WHO WON IN 2013?

THE WADADLI PEN CHALLENGE 2013 FINALISTS ARE…

ANTIGUA GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL
ASHA GRAHAM
AVECIA JAMES
CHAMMAIAH AMBROSE
DARYL GEORGE
DENNIKA BASCOM
GAVIN JEFFREY BENJAMIN
JAMIKA NEDD
JAMILA H. K. SALANKEY
MICHAELA HARRIS
ST. JOHN’S CATHOLIC PRIMARY
VEGA ARMSTRONG
ZURI HOLDER

*see all shortlisted writers here.

*re prize split – please note that each shortlisted writer receives a Certificate of Achievement as well as discount cards from the Best of Books; and the overall winner’s name has been emblazoned alongside the name of past winners onto the Challenge plaque – sponsored by the Best of Books.

 

SCHOOLS WITH THE MOST SUBMISSIONS

Primary School – St. John’s Catholic Primary – US$500 worth of books sponsored by Hands Across the Sea

Secondary School – Antigua Girls High School – US$500 worth of books sponsored by Hands Across the Seatop

ASHA GRAHAM

Author of Revelations Tonight and Remembrance
Overall Winner (Revelations Tonight), Winner in the 13 to 17 age category (Revelations Tonight) and Third placed in the 13 to 17 age category (Remembrance)

Total prizes:

Cash

$500 sponsored by Conrad Luke of R. K. Luke and Sons and the Leonard Tim Hector Memorial Committee

Literary Opportunities

Sponsored spot – Just Write writers retreat courtesy Brenda Lee Browne

Books

So the Nailhead Bend So the Story End: An Anthology of Antiguan and Barbudan Writing by Althea Prince

Oh Gad! by Joanne C. Hillhouse

LiTTscapes: Landscapes of Fiction from Trinidad and Tobago by Kris Rampersad

Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg and other gifts courtesy the Best of Books

Send out you Hand by Dorbrene O’Marde

The Caribbean Writer Volume 26 & the Antigua and Barbuda Review of Books - women’s edition contributed by Joanne C. Hillhouse

Huracan by Diana McCaulay

Island Princess in Brooklyn by Diane Browne

The Legend of Bat’s Cave and Other Stories by Barbara Arrindell

And more

Original one of a kind journal created by Jane Seagull

Pen sponsored by Pam Arthurton of Carib World Travel and the Antigua and Barbuda International Literary Festival

Two tickets on board Barbuda Express

Gift bag from Raw Island Products

Gift courtesy Joanne C. Hillhouse  top

DARYL GEORGE

Author of Ceramic Blues and Julie Drops
Second placed Overall (Ceramic Blues), Winner (Ceramic Blues) and Second Placed (Julie Drops) in the 18 to 35 age category

Total prizes:

Cash

$200 (patron prefers to remain anonymous)

Literary Opportunities

Sponsored spot – Just Write writers retreat courtesy Brenda Lee Browne

Books

Unburnable by Marie Elena John

So the Nailhead Bend So the Story End: An Anthology of Antiguan and Barbudan Writing by Althea Prince

Dog-Heart by Diana McCaulay

Althea Prince’s In the Black: New African Canadian Literature (contributed by Joanne C. Hillhouse)

Send out you Hand by Dorbrene O’Marde

Tides that Bind and the Road to Wadi Halfa by Claudia Elizabeth Ruth Francis

Sweet Lady by Elaine Spires

Book gift courtesy Silver Lining supermarket

Gifts courtesy the Best of Books

And more

2 tickets on board Barbuda Express

Lunch for two at Keyonna Beach

Lunch for two – Bayhouse Restaurant @ Tradewinds Hotel

Gifts courtesy Joanne C. Hillhouse  top

ZURI HOLDER

Author of The Big Event
Third placed overall and first placed in the 12 and younger age category

Total prizes:

Books

So the Nailhead Bend So the Story End: An Anthology of Antiguan and Barbudan Writing by Althea Prince

The Legend of Bat’s Cave and Other Stories by Barbara Arrindell

Gifts courtesy the Best of Books

And more

$200 Gift certificate – Stephen B. Shoul

2 tickets on board Barbuda Express

Gift courtesy Joanne C. Hillhouse top

JAMILA H. K. SALANKEY

Author of Her Blackest Sin
Third placed in the 18 to 35 age category

Total prizes:

Books

Send out you Hand by Dorbrene O’Marde

So the Nailhead Bend So the Story End: An Anthology of Antiguan and Barbudan Writing

Tides that Bind and the Road to Wadi Halfa by Claudia Elizabeth Ruth Francis

And More

Gift certificate for Latte, Capuccino or Coffee – Heavenly Java 2 Go.top

MICHAELA HARRIS

Author of Secret of de Mango Tree
Second placed in the 13 to 17 age category

Total prizes:

Books

Island Princess in Brooklyn by Diane Browne

Pink Teacups and Blue Dresses by Floree Williams

So the Nailhead Bend So the Story End: An Anthology of Antiguan and Barbudan Writing by Althea Prince

Gifts courtesy the Best of Books

And More

$50 book gift certificate – Cushion Club top

VEGA ARMSTRONG

Author of Hide and Seek
Second placed in the 12 and younger age category

Total Prizes:

Books

Caribbean Adventure Series – three pack by Carol Mitchell

Gifts courtesy the Best of Books top

CHAMMAIAH AMBROSE

Author of How Tigers Got Stripes
Third placed in the 12 and younger age category

Total prizes:

Books

The Legend of Bat’s Cave and other stories by Barbara Arrindell

Caribbean Adventure Series – three pack by Carol Mitchell

Gifts courtesy the Best of Books top

DENNIKA BASCOM

Winner in the junior section of 2013 Wadadli Pen Art Challenge

Total Prizes:

Seascapes by Carol Mitchell

Gifts courtesy the Best of Books

Gift courtesy Jane Seagull

Gifts courtesy Art at the Ridge top

 

AVECIA JAMES

Second placed in the junior section of the 2013 Wadadli Pen Art Challenge

Total Prizes:

Antigua My Antigua by Barbara Arrindell

Gifts courtesy the Best of Books

Gifts courtesy Art at the Ridge top

 

JAMIKA NEDD

Third placed in the junior section of the 2013 Wadadli Pen Art Challenge

Total Prizes:

Antigua My Antigua by Barbara Arrindell

Gifts courtesy the Best of Books

Gifts courtesy Art at the Ridge top

GAVIN JEFFREY BENJAMIN

Winner in the young adult section of the 2013 Wadadli Pen Art Challenge

Total Prizes:

Gifts courtesy the Best of Books

Gift courtesy Art at the Ridge

Cash gift courtesy Koren Norton and anonymous donor

That he may have the opportunity to collaborate with writer Barbara Arrindell on her next children’s picture book is something we can all look forward to top

Special thanks as well to all the 2013 partners: Barbara Arrindell and the Best of Books, Floree Williams, Devra Thomas, Linisa George, and Brenda Lee Browne. Thanks as well to our media partners who help get the word out, especially Antigua Nice and 365 Antigua who for several years and ongoing have hosted pages for Wadadli Pen on their very busy hubs.

I am Joanne C. Hillhouse. I am first and foremost a writer (author of The Boy from Willlow Bend, Dancing Nude in the Moonlight, Oh Gad! and contributor to other anthologies and journals) who could’ve benefited from this kind of encouragement back in the day. That’s why I do this. Congratulations to all the winners, and remember this is not just a contest; this is our attempt to nurture and showcase Antiguan and Barbudan literary talent. We’ve taken the time over the years to provide feedback to the winning writers, conduct writing workshops including online workshops right here on this site, visit schools, and other activities (such as this site) designed to help young writers hone their skills. As we showcase your best efforts here on http://wadadlipen.wordpress.com we encourage you to keep writing and to remain open to the opportunities to become a better writer.

Behind the big red gate at 1735*

Me, standing right, alongside the programme’s tireless volunteer facilitator Brenda Lee Browne, standing left, during my visit.

This past week I had the mixed pleasure of participating in and covering the last session of the creative writing group at Her Majesty’s Prison. I say mixed because it’s always a little sad when someone’s life takes them along the path that leads to prison but it was also inspiring seeing the courage and talent on display as these men and women find their voice, and, hopefully, a new path.

I’ve just finished reading the collection that was produced by facilitator Brenda Lee Browne, the workshop participants (15 incarcerated men and women), and the organizer, the Directorate of Gender Affairs. I want to tip my hat to all of them. The collection isn’t available for sale and while I can’t re-produce the entire collection here, I will share some things that stood out.

First to endorse the strong words in support of the collection by the tireless advocate Craig Rijkaard of Gender Affairs though I was not like him present for any of the sessions before the final one:

Craig presenting copies of the three collections from the programme to National Security Minister Dr. Errol Cort.

“We are pleased to be associated with the production of this booklet of writings Idea No. 1, and the overall development of this project. As we continue to promote gender equality, equity and women empowerment this project demonstrates our commitment to such…I have personally sat in the sessions and have watched inmates developing Idea No. 1 with words such as curious, hot, hungry, pure, more work, and good to where they listed areas in which there is struggle: spirituality, independent, faithfulness, situation, music, corruption, neutral, favouritism, circumstance and bad mind. Well done guys and gals your hard work over the past five weeks have paid off. Keep up the good work!!!”

Now some of my favourite lines from among the poems and stories found in its pages…

“Many times I just wanna close my door
Shut the world away for I have no fight left in my wounded heart” (KS)

“We’re falling can’t catch ourselves” (LF)

“I feel like a wind- blown refugee” (KS)

“Not to be perceived weak we do dreadful things
This is pretence
We’re dying can’t help ourselves” (LF)

 

“Life is full of illusion
There are no more patriots” (group assignment)

“Shed tears like rain
Body laden in pain” (MH)

In the stories, especially, you get a hint of the philosophyand hard luck story that could lead someone down the path that leads to prison….

“The real McCoy – no joke that was him, you see Roy was in this thing, this life to win and by all means necessary…” (DO)

 ”I grew up very hard and I have three sisters and one half-sister on my father’s side. They used to beat me as I am the smallest child for my mother and father…School was also hard for me as I used to fight a lot and dropped out … I ended up at the boys’ training school …I was mixing with the wrong crowd and they were into bad things like drugs and guns and this is how I ended up in jail.” (DO)

“…”they woke up with gang talking around them and went to sleep with gang talking outside their window.” (JMC)

Lines like “All in all I have come to jail four times for the same thing and despite my troubles God is good all the time” reveal a sense of acceptance of circumstances balanced by hopefulness steeped in faith. In fact, the only thing that rivals religious references and tales of hard luck circumstances for prominence in the book is the analogous link between the prison of prison and the prison of the plantation. Then, not surprisingly, there is the idealization of freedom:

“The day that I am free will be the day when the party never stops” (KJ)

Very real crimes landed these people in prison and society fears and condemns them for it – and who can blame us – but in programmes like this, there is a path to redemption. So, without romanticising the experience…

“He is a poor man trying to find a way to better himself.”  (JE)

I can’t help but wish them better, better choices, better paths in future.

Oh, and note to the powers that be, give this currently volunteer programme the funding  it needs and frankly deserves.

*1735 is the short hand, i.e. colloquial name, of Antigua and Barbuda’s prison, which has a big red gate as its main entrance.

Just Write was “Liberating” – UPDATED

The Just Write Writers Retreat (October 19 to 21) at Mount Tabor Retreat Centre at John Hughes in the green (especially green after the rain we’ve been having) Antiguan countryside was rejuvenating. And the post retreat reflection has been revealing, illuminating…other ‘ings’ I can’t think of now, just a blessing to the soul and spirit and confidence and motivation. Next time I see event organizer Brenda Lee Browne (fair warning Brenda Lee) I might hug her. And I hope you know that you’re in it now; this can’t be a one-off. It will grow. That’s a given.

The retreat was a mix of Caribbean-formal sessions on writing and publishing, exercises to coax the writing out and entice it in new directions, exploration and introspection, and a marathon muddle of liming sessions and sessions on liming (writing and life). The Retreat Centre is Catholic owned and as a born and raised Catholic, I’ll liken it to being in the Confessional…minus the judgment.

I was most nervous, I think, about the one-on-one sessions; that’s where Brenda Lee, Marie Elena and I consulted with individual workshop participants. They’d each been asked to submit samples of their writing and we read these in advance to provide some evaluation and guidance. I’ve been in more of these one-on-ones as a workshop participant than I’ve led and, on either side of it, it’s nerve wracking. On the one side is the writer hoping she isn’t about to hear how much her writing sucks, on the other side is the writer hoping not to be the one who crushes another writers spirit with her candor.  The positive feedback from the participants about the one-on-ones (not to mention almost everything else about the weekend) was another one of those ‘ings’, eye opening.

Here are some excerpts (names withheld to protect the privacy of the participants):

On the location

“Mt. Tabor is green and serene. It felt like we had taken a flight and left Antigua for a bit.”

“I must say I couldn’t imagine a better location; so close to nature, peaceful, relaxing with plenty for the senses to tune into not just for separation from the busy, intrusive world but also to stimulate creativity.”

“The ability to connect with nature, or to have a feeling of an almost all-seeing eye from the balcony for example, was an enlightenment to the whole theme of perspective, and observation and finding the story you want to tell.”

On the sessions

“It felt like we were living the education we were receiving…”

“Of the sessions two of them that I found most challenging were the session that was based on the photo prompt by Brenda Lee Browne and the Session on fictionalizing personal experiences and emotions facilitated by Marie-Elena John-Smith. Both of these sessions took me way outside my comfort zone and asked me to dig further into my writing ability than I thought I could. ”

“…I felt like what I could create, though different, could be just as well appreciated; I did not feel like (it was/I was) any less.”

**UPDATE** “It was comfortable, familiar, easy to blend into and get lost in…Most surprising to me was the ease with which words flowed in response to the various writing exercises…Each writing exercise opened me up, brought out thoughts and feelings and awareness that, prior to, I wasn’t conscious of… and in the awareness I learned more about myself as a writer.”

On the one-on-ones

“…the one-on-one sessions were inspiring, on point and allowed us to see possibilities we haven’t considered.”

“That was very enlightening for me, and from the fact that she referenced things she had seen me do or say and not say throughout the workshop made me feel like I was a speaking to a person who, not only knew her craft, but genuinely cared or was interested about mine.”

“It was very helpful to have both strong points of my pieces and my issues highlighted and be given suggestions on how to make my work better. This session encouraged me to keep working on my craft and to pay special attention to my editing process.”

“The one on one time was welcomed and I appreciated the tenderness yet realness of the critique.”

“I came away recognizing a few of my weak areas; it was what I needed to hear to grow.”

*UPDATE* “Under the capable guidance of the more experienced writers – Joanne, Brenda Lee and Marie Elena – I came to accept the uniqueness of my voice, the significance of stories seen and shared through my eyes. During my one-on-one session with Joanne she said something in her nonchalant way that, for me, was like a big sister shaking sense into the younger. She said ‘you are a writer, you may not be aware of it yet, but you are a writer!‘. …She said many things in that brief meeting that resonated with me, but the most significant was the simple acknowledgement that I AM a writer.”

On favourite moments

“I enjoyed the field trip through the village, the opportunity to make new friends and strengthen the bond with old friends.”

“I enjoyed the exercises that pulled the stories out of us and challenged us to think outside of the box, to channel personal experiences into stories that were not too personal.”

“Mark Brown got me to draw; what can I say? Love him!”

*UPDATE* “…the ridiculously talented visual artist, Mark Brown, who spent less than half hour with us and in that time got us to tap into the Picasso within and bring that bad-boy front and center… on paper (for a person who was kicked out of art in high school you can appreciate how significant that must be).”

“I also would say that the passion that was demonstrated by you (Brenda Lee Browne), and all the ways in which you tried to communicate messages to us about this craft, even through art, was most empowering of all.”

On the overall impact on the participants

“What I experienced the most was an opening of possibilities and seemingly endless opportunities to write and to work out ideas.”

“My mind is still engaged and finding inspiration in different seemingly mundane places!”

“This weekend has truly been inspiring and reinvigorating. I feel urged to revisit old pieces, rewrite some, and create new pieces with the intention of publishing.”

“It freed me – from the self-imposed shackles I normally wear when writing – to Just Write… I learned that the things I struggle with are not peculiar to me; that accomplished and young writers share the same challenges (like doubt) and that was also freeing for me.”

*UPDATE* “…the honest opening to each other; the gentle, knowing smiles, the deep from the belly laughs, and the tears, all added a special touch to the overall experience. The Just Write Writers‘ Retreat woke me up from a long slumber and, now that I’m awake, the one thing left for me to do is Just Write…”

N. B. All images by Brenda Lee Browne.

As with all content on wadadlipen.wordpress.com, except otherwise noted, this is written by Joanne C. Hillhouse (author of The Boy from Willow Bend, DancingNude in the Moonlight, and Oh Gad!). All Rights Reserved. If you enjoyed it, check out my page on Amazon, WordPress, and/or Facebook, and help spread the word about Wadadli Pen and my books. You can also subscribe to the site to keep up with future updates. Thanks.

Official Just Write Post Event Release

Press release – St. John’s, Antigua, October 14, 2012: ‘Empowering’, ‘thought provoking’ and ‘needful’ are just some of the words used to describe last weekend’s Just Write Writers Retreat at Mount Tabor in John Hughes.

Zahra Airall, Loretta Benjamin, Devendra Thomas, Carissa Warner, Aisha Ralph, Glenn Toussaint, and Tiffany Smith were the first seven participants of a weekend filled with workshops, discussions, walks and writing exercises facilitated by Marie-Elena John ‘Unburnable’, Joanne Hillhouse, ‘Oh Gad!” and Brenda Lee Browne.

“The Just Write workshop/retreat was a necessary and important programme, which showed that we recognize the need to encourage, nurture and develop our writers and our artists so that we can tell our stories in a stronger voice,” states Glen Toussaint.

The first Just Write Writers Retreat was made possible with the help of the following partners: Joan Underwood, the Best of Books, Colombian Emeralds International, Education for Advancement – Antigua and Barbuda, PIC Insurance and private donors.

Brenda Lee Browne the Retreat’s organiser added that the weekend exceeded all her expectations: “I have to thank my fellow facilitators, Joanne and Marie-Elena, my partners and the wonderful participants who really made this weekend so memorable. It was an opportunity for all of us to talk and learn about the craft of writing as well as practical sessions on rewriting, resource materials and moving from manuscript to published book. The fabulous setting at Mount Tabor was conducive to writing; we are looking forward to returning next year.”

ABOUT THE ORGANIZER: Browne has an MA in Writing from Sheffield Hallam University in the UK and has facilitated various writing workshops with the Department of Culture, Gender Affairs, and the Antigua and Barbuda Literary Festival and chaired the Independence Literary Arts Committee for four years. For the past two years Browne has been the head judge of the Wadadli Pen Prize, and is a recipient of a 2011 National Youth Awards for Contribution to the Literary Arts.

BONUS Click on the names for more on co-facilitators Marie Elena John and Joanne C. Hillhouse, or for more on Just Write. And click here for participant reflections.

Writers, take note

ST JOHN’S, Antigua – “It’s something I’ve benefited from,” Brenda Lee Browne said as she prepares to run her first Just Write Writers Retreat at Mount Tabor in the Swetes area of Antigua.

What she means, of course, is that as an alum of the Hurston Wright Writers Retreat in Washington, for instance, and the Sheffield Hallam University Masters programme in the UK, she’s had the experience of being in an environment where you are both expected to write and to get critical feedback on what you’ve written.

“I just know how much a writer can get from an event like this,” Browne said, noting that for the retreat period, October 19 to 21, there’ll be nothing to do but write.

It’s an opportunity to both “see how serious your craft is” and meet and learn from other writers.

The location, the interior of the island where the hills are green and rolling and the city is at a muted distance, will be conducive to the process, she believes.

“It’s beautiful,” Browne said. “It’s a place where you can actually just write and not be disturbed; it encourages you to write.”

Read More.

As with all content on wadadlipen.wordpress.com, except otherwise noted, this is
written by Joanne C. Hillhouse (author of The Boy from Willow Bend, Dancing
Nude in the Moonlight, and Oh Gad!). All Rights Reserved. If you enjoyed it,
check out my page on Amazon, WordPress, and/or Facebook, and help spread the
word about Wadadli Pen and my books. You can also subscribe to the site to keep
up with future updates. Thanks.

Just Write Writers Retreat in Antigua

Brenda Lee Browne has, in recent years, become a regular in the Wadadli Pen judging pool. Her experience as a writer and youth workshop facilitator in Antigua and Barbuda are well known. And now she’s founder of the new Caribbean writers retreat right here in Antigua and Barbuda. Her programme is Just Write and we’ll tell you more about it as we go along. But for now, know this, it’s set for October 2012 in beautiful Mount Tabor (in the greenest part of the island), there are 11 spaces left (two of the available spots have gone to two Wadadli Pen finalists Rosalie Richards and Tiffany Smith), you have until August 31st to register, and it will be a great opportunity for resident and non resident writers and wanna-be writers to get cracking on your next writing project or just get writing. You can get even more immediate updates or contact her directly for information via her Just Write facebook page.

Reading Room and Gallery II

 

The stacks were overflowing at the original Reading Room and Gallery; I decided to expand.

DISCLAIMER: By definition, you’ll be linking to third party sites from these Links-We-Love pages. Linked sites are not, however, reviewed or controlled by Wadadli Pen (the blog, the Wadadli Youth Pen Prize nor coordinator/blogger Joanne C. Hillhouse); and Wadadli Pen (the blog, the Wadadli Youth Pen Prize and coordinator/blogger Joanne C. Hillhouse) disclaims any responsibility or liability relating to any linked sites and does not assume any responsibility for their contents. In other words, enter at your own risk.

Here you’ll find stories, interviews, reviews, poems; you name it…a totally subjective showcase of (mostly) Caribbean written (sometimes visual and audio visual) pieces that I (Joanne) have either personally appreciated or which have been recommended (and approved) for posting/linking. If you’re looking for the winning Wadadli Pen stories (and I hope you are!), check Wadadli Pen through the years. You can also see the Best of Wadadli Pen special issue at Anansesem which has the added feature of audio dramatizations of some of the stories.

POEMS

Won’t You Celebrate with me (print and audio) by Lucille Clifton; also These Hips (actually Homage to My Hips).

***

You never thought by Nic Sebastian.

***

I have a theory about Reflection by Renee Ashley (The Robert Watson Literary Prize Poem)

***

As I write this I’m reading Full Woman, Fleshly Apple, Hot Moon Selected Poems of Pablo Neruda (in Spanish and English) and amidst the lush language, I found this gem that seems timely (it being pre-Valentine and all at this posting) – Sonnet XVII which reads in part

Te amo como la planta que no florece y lleva
dentro de si, escondida, la luz de aquellas flores,
y gracias a tu amor vive oscuro en mi cuerpo
el apretado aroma que ascendió de la tierra

Translation:

I love you as the plant that doesn’t bloom and carries
hidden within itself the light of those flowers,
and thanks to your love, darkly in my body
lives the dense fragrance that rises from the earth.

The full poem can be found here.

***

I am nobody’s nigger - bup! bup!

***

Liking the humour in Maelynn Seymour-Major’s Retired Woman War.

***

Still haven’t read The Help, nonetheless Carol Boyce Taylor’s Borscht made me think of it. Those who have read it can tell me if I’m totally off the mark.

***

As a fan of Gil Scott Heron’s The Revolution will not be Televised, I had to share this piece, Complainer, about the late poet-activist by Fred D’Aguiar.

***

Tell me One Fine Day I will walk with my Head held High by Bisi ADeleye-Fayemi (also found here) doesn’t leave you feeling empowered.

SHORT STORIES

Twins by Tiphanie Yanique from Ma Comere.

***

One of my favourite shorts from one of my favourite writers: Jamaica Kincaid’s Girl.

***

Regular readers might remember me writing about Will Allison’s What You Have Left. Here’s an excerpt (kinda) from Zoetrope’s All Story.

***

Quirky, interesting tale from the New Yorker; A Man Like Him by Yiyun Li.

***

This origin story from the Shonga People in Zimbabwe, published in Anansesem, was quite engaging. Favourite line: “After this they knew that when they listened to the beat of their hearts, they would not feel trapped or lost.”

NON FICTION

i’m still on a learning curve with this publishing business. But I can report that much of what this writer says is true, from my experience; and that I read it with an eye toward checking off what I’d done and what I still needed to do. Turns out I’ve done most of it and hope to see it pay off. For anyone thinking of publishing – either independentally or with a publishing house – this is useful information re marketing: http://www.shewrites.com/profiles/blogs/five-marketing-tips-to-drive-excitement-and-buzz

***

Anyone who knows me (well) knows how much I love and relate to the music of Lauryn Hill and even to her particular brand of ‘crazy’. It’s why I feel the need to share this: http://vigilantcitizen.com/latestnews/lauryn-hills-tumblr-letter-on-the-music-business/ which says among other things “I Love making art, I Love making music, these are as natural and necessary for me almost as breathing or talking.  To be denied the right to pursue it according to my ability, as well as be properly acknowledged and compensated for it, in an attempt to control, is manipulation directed at my most basic rights! ”

***

A blog about Bocas and others in the series  by author Karen Lord.

***

“…knowledge of one’s own history and culture has intrinsic value.” Read more in this Carolyn Cooper response to a critic who calls into question the relevance of a course in reggae poetry at the University of the West Indies. Personally, I’d like to see a course in calypso poetry too.

****

“I thought that publishing a book meant I was a writer, but I was wrong. Convincing yourself each day to keep going, this means that you are a writer.” Read more of Last Lecture: Am I a Writer? by Cathy Day.

***

This blog entry by Tameka Jarvis shares her review of Rita Marley’s No Woman No Cry, a book I’ve reviewed here in Blogger on Books and which remains one of my favourite autobiographies.

***

Love this blog entry by Brenda Lee Browne… as I prepare for the launch of my new book, I can relate to the hesitance to dip your toe in the water. This is a scary, scary path we choose when we pour our heart, soul, energy, years of life into this thing that we then have to let go and await the world’s judgment.

***

This is actually a blog entry by Silver Sparrow author Tayari Jones. Silver Sparrow is on my to read list, NaNo which challenges you to write a certain amount of words in a month, is decidedly not on my to do list, her blog sums up why. Mostly, I like what she suggests about writing being a process not a destination. While challenges like the one mentioned can help a writer develop the discipline needed to finish a book, to take up pen and declare I want to write a book rather than I want to be a writer misses the mark; the latter requires investment in the discipline of actually developing craft and perspective. Read, live, grow, write (and edit, and redraft, and redraft, and redraft…), then (maybe) publish.

***

Perspective on the publishing industry … if Shakespeare was publishing today, would he be rejected too?

***

The Bronte sisters aren’t Caribbean, unless you count the literary link between Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre and Jean Rhys Wide Sargasso Sea or the fact that many of us children of the Caribbean grew up reading both books; either way, I thought this article on the Brontes might intrigue you as it did me.

INTERVIEWS

I’m sharing this interview with Cara Blue Adams, fiction and non fiction of the Southern Review literary journal in the U.S., for two reasons – and, no, one is not her delightfully quirky name. One, I think her insights on the process submissions go through provide some insight and perspective for writers. Two, I found interesting the discussion about fewer women being published (and perhaps) writing…because with Wadadli Pen it’s actually the opposite. A grad student actually asked me about this once i.e. the level of participation among girls versus boys in Wadadli Pen, and it broke down that in 2004 only 12% of the participants were boys, 18 percent in 2005, 29 percent in 2006, 0 percent in 2010, 16 percent in 2011, 23 percent in 2012. The arts in Antigua, I think, are not seen as manly things, and many of the literary folk I come across (not just in Antigua but in the wider Caribbean) tend to be female, but, interestingly, many of the region’s literary legends are male. Interesting.

Their Eyes were watching God is not only one of my favourite books, Zora Neale Hurston, its author, is one of my literary heroes. For more on her, I recommend Valerie Boyd’s Wrapped in Rainbows. This is not an interview but a discussion with Alice Walker, Sonia Sanchez, and Ruby Dee on Hurston’s writing and legacy. It’s lengthy but worth checking out.

***

Jamaica Kincaid, uncensored…but then isn’t she always. And then there’s this one, I’m struck by how pretty she looks in this interview and by these words “I understood the book much better when I was writing it” (I understand this feeling so much as I try to answer questions now like ‘what inspired you to write this book i.e. Oh Gad!’ when that impulse is now a vague memory).

***

Surprise, surprise American Scholar Henry Louis Gates is a bibliophile. But do you know which Antiguan author is on his list of essential reading? And which Caribbean writer he’d readily take to the beach again? Check it out.

VISUAL ART

Author of the Caribbean Adventure Series Carol Ottley-Mitchell’s visual tale featuring the resourceful monkey Chee Chee. Perfect for classroom storytime.

***

Interview with and analysis of the artistry of up and coming talent Danielle Boodoo Fortune at the ARC.

***

Jamaica Kincaid reading at Columbia “the beauty, economy and precision of Kincaid’s prose transports even the most curmudgeonly and aloof reader into the abject state of gushy fandom.” – Saidiya Hartman, professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia university

***

Something about this… Doggie in the Picture by Danielle Boodoo Fortune.

…AND HERE’S SOME OF MY STUFF

Excerpt from Oh Gad! (my new book released in 2012)

Friday Night Fish Fry (fiction) @ Sea Breeze – http://www.liberiaseabreeze.com/joanne_c_hillhouse.html

After Glow (fiction) @ Tongues of the Ocean – http://tonguesoftheocean.org/2009/11/after-glow

How to Make Cassava Bread and Other Musings on Culture (non fiction) @ Antigua Stories – http://antiguastories.wordpress.com/food-2/food

At Calabash (non fiction) @ Caribbean Literary Salon – http://wadadlipen.wordpress.com/2010/09/20/at-calabash

Defining Moments (non fiction) @ Geoffrey Philp’s blog – http://geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com/2010/12/defining-momentsjoanne-c-hillhouse.html

Off the Map (non fiction) @ Signifying Guyana -

http://signifyinguyana.typepad.com/signifyin_guyana/2010/12/guest-post-writing-off-the-map-by-joanne-c-hillhouse.html  and again at Blurb is a Verb

What Calypso Taught Me About Writing (non fiction) @ Caribbean Literary Salon – http://caribbeanliterarysalon.ning.com/profiles/blogs/what-calypso-taught-me-about

At Sea (fiction) @ Munyori – http://www.munyori.com/joannehillhouse.html

Pushing Water Up Hill (non fiction) @ Caribbean Literary Salon – http://caribbeanliterarysalon.ning.com/profiles/blogs/pushing-water-up-hill-one

Wadadli Pen – Nurturing Another Generation of Antiguan and Barbudan Writers (non fiction) @ Summer Edward’s blog – http://summeredward.blogspot.com/2010/08/guest-post-by-joanne-c-hillhouse.html

Cold Paradise (fiction) @ Women Writers – http://www.womenwriters.net/aug08/fiction_poetry/Hillhouse_ColdParadise.htm

Somebody! (fiction) @ St. Somewhere – http://visitstsomewhere.blogspot.com

Reflections on Jamaca (non fiction) @ Caribbean Literary Salon – http://wadadlipen.wordpress.com/2010/09/19/reflections-on-jamaica

Portent (fiction) @ Women Writers – http://www.womenwriters.net/aug08/fiction_poetry/Hillhouse_Portent.htm

Philly Ramblings 8 (poetry) @ Ma Comère – http://dloc.com/AA00000079/00004/36j

Ghosts Laments (poetry) @ Small Axe – http://smallaxe.net/wordpress3/prose/2011/06/30/poem-by-joanne-hillhouse

Benediction before the Essence (poetry) @ Women Writers – http://www.womenwriters.net/aug08/fiction_poetry/hillhouse_poetry.html

Prospero’s Education, The Arrival, Da’s Calypso (3 poems) @ Calabash – http://www.nyu.edu/calabash/vol4no2

Interview @ Caribbean Literary Salon – http://caribbeanliterarysalon.ning.com/profiles/blogs/interview-with-joanne-c

 

As with all content on wadadlipen.wordpress.com, except otherwise noted, this is written by Joanne C. Hillhouse (author of The Boy from Willow Bend, Dancing Nude in the Moonlight, and Oh Gad!). All Rights Reserved. If you enjoyed it, check out my page on Amazon and/or Facebook, and help spread the word about Wadadli Pen and my books. You can also subscribe to the site to keep up with future updates. Thanks.

Highlights of the latest August Rush Newsletter

There’s so much goodness in the April 23rd edition of the dynamic duo (August Rush)’s newsletter, I just had to share some of it.

…Expressions: Poetry In The Pub continues Tuesday 24th April at our Heavenly Java 2 Go home at the boardwalk at the Redcliffe Quay. The night get’s going at 8pm. To sign-up in advance to perform, email us at augustrush.antigua@gmail.com or call 783-4120 or 779-6634.

…It’s that time of the year again, when Women of Antigua (WOA) has everyone moaning. This year the organisation celebrates their 5th year of existence with a bang as they will be staging two different productions; The Vagina Monologues on Saturday 26th May and When A Woman Moans on Saturday 27th May. Both productions will begin at 8:05 pm. Tickets are $40 per night, and $70 for both nights ($10 discount). Stay tuned for the early bird special when you can pay $60 for both nights…After this year’s performance, WOA will be taking a hiatus from the shows in order to focus and produce other activities in an effort to empower people and end violence in Antigua and Barbuda, one of which will be the One Billion Rising campaign…on 14th February, 2013… ‘Like’ The WOA page ‘When A Woman Moans 2011’, and stay tuned into all the organisation’s activities including Campaign Moan, which is designed to raise awareness and also promote the show. WOA is asking the public to answer a simple question: “Why do women moan?”.  Answers are to be written on a manila or sheet of paper, held up in front of the individual and a photograph taken and emailed to campaignmoan.anu@gmail.com. Photos will be posted on the When A Woman Moans Facebook page, where the public can vote for their favourite answer. The winner will receive tickets to this year’s productions…Another promotion this year, is the production of WOA TV, which grants the public a behind-the-scenes pass to rehearsals and cast members. Videos can be seen on the Facebook group page as well. For further information or to get involved you can visit the Facebook page ; email woa.vday@gmail.com or call 779-6634, 723-6934, 772-7913 or 780-7754.

…The Just Write Retreat is the first of its kind in Antigua and Barbuda – a weekend for established and new writers looking for space to write, get ideas and insights into their craft. An island as small as ours means that fund raising is limited to the same corporations that fund cultural, sporting and educational events – this money will assist 12 writers and three tutors as allow for two of the tutors to share the experience with inmates in the island’s, small, yet over crowded prison. As much as most of the sessions will be voluntary – it is not sustainable as writing time costs money. A donation of U$25 will buy writing equipment such as journals; US$50 will pay for a day of the three day writers retreat. A donation of US$100 will cover two days at the retreat. Your money will help make writing accessible, it will help to build a sustainable writing project that is annual. Donate today by clicking here.

 

They also included a little big up re my launch but I clipped it. You can see launch coverage here, and purchase the book here. And you know you have my sincerest thanks; right?

Lit News – a mini update

1. The local literary community made out okay at the National Youth Awards this past Saturday. Congrats to Tameka Jarvis-George, Brenda Lee Browne, and the Best of Books. Jarvis-George received the Literary Arts Award, Browne received a Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Best of Books rceived a Corporate Award. It was a good night; congrats to both winners and organizers (on a totally self-indulgent note congrats also to my niece D’jeri for her sports award). Here’s more.

2. Emile Hill’s Angels Project launches this coming Saturday at the National Museum, 8 p.m. Looking forward to it. Congrats to him as well.

3. You have to check this out.

4. And don’t forget all the other fun activity: Mixing poetry and moonlight are Expressions and the Wadadli Pen Open Mic especially – the former the second and fourth Tuesday of every month at Heavenly Java 2 Go and the latter the second Saturday of every month at the Best of Books on Friars Hill Road, #1 Village Walk Mall. No word yet on the December Open Mic theme but I can tell you that Expressions is planning a special screening for its last session of the season, December 13th.

The Fantastic Five

As I write this, I’m working on a story about rehabilitative programmes in our local prison, colloquially referred to as 1735. I decided to pause and do this update because I’ve been sitting on this for too long and the women on lock down who participated in the six week writing/communications programme facilitated by Brenda Lee Browne deserve their props for using their time positively. I hope this programme is able to access the funding it needs to continue.

The first one, LIFE, is by Raquel Harris. Something about this line tugs at me, “You fall into pain and sometimes shame.”

And this one is so sensual and yet so much more than physical: MY BLACK MAN – WHO’S MY BLACK MAN? by Jay Marie Chin. We read more about him in SUMMER.

How’s this for addictive imagery “He’s as if there is dope all over him” from LOVE by Monette Walker. Also check out her internal landscape in ME.

MY STORY is the kind of non-fiction piece young people on the precipice should read for a reality check.

And how do you write so vividly of the sea and of love and peace when all three are so far away? Doreen Crawford does so quite stirringly in PEACE BY SEA.

MOTHER FOR SALE by Queisha Geger, meanwhile, made me think (a bit) of that old gospel staple, No Charge by Shirley Caesar. Raquel Harris also had to something to say about a mother’s love as well in TO MY MOTHER.

Kudos to Brenda Lee for this programme and for the quality of the work she was able to guide them into producing. It’s good stuff, though my favourite is probably Peace by Sea.