Round-up: 37th Annual West Indian Literature Conference

"Miami Extensions: 305 Creativity, Alive and Thriving"

(L-R )Jason Fitzroy Jeffrers, Filmmaker, Co Founder of Third Horizon Caribbean Film Festival; Maria Ketsia Theodore-Pharel, Author of Rope; Caridad Moro-Gronlier, Author  of Visionware; Dr. Patricia J. Saunders, University of Miami.

There are conferences, and then, there are Conferences. The 37th Annual West Indian Literature Conference was one of the best Conferences that I’ve ever attended. The program offerings were diverse, fascinating, and riveting with a remarkable blend  of lectures for critics and creative writers.

"Publishing Workshop for Creative Writers"

Johnny Temple, Publisher, Akashic Books, Brooklyn, New York

I got to meet many of the writers and critics whose work I’ve always admired, but with whom I’ve never broken bread. 

 

  (L-R) Oonya Kempadoo, Author of Tide Running, Ifeona Fulani, Author Seasons of Dust, Nelly Rosario, Author of Song of the Water Saints.

 “Caribbean Women’s Textile/Textual Practices as Archives of Memory and Mourning”
Rachel L. Mordecai, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

"Frame Work: Imaging and the Afterlife of Things"
Kevin  Adonis Browne, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Author of High Mas,
The Caribbean Memory Project

 “An Aesthetics of Federation and a Federation of Aesthetics: West Indian Literature and the Project of Regional Unity”

Alison Donnell, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom

The Caribbean Literary Heritage

“Manscapes: Grooming New Jamaican Iconography”
Isis Semaj-Hall, University of the West Indies, Mona

“After the Collaboration: The Kamau Brathwaite Bibliography"
Kelly Baker Josephs, The City University of New York

 

And then, on Friday night, there was the public performance of Zong! by M. NourbeSe Phillips for the Africans lost in the Maafa. Imagine a host of Caribbean writers, all dressed in white, descending on Historic Virginia Key Beach—the Black Beach-- to offer benedictions for the ancestors and you will have some idea of the moment.

M. NourbeSe Phillips, Author of Zong!

One of the highlights of the Conference was the lecture by Lizabeth Paravisini-Gebert (Vassar College), “The Debris of Caribbean History: Literature. Art, and Archipelagic Plastic,” in which she masterfully wove the ecologic degradation of the Caribbean to the legacy of imperialism and showed how plastic is being used by artists and writers, including Derek Walcott and Kamau Brathwaite as metaphors of colonial trauma.

 “The Debris of Caribbean History: Literature. Art, and Archipelagic Plastic,”

Lizabeth Paravisini-Gebert (Vassar College)
Repeating Islands 

Give thanks to Pat Saunders & her team for hosting the 37th Annual West Indian Literature Conference, which brought together academics and writers to discuss issues that are essential to our understanding of Caribbean literature and a framework for moving ahead into the brave new digital world of text production, critiques, and archival.

Patricia J. Saunders, Associate Professor, Department of English

On a personal note, I would like to thank Pat for inviting me to launch Garvey's Ghost at the conference and giving me the space to introduce my work to professional critics, professors, and graduate students. It is a memory I will always cherish. 

Bless up, Pat. You have done a mighty, mighty work

37th Annual Meeting of the West Indian Literature Conference

October 4-6, 2018

Hosted by:
Hemispheric Caribbean Studies (HCS)
 University of Miami
Newman Alumni Center
6200 San Amaro Drive, Coral Gables, Florida, USA

 

This year’s conference recognizes the vast routes/roots that link the Caribbean to the hemisphere and the globe. As many writers and literary scholars have noted, the immense bodies of water that appear to isolate belie the currents that intimately connect, and at times, destroy shelter, lands, and peoples. Deploying Arjun Appadurai’s concept of “scapes” that work to enable the exchange of ideas and information, we hope to engage a breadth of issues relevant to Caribbeanists in the region and its diasporas. Throughout the conference our aim will be to explore the intersections between disciplinary approaches to problems that are borne out of the shifting tides of globalization and cultural expression. Undoubtedly researchers in literary studies, anthropology, history, philosophy, medicine, sociology and environmental studies, are all concerned with issues of global migration, environmental sustainability, human rights, state power, education and other global issues that have particularly devastating impacts in the circum-Caribbean region. Our conference will examine some of the innovative approaches to addressing these issues across national, cultural and disciplinary boundaries, and particularly encourage inter, multi, and transdisciplinary conversations and panels.

For more information, please follow this link: West Indian Literature Conference

One Minute Book Review: Marcus Garvey by Rupert Lewis

Name of the book: Marcus Garvey
Author:  Rupert Lewis
Publisher:  University of the West Indies Press

What's the book about?
This biography of Marcus Garvey documents the forging of his remarkable vision of pan-Africanism and highlights his organizational skills in framing a response to the radical global popular upsurge following the First World War (1914–1918).

Central to Garvey’s response was the development of organizations under the umbrella of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League, which garnered the transnational support of several million members and sympathizers and challenged white supremacist practices and ideas.

Garvey established the ideological pillars of twentieth-century pan-Africanism in promoting self-determination and self-reliance for Africa’s independence. Although Garvey travelled widely and lived abroad in New York and London, he spent his early years in Jamaica. Rupert Lewis traces how Garvey’s Jamaican formation shaped his life and thought and how he combated the British colonial authorities as well as fought deep-rooted self-doubt and self-rejection among Jamaican black people. Garvey’s much neglected political and cultural work at the local level is discussed as part of his project to stimulate self-determination in Africa and its diaspora.

Why am I reading the book?

Professor Rupert Lewis is one of the leading scholars on Marcus Garvey's life and work. For fifty years he has been a public educator on Marcus Garvey and the Garvey movement. He is the author of Marcus Garvey: Anti-Colonial Champion and Walter Rodney’s Intellectual and Political Thought, and co-editor (with Patrick Bryan) of Garvey: His Work and Impact and (with Maureen Warner-Lewis) of Garvey: Africa, Europe, the Americas. He is also the co-editor (with Maureen Warner-Lewis) of Garvey: Africa, Europe, the Americas (Trenton: Africa World Press, 1994). Professor Lewis has served as member of the Council of the Institute of Jamaica and as Chairman of the African-Caribbean Institute of Jamaica and Jamaica Memory Bank. He is also Chairman of the “Friends of Liberty Hall – The Legacy of Marcus Garvey,” comprising a multimedia museum, library, an outreach project in downtown Kingston and a journal 76 King St. He is a member of the Jamaica Reparations Commission appointed by the Government of Jamaica which began work in May 2009. Follow him on Twitter @gbgandad.

Quote from the book:

"Throughout Garvey’s life controversy about his ideals and his leadership meant that the functioned in perpetual ideological, cultural, political, and economic minefields as he sought to challenge the racial subordination and economic exploitation being experienced by Africans. He was not always right on tactical issues, but the need for realignment of power in the interest of Africa and its peoples called for the fundamental restructuring of global power" (10).

Where to buy: http://www.uwipress.com/books/marcus-garvey

***

For my review on Amazon,  please follow this link: Marcus Garvey

I've modified this format from One Minute Book Reviews: http://oneminutebookreviews.wordpress.com/

Book Review: A Caribbean Plant Kingdom in Ti Koko and Kush Kush

By N.C. Marks

There is a place where the land curves into the wide smile of a bay. A place where lush, green, tropical vegetation thrives next to a white sand beach, which is gently licked by blue waves of the sea. In this paradise of a seascape unfolds the story of Ti Koko and Kush Kush by Patricia G. Turnbull.

In this storybook the vibe is peace, love, and harmony in the friendly ecosystem of yam, coconut, mango, avocado, “tea bush,” and “Peas and peppers … well behaved,” just to name a few of the plants in “Garden Bay.”

Then suddenly, “Brogudoosh! Brogudoosh!”, an unexpected disaster disrupts the equilibrium of the happy, magical bayside community.

In this elegantly written poem/story, the reader is immersed into a Caribbean plant kingdom. The Tortola, VI author makes clever use of personification to provide precious lessons about friendship, change, and resilience. 

Flavored with ancestral wisdom and folklore, Ti Koko and Kush Kush would certainly stimulate questions about Caribbean history and traditions for children ages 4 to 9 in the region and from around the world.

The book’s colorful illustrations also promise to appeal to the young readers’ attention and serve to further strengthen the cognitive processing of their surroundings.

For her fellow educators, Turnbull’s title provides an early base of a strong foundation for environmental awareness and appreciation, while generating concern about the protection of resources.

Furthermore, while reading this new book at home, or in early stimulation settings, the young and young at heart may be tempted to sing or speak in the voices of Ti Koko the little coconut and Kush Kush the wise yam; and to dramatize the story.

Ti Koko and Kush Kush is the third richly designed children’s book by authors from different Caribbean islands published by House of Nehesi Publishers (HNP) in St. Martin.

About the Reviewer:
 N.C. Marks is a writer and geography teacher from St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Caption1: Ti Koko and Kush, colorfully illustrated storybook by Patricia G. Turnbull.

Caption2: Caribbean bayside artwork by Reuben Vanterpool in the storybook Ti Koko and Kush by Patricia G. Turnbull. (Credit HNP photo)

Ti Koko and Kush Kush
by Patricia G. Turnbull
House of Nehesi Publishers, 2018
Hardcover, storybook, illustrated.
ISBN 9780997489545

Where to buy: Ti Koko and Kush is available at www.SPDbooks.org
Adifferentbooklist.com and bookstores in Tortola, St. Martin, and St. Lucia.

New Book: Marcus Garvey by Rupert Lewis

This biography of Marcus Garvey documents the forging of his remarkable vision of pan-Africanism and highlights his organizational skills in framing a response to the radical global popular upsurge following the First World War (1914–1918).

Central to Garvey’s response was the development of organizations under the umbrella of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League, which garnered the transnational support of several million members and sympathizers and challenged white supremacist practices and ideas.

Garvey established the ideological pillars of twentieth-century pan-Africanism in promoting self-determination and self-reliance for Africa’s independence. Although Garvey travelled widely and lived abroad in New York and London, he spent his early years in Jamaica. Rupert Lewis traces how Garvey’s Jamaican formation shaped his life and thought and how he combated the British colonial authorities as well as fought deep-rooted self-doubt and self-rejection among Jamaican black people. Garvey’s much neglected political and cultural work at the local level is discussed as part of his project to stimulate self-determination in Africa and its diaspora.

Rupert Lewis is Professor Emeritus of Political Thought, the University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica. For fifty years he has been a public educator on Marcus Garvey and the Garvey movement. He is the author of Marcus Garvey: Anti-Colonial Champion and Walter Rodney’s Intellectual and Political Thought, and co-editor (with Patrick Bryan) of Garvey: His Work and Impact and (with Maureen Warner-Lewis) of Garvey: Africa, Europe, the Americas. Professor Lewis has served as member of the Council of the Institute of Jamaica and as Chairman of the African-Caribbean Institute of Jamaica and Jamaica Memory Bank. He is also Chairman of the “Friends of Liberty Hall – The Legacy of Marcus Garvey,” comprising a multimedia museum, library, an outreach project in downtown Kingston and a journal 76 King St. He is a member of the Jamaica Reparations Commission appointed by the Government of Jamaica which began work in May 2009. Follow him on Twitter @gbgandad

Where to buy:  University of the West Indies Press

This may also be of interest: Keisha N. Blain Interviews Rupert Lewis: Black Perspectives

Happy Birthday, Marcus Garvey!

Here's a reprint of an article I wrote three years ago for Jamaicans. com. How the time flies! The novel that I was working on, Garvey's Ghost, has now been published and the collection of poems, "Letter from Marcus Garvey," is under consideration with a publisher.

I'm now working on a children's book, "My Name is Marcus Garvey," which I hope will be completed before Garvey's next birthday. Light a candle for me.

One Heart

http://jamaicans.com/7-things-you-didnt-know-about-marcus-garvey/

Miss Lou: An Appreciation

By Christine Craig


In 1945, a young woman from Jamaica, Louise Bennett, was the first black student to attend the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England. She was not interested in becoming the next great Shakespearean actress, preferring to work with Jamaican folk themes told in Jamaican Patois. After graduating RADA, she toured with various repertory companies and hosted two radio programmes with the BBC - Caribbean Carnival 1945-1946 and West Indian Night – 1950. It takes some nerve to go to the land of the colonial "Mother Country," as it was then, choose your own language over theirs and celebrate it on the very bastion of British culture – the BBC.  That was Louise Bennett.

The importance of the colonizing language as a tool in the process of colonialism has been well-documented. With the language comes the culture and the prejudices of class, race, gender roles and status. The flip side of the dominance of the colonizing language is the belittling of the local language and culture. A key first step towards gaining our independence was therefore claiming our own language and with it, claiming and asserting our own culture. To accomplish this, we were well schooled by a formidable expert, a woman who knew and reveled in our language and our culture. Louise Bennett, affectionately called "Miss Lou," was a prolific writer and an engaging performer. Her poems were full of well-observed characters that we recognized and could both laugh at and empathize with.  She recorded several CD’s and was widely published and anthologized. A currently available collection of her poems is  Jamaica Labrish. It was first published by Sangster's Book Stores in 1966 and had several reprints, most recently in 2005.

 With her stage partner, the inimitable Ranny Williams, Miss Lou turned the British Christmas pantomime, into a Jamaican theatre event that was widely popular and was a catalyst in the growth of Jamaican theatre, encouraging as it did the talents of actors, writers, designers and musicians.

Miss Lou was an influence with every age group. She taught folklore and drama at the University of the West Indies at Mona from 1955-1959. She believed strongly that children should learn about their heritage and she hosted a lively children’s television show Ring Ding from 1970-1982.  She also travelled widely, performing and lecturing on Jamaican culture.

Her life partner was Eric Coverley who she married in 1954. She had one stepson, Fabian Coverley, and several adopted children. Miss Lou and Eric ‘Chalk Talk’ Coverley shared a love of theatre and folk arts and were together until he died in Toronto in 2002. Miss Lou was truly a beloved, national treasure. She received many awards for her work in researching and sharing Jamaican folk lore - storytelling, music and dance.

•    Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (1960)
•    Norman Manley Award for Excellence (1972)
•    Order of Jamaica (1974)
•    Musgrave Medal (1978)
•    Honorary Doctor of Letters – York University (1998)
•    Jamaican Order of Merit (2001)

THE LOUISE BENNETT-COVERLEY HERITAGE COUNCIL (FLA) INC.  is a not-for-profit organization formed in 2007 to carry on the work of Miss Lou through ‘edutainment’ - education through entertainment. The Council highlights Miss Lou’s legacy, passing on Jamaica’s unique, rich cultural heritage, sponsoring panel discussions, workshops and concerts, showcasing all facets of Jamaican culture. The Council also provides scholarships to help the next generation develop their cultural psyche while contributing to their tertiary education.

The Hon. Louise Bennett-Coverley Memorial Scholarship is awarded to deserving students of the Performing or Language Arts, to ensure that her legacy will be continued through future generations. Scholarships are awarded primarily to full-time students at the Edna Manley College of the Arts in Jamaica and to students at Broward College in S. Florida.

DONATIONS TO THE SCHOLARSHIP FUND ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED
To donate – make checks payable to: Louise Bennett-Coverley (LB-C) Heritage Council and mail to LB-C Heritage Council, 5735 Pembroke Rd, Hollywood, FL 33023.


Christine Craig 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.


Miss Lou: Courtesy of http://jamaicans.com/plans-miss-lou-square/

See also: https://geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com/2018/07/write-it-now-creative-writing-workshops.html

Marcus Garvey Rootz Extravaganza 2018

Garvey's Ghost & The Queens of Atlanta

The Queen's Alumnae Atlanta Chapter invites you to spend an evening with Jamaican author, Geoffrey Philp as he discusses his novel, Garvey's Ghost.

Saturday, August 18, 2018

6:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT

Mayfair Renaissance - The Library

195 14th Street Northeast

Atlanta, GA 30309

Ticket cost $35 - includes signed copy of book.

Proceeds in aid of The Queen's School, Jamaica
Wine and cheese will be served.
Enjoy musical entertainment by Andrew Lawrence.


https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jamaican-author-geoffrey-philp-book-signing-event-tickets-48109333311

Discounted parking will be available at Campanile Parking Deck, 1155 Juniper Street NE.

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

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