pay tribute to our long tradition of fishermen, and I'm so grateful the Burt Award has made that possible. I'm also thrilled that Gone to Drift will be published by Papillote Press, a Caribbean publishing house which I've long admired." 

Gone to Drift follows on from McCaulay’s two acclaimed novels, Dog-Heart (2010) and Huracan (2012) and is built on her 2012 Regional Commonwealth prize-winning short story, The Dolphin Catchers  (Granta Online). As well as writing, McCaulay founded and, for many years, ran the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET); she was also a popular newspaper columnist. 

As Pamela Mordecai, author of The Red Jacket, sa ys: "Gone to Drift  is a love story about Lloyd's deep affection for his grandfather, and about the author's deep love for Jamaica, its land and seas. A Jamaican coming-of-age story - realistic, often funny and deeply touching - it’s a story for adventurous boys and girls, and for grownups too." 

CODE's Burt Award for Caribbean Literature is an annual award given to English-language literary works for young adults (aged 12 through 18) written by Caribbean authors. Established by CODE - a Canadian NGO that has been supporting literacy and learning for over 55 years - with the generous support of the Literary Prizes Foundation and in partnership with the Bocas Lit Fest, the Award aims to provide  engaging and culturally relevant books for young people across the Caribbean.

Founded in 2011, the Bocas Lit Fest administers major literary prizes for Caribbean authors and organises the annual NGC Bocas Lit Fest, Trinidad and Tobago’s premier literary festival.

Papillote Press, based in Dominica and London, specialises in books about Dominica and the wider Caribbean. “I love this story. It entwines a tale of modern Jamaica with memories of the old ways of the sea. The reader follows Lloyd’s desperate search for his grandfather every step of the way.” says Polly Pattullo, publisher of Papillote Press.

For further information please contact the publisher: info@papillotepress.co.uk

Excerpt from "de book of Mary" by Pamela Mordecai

JESUS TAKES LEAVE OF MARY AND GOES INTO THE DESERT

Plenty hard to believe my son turn
thirty dis winter season just gone!
Not dat me never watch

every minute, each day, as him grow.
But is like you see and you don’t notice,
and den, all of a sudden dis big

somebody hold you face in him hand
kiss you on you forehead,
say, “Mums, I going now.”

Never mind how much time
I protest and ask why him must go
off alone to a place wid no water, no food,

not a green thing to lift him spirit...
“Mums,” him say “why I would
leave dis house, you and Gran, best cook food

in dis town, my sistren and bredren,
and de whole family, plus de woodworking, too,
all I love, if it was up to me?”

I breathe deep, gaze on him
from him head to him toe, one last time.
“See three loaf of new bread I just bake

in dat bag, and a wineskin your gran
send wid Judith daughter dis morning.
She say, send, tell her when you going.

“I going stop by de yard
as I leaving, to tell Gran goodbye.
Big thanks for de eats and de drink,

but you know my food in de wild
going be fasting and prayer, my Mums.
I sure you don’t want my Papa up so...”

and him turn him eye up to de sky,
“to vex wid me right as I start out?”
“Why you can’t pray here, son?

I will keep food and drink far from you.
I will honour your fast. Is a thing I do for
Joseph plenty times when him was still wid us.”

Him bend down and kiss me,
say, “Mums, dis not de worst.
Me must get ready for some dread things.”

When I go to answer, him put one finger on
my lip. “Hush, Mums,” him repeat,
“believe me, if de choosing was mine

I would stay.”
And him look round de room,
touch de big water jug, scuff de rug

wid him foot, take him staff
and walk through de door –
never turn him head round to look back.


From de book of Mary

About Pamela Mordecai

Pamela ('Pam') Mordecai’s previous collections of poetry include Journey Poem (1989); de Man, a performance poem (1995); Certifiable (2001); The True Blue of Islands (2005), and Subversive Sonnets (2012). de book of Mary, from which “Jesus Takes Leave of Mary and Goes  into the Desert” comes, will appear in fall, 2015. In 2006 she published Pink Icing, a collection of short stories; her first novel, Red Jacket, appeared in February, 2015. She has edited and co-edited ground-breaking anthologies of Caribbean writing including Jamaica Woman (1980, 1985, with Mervyn Morris); From Our Yard: Jamaican Poetry since Independence (1987); Her True-True Name: An Anthology of Women's Writing from the Caribbean (1989, with Betty Wilson) and Calling Cards: New Poetry from Caribbean/ Canadian Women (2005). Her play, El Numero Uno had its world premiere at the Loraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People in Toronto in 2010. In spring 2014, she was a fellow at the prestigious Yaddo artists' community in upstate New York yaddo.org. Pam and her family immigrated to Canada in 1994. She lives with her husband, Martin, in Kitchener, Ontario.

Deadline Extended: Interviewing the Caribbean (IC)

Interviewing the Caribbean (IC)—has been founded by Jamaican poet and educator Opal Palmer Adisa. IC seeks poems, stories, creative non-fiction, and visual art in all media that celebrate Caribbean life. Caribbean artists at home and in the Diaspora are invited to participate. Submit by September 5, 2015u, to be included in the inaugural issue along with Junot Diaz, Leroy Clarke, Tamara Natalie Madden, and others. The topic for the inaugural issue is “Intellectual Property” (IP).

Description: “All too often, when it comes to intellectual property, black artists are the ones who lose the rights to their work (The Root, LaToya Peterson, May 15, 2011). Who owns your work? Does it matter? Many are the black creators who have not reaped the monetary benefits of their success. How do you, as a creative voice, ensure that ownership of your work—and the royalties that go with it—accrues to you? In recent years, prominent black artists—and their estates—have challenged intellectual property misappropriation in the courts.

Some well-known cases: The artist formerly known as Prince did battle with Warner Bros. Records for years before winning back ownership of the master tapes for his hit albums. Just this year, Marvin Gaye’s estate challenged Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke on the similarity of their song “Blurred Lines” and Gaye’s “Got to Give it Up”—and won.

Some possibilities to consider: How is the concept of IP experienced by Caribbean artists—writers, visual artists, musicians, and others? How are ideas about IP evolving in Caribbean society at large? What is the future for intellectual property rights for artists in the Caribbean context? (Works that cover other, but related, themes will be considered.)

Please send submissions of writing as Word documents. Visual artists, please send photographs as jpegs at 300 dpi resolution. 

Submit via email to interviewingthecaribbean@gmail.com.

A List of Poetry Books by Jamaican Authors

By Kwame Dawes

After my survey of Jamaican poetry appeared last week, I received many calls from people about how to get hold of some of the key titles by Jamaican poets. Of course, many of the works of these poets are long out of print, but there is a rich range and body of poetry that is still in print and that would reward the time and resources spent to acquire them. Needless to say, this list is an edited list - meaning it is selective and somewhat, though guardedly, subjective. It is, in other words, hardly comprehensive in the same way that the survey was not. It will reflect embarrassing omissions, and for those I apologise in advance.

There are a number of anthologies that feature Jamaican poetry that will offer an even broader range of work to supplement what I have listed here. And for those who are interested in watching some of the poets in action, I strongly encourage you to search out names on YouTube, where most of these poets do appear performing their work. Of special interest in that regard would be anything by Mikey Smith, Jean Binta Breeze, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Owen Blakka Ellis, Lillian Allen, Michael St George, and Staceyann Chin, to name just a few. Finally, a great resource would be The Poetry Archive in the UK, where some of our major poets are featured: (http://www.poetryarchive.org/poet [2]).

JAMAICAN POETRY BOOK SAMPLER

Olive Senior Gardening in the Tropics (Idiomatic, Canada, 2009)

Tony McNeill Chinese Lanterns from the Blue Child (Peepal Tree, UK, 1998)

Lorna Goodison Controlling the Silver (University of Michigan Press, 2006)

George Campbell First Poems (Peepal Tree Press, UK, 2011)

LKJ - Selected Poems (Penguin, UK, 2006)

Geoffrey Philp Florida Bound (Peepal Tree UK, 1998)

Tanya Shirley She Who Sleeps with Bones (Peepal Tree, UK, 2009)

Mervyn Morris - I Been There Sort Of: New and Selected Poems (Carcanet, UK, 2006)

Dennis Scott - Uncle Time (University of Pittsburg Press, US, 1973)

Ishion Hutchison - Far District (Peepal Tree, UK, 2010)

Ann Margaret Lim - Festival of Wild Orchid (Peepal Tree UK, 2013)

Edward Baugh - It Was the Singing (Sandberry Press, JA, 2000)

Velma Pollard - Shame Trees Don't Grow Here (Peepal Tree UK, 1992)

SharaMacallum - The Face of Water: New and Selected Poems (Peepal Tree, UK, 2011)

Jean Binta Breeze - Spring Cleaning (Virago, UK, 1992)

Donna Aza Weir Soley - First Rain (Peepal Tree, 2006)

Millicent Graham - The Damp in Things (Peepal Tree, 2009)

Colin Channer - Providential (Akashic Books, US/ Peepal Tree, UK, 2015)

Kei Miller - Cartographer Tries to Map a Way to Zion (Carcanet, UK 2014)

Mutabaruka - The Next Poems/The First Poems (Paul Issa Publications, 2005)

Neville Dawes - Fugue and Other Writings (Peepal Tree, 2012)

Louise Bennet - Aunty Roachy Seh: Selected Poems (Sangster, 1993

Claude McKay - Complete Poems (University of Illinois, US, 2014)

Mark McMorris - Entrepot (Coffee House Press, US, 2010)

Benjamin Zephaniah Too Black, Too Strong (Bloodaxe Books, UK, 2001)

Pamela Mordecai - Subversive Sonnets (TSAR Publications, Canada, 2012)

Louis Simpson - Struggling Times (BOA US, 2009)

Marcia Douglas - Electricity Cone to Cocoa Bottom (Peepal Tree, UK, 1999)

Opal Palmer Adisa - 4-Headed Woman (Tia Chucha Press, US, 2013)

Ralph Thompson - View from Mount Diablo (Peepal Tree, UK, 2003)

Claudia Rankine - Citizen: An American Lyric (Graywolf Press, US, 2014)

Poetry books by Jamaican authors

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/art-leisure/20150809/poetry-books-jamaican-authors#.VckNg38ZinY.mailto

Happy Birthday, Marcus Garvey!

Harlem, 1918

Passing him in the street, you'd never believe

that this "sawed-off hammered down black man,"

standing on a ladder so he could see above the crowd,

could lift thousands of black men, hard men, dice

men, to their feet-- that this round-faced Negro, 

who looked as if he hadn't eaten anything 

but "sardines, salmon and beans" from a can, 

and with shoes so cracked, you could lose a week's 

pay in the holes. But when he growled 

like one of those Hoodoo men from New Orleans, 

and stretched out his arms as welcoming as the mouth

of the Mississippi, he could have led us through Harlem

to the Nile, and we would have followed him past the white

men's rage when he said, "Rise up, ye, mighty people. Accomplish 

what you will," then, we rejoined, "Speak, Garvey, speak,"

and the Holy Spirit descended on the congregation.

From my forthcoming collection of poems, LETTER FROM MARCUS GARVEY