Showing posts with label South Florida. Show all posts
Showing posts with label South Florida. Show all posts

July 27, 2018

"Write it Now": Creative Writing Workshops With Caribbean Writers


Geoffrey Philp


The Louise Bennett-Coverley-Heritage Council (LBHC) in association with the South Regional/Broward College Library and the friends of the South Regional Broward College Library is pleased to announce its hosting of a one-day writer’s clinic - “Write it Now”- on Saturday, September 8, 2018, 10 am – 5 pm at the South Regional BC Library, 7300 Pines Boulevard, Pembroke Pines, FL 33024.

Three workshops, Fiction, Poetry and Performance Poetry will be held simultaneously and a session on Independent Publishing will be held in the afternoon. The sessions will cover: character and plot development, stage craft and delivery, playing with rhyme and rhythm, and other topics. To celebrate Louise Bennett-Coverley’s iconic contribution to Caribbean literature, the Writer’s Clinic will be taught by four outstanding Caribbean writers who live in Florida.

Christine Craig will host the Poetry clinic. She was born in Jamaica and is a graduate of the University of the West Indies. Her short stories and poems have been published in British, American and Caribbean journals. Described as “One of the Caribbean’s most original and innovative poets” - her poetry collection All Things Bright…and Quadrille for Tigers was published by Peepal Tree Press, UK. Her short story collection Mint Tea and other Stories, and children’s fiction Bird Gang, were published by Heinemann Caribbean.  

Geoffrey Philp,  an award-winning author from Jamaica, will host the Fiction clinic. He has written two novels, two collections of short stories, and three children’s books, His work is represented in nearly every anthology of Caribbean literature including the Oxford Book of Caribbean Short Stories and the Oxford Book of Caribbean Verse.

Malachi Smith is the presenter of the Performance Poetry clinic. He is a fellow of the University of Miami’s Mitchner Caribbean Writer’s Institute, an alumnus of Florida International University, Miami-Dade College and Jamaica School of Drama. Malachi was a founding member of Poets in Unity. He has recorded seven CD collections of his poetry and has read and performed his poetry internationally.

Judith Falloon-Reid will host the Independent Publishing session. She is an author, screenwriter, poet and award-winning film maker. She has several published works to her credit and is the writer and director of two award-wining Jamaican films, The Gift Everlasting and Just Another Friday. Her poetry collection, Screeeem and Riot, was published in 2018. 

Lunch and handouts will be provided compliments of South Regional BC Library and the LBHC. Applicants are required to submit a sample of their writing. For poetry and performance applications, email Malachi at malismith@aol.com .

For Fiction applications, please follow this link: Fiction Workshop
 
                                               

July 20, 2015

Historic Virginia Key Beach Celebration Links Anniversaries of Joy and Pain


By Dinizulu Gene Tinnie

Historic Virginia Key Beach Park (HVKBP), Miami’s restored, reopened, and fondly remembered onetime “Colored Beach” of the segregation era, gained fame in its heyday as a hub of South Florida Black life, bringing together all neighborhoods and social classes, residents and visitors, working folks and celebrities, and family, church, and organizational gatherings large and small, at a remarkably scenic stretch of shoreline along  Bear Cut, the waterway which separates the two islands of Virginia Key and Key Biscayne, where it meets the Atlantic Ocean.

It is perhaps therefore only appropriate that when the Beach celebrates in grand style of the 70th anniversary its official opening on August 1 1945, that celebration on that date will bring together numerous other remembrances, of both triumphs and tragedy which have contributed  importantly to the unique saga known as the Black experience in the Americas. 

What a day indeed August 1 represents in African World history:  Perhaps most famously, in the world beyond our shores, it is Emancipation Day, the date in 1834 that legal slavery officially ended throughout the British Empire, most notably in the Caribbean islands and related colonies. 

That joyous celebration was tempered, however, by two facts:  First, there were technicalities that made freedom a more gradual process; and secondly, the slaveholders were very generously compensated by the British government (at taxpayers’ expense) for their “losses” of an unpaid labor force.

(Interestingly, in very timely fashion, the archival records of all those who received compensation have come to light, revealing the names of some 46,000 British “slave” owners, including ancestors of some of today’s most prominent families and public officials, among whom is Prime Minister David Cameron.)

Nonetheless, a declaration of freedom anywhere is cause for celebration everywhere, especially in the United States, where the nightmare of slavery would persist for another three decades, and so, on August 1, 1842, as throngs of Black people celebrated the 8th anniversary of British Emancipation in Philadelphia, PA, “the City of Brotherly Love,” the peaceful  marchers were attacked by a white (mostly oppressed Irish) mob, thus launching what history known as the Lombard Street Riot, which lasted for three days, with many Black people beaten and their homes looted, and a Black church and Abolitionnist meeting hall burned to the ground. 

Closer to home in both time and geography, in Miami, Florida, the protracted struggle for justice and equality continued into the 20th century with a major victory 70 years ago on August 1, 1945, when Virginia Key Beach was officially opened as an instantly popular Dade County Park for the exclusive use of Negroes, during the Jim Crow segregation days. 

It was a not a victory for integration (that would come later), but for acquiring a “separate and equal” bathing beach for the Colored population where none had existed before, and came in response to a courageous protest and demand issued only months earlier.
The beach would go on to be developed into one of the finest Negro parks in the South, a place oof beauty and joy attracting visiting celebrities, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as well as local residents to amenities that were very close to the equal of those on Crandon Park.

Yet, even as recently established Virginia Key Beach was blossoming into a much-cherished hub of social, cultural, and spiritual activity, August 1, 1947 would enter history as one of Miami’s bleakest days, as on that Sunday, under eminent domain, no less than 35 African American families were forcibly evicted from the Railroad Shop Colored Addition neighborhood, with their possessions hauled out to the street (many of which were destroyed by the rain that evening), to make room for building a new school (present-day Allapattah Middle) and park for White residents. 

There is a movement to rename the school so as to recognize this history, possibly in memory of the late Georgia Jones Ayres, who did more than any individual to ensure that the story was not forgotten, and made known to newcomers to Miami. 

On August 1, 2915, the past struggles for justice and equality, particularly of African Americans and Native Americans (the earliest recorded history of Virginia Key Beach is of the killing of three Seminoles  at the site by U.S. forces in 1838), will be remembered in the most effective way, with a joyous celebration that pays tribute to the generations before us who passed on the gift of life and unprecedented opportunities, and a legacy to younger generations, some of whom are creating their own fond memories today.

The day-long celebration, which is free and open to the public (but with Sunpass toll on Rickenbacker Causeway, and a parking fee of $8 per vehicle), will feature free amusement rides, exhibitions entertainment, a vintage car show, and much more.

For further information, please call 305-960-4600.


Dinizulu Gene Tinnie is Chair of the City of Miami Virginia Key Beach Park Trust


Image: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article20608311.html


December 16, 2013

StoryMOOC: Grandpa Sydney’s First Christmas in South Florida


I’ve just completed Creative Task#6 for a MOOC at iversity.org, “The Future of Storytelling.

Grandpa Sydney’s First Christmas in South Florida

Logline: Grandpa Sydney, who has just come up from Jamaica to live in South Florida, discovers the Christmas Spirit in his new homeland.

In order to complete my task, I used the characters from Grandpa Sydney’s Anancy Stories (Grandpa Sydney; Winston Harrison, Grandpa Sydney’s son; Donna Harrison, Winston’s wife; and Jimmy Harrison, Winston and Donna’s son) to create this virtual scavenger hunt.

Grandpa Sydney's First Christmas in South Florida is a combination of location based (set in South Florida) and  transmedia storytelling (posts in Tumblr, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and my blog)


The Backstory

"I don't feel the Christmas Spirit in Miami," said Grandpa Sydney. "Where will I meet people who will come together to celebrate the holiday? Where will I get Christmas cake? Go to a church service to hear my favorite hymns and carols? Where do friends gather?"

"We'll see," said Winston as he held Donna's hand and drew Jimmy close to his side.

The next day, Winston, Donna, and Jimmy woke up early and left this clue for Grandpa Sydney on their Christmas tree.




Clue #1: “Want to meet Santa, Mrs. Claus, the elves, and have a lot fun this weekend? Come to this college in Miami. One of Santa’s helpers will give you the next clue.”



Grandpa Sydney searched through the crowds at Miami Dade College's Annual Christmas Holiday. People from all over the community brought their families to celebrate Christmas. 

In one of the many tents, Grandpa Sydney saw a Steel Pan Orchestra playing “Guantanamera,” Disney Fairy Tales characters and a friend of the family with Ms. Claus.

With the help of one of Santa’s helpers, Grandpa Sydney saw the many sights and sounds of the Annual Christmas Holiday at the North Campus of Miami Dade College. She also gave him a clue for the next location.



“Santa is a ___________? That’s the name of the restaurant where you can get Christmas cake…”


Location #3. Nice Mon Restaurant

Jamaican Christmas Cake


After picking up a delicious Christmas cake that Winston had bought for him, Grandpa Sydney read the clue that his family had left on the counter.

Clue #3: “Joseph, Mary and Jesus are the ____________? Follow this clue to learn about the meaning of Christmas and listen to Jamaican Christmas cantatas.”


Location #4. Holy Family Church, Miami Gardens

"Oh, we'll have a wonderful Christmas service," said Father Ward. "You will feel as if you never left Jamaica."

"Thank you, Father," said Grandpa Sydney. "I'll be back on Christmas Day."

"I'll be looking out for you," said Father Ward and he shook Grandpa Sydney's hand.

After visiting the chapel at Holy Family Church, Grandpa Sydney read the next clue that Winston, Donna, and Jimmy had left for him in the garden.



Winston, Donna, and Jimmy left a clue in the garden.



Clue#4: “You can walk and enjoy the sights and sounds of Christmas at this beach. Invite all your friends who’ve helped you throughout the year for a party here…”




What better place to have a Christmas party than on a beach in South Florida? Grandpa Sydney, Winston, Jimmy, Donna and all their friends had a wonderful party at Hallandale Beach.


The friends brought gifts for the children and strung lights around the palm trees. The family and friends sang "O Come All Ye Faithful," "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," "The First Noel," and Grandpa Sydney’s favorite, “The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy.”



And did they eat! They had salads, ham, roasted hen, curried goat, stuffed bell peppers, and rice with gungo (pigeon) peas. And, of course, Christmas cake and sorrel.





"Thank you, Winston," said Grandpa Sydney. "I never thought I'd be able to celebrate Christmas like I used to in Jamaica. I think I'm going to enjoy living here in South Florida."

Jimmy ran up to Grandpa Sydney and hugged him around his neck. Then, Winston and Donna came beside him and they all wished each other, "Merry Christmas!"


***

Here were the rules for Creative Task Week #6

1. Pick 3-5 locations in a two mile radius that you know very well. (e.g. a tree, a building, a church tower, …, whatever you like)
2. Take the character you created in Chapter #3 (or create a new one if you prefer).
3. Use both, the locations and characters to tell a little site-specific, location-based story. (One example is shown below.)

The Complete Package:

4. Go out and lay out the traces at your chosen locations.
5. Just post a logline (a summary of your game in just 1 line/sentence) here/on the web together with a description of your starting point, so others can actually find and play/follow your location-based story/game.
6. Play & experience! : )


Give thanks to Xavier Murphy, Donna Aza Weir-Soley, Josett Peat, Jason Walker, Eulett McKnight-Samms, Euphemia Napier, Nice Mon Restaurant, Father Horace D. Ward, Michael Mason (Ms. Claus), Nora Dawkins, Sara Alegria, and Estrella Iglesias for help with my homework.

Merry Christmas!


November 7, 2013

A Few Questions for the Children @ Jamaican Tales

Anancy

One of the most enjoyable aspects of my vocation is to witness the magical moments when students make new connections.

I'm hoping that the children at Jamaican Tales  at HistoryMiami will be able to make connections between Bob Marley and Anancy and Jamaican culture.

In order to help the children see the connections between the Anancy story and Bob Marley at the Bob Marley: Messenger exhibition, I've prepared a few questions that I hope will spark the "aha" moment:


  • How many people have seen the Bob Marley exhibition?
  • What did you like about the exhibition?
  • How many of you have heard about Anancy?
  • Who is Anancy? Where is Anancy from?
  • How did Anancy come to Jamaica and the Caribbean?
  • What was the first Anancy story you heard?
  • Why did the elders tell Anancy stories?
  • What is the Anancy known for?
  • What did you learn from the story?
  • How are Anancy and Bob Marley alike?



Even if you're not able to join us, I hope the questions will spark a few synapses as you enjoy Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories, which can be downloaded for free @ Amazon:



The offer lasts until November 9, 2013.

November 5, 2013

Free Download of Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories


As part of the Bob Marley: Messenger exhibition, Gerald Hausman and I will be reading Jamaican Tales at HistoryMiami on November 9, 2013.

To celebrate the reading, I am offering free downloads of my children's ebook, Grandpa Sydney’s Anancy Stories (children’s fiction).

Here's the link for the free ebook, Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories:


http://www.amazon.com/Grandpa-Sydneys-Anancy-Stories-Geoffrey-ebook/dp/B009JYLDZO/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1383414876&sr=8-11&keywords=geoffrey+philp


You don't have to own a Kindle to read the book. Here is the link to download the app to your computer or any smartphone:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?docId=1000493771

The offer ends at midnight on November 9, 2013.



Geoffrey Philp @Jamaican Tales

2:00—3:00 p.m
.
November 9, 2013

HistoryMiami

101 West Flagler Street

Miami, Florida 33130

***