Reading Room and Gallery 27

The Reading Room and Gallery is a space where I share things I come across that I think you might like too  – some are things of beauty, some just bowl me over with their brilliance, some are things I think we could all learn from, some are artistes I want to support by spreading the word, and some just because. Let’s continue to support the arts and the artistes by rippling the water together. For earlier installments of the Reading Room and Gallery, use the search feature to the right. This is the 27th one which means there are 26 earlier ones (can’t link them all). Remember to keep checking back, this list will grow as I make new finds until it outgrows this page and I move on to the next one. – JCH

NON-FICTION

“I am a black woman writer from Trinidad and Tobago. I was born here to Trinidadian parents. I have lived here all my life. I do not have an escape route to Elsewhere, whether the route is through money, family connections or non-TT citizenship.” – Lisa Allen-Agostini, A Black Female Writer’s Story

VARIOUS

Read the winning Wadadli Pen Challenge entries through the years and across several genres here.

POETRY

“…But
this too is disputed – not the flowers – rather, the origin
of bananas; they may have come here with Columbus on
a ship that in 1502 slipped into Orcabessa the way grief
sometimes slips into a room. …” – Place Name: Oracabessa by Kei Miller

INTERVIEWS

“Which is to say, it wasn’t easy for me.  And it wasn’t easy for the professors, agents, editors, publicists and publishers who each took a risk and supported my work in first getting published. But fucking miracles of miracles—it happened. I deserved it, for sure. But so do a shitload of others for whom the miracle hasn’t happened as yet. We’ve got to try and do right by those writers and those books. And even those of us who have one or three books published—we have to keep proving ourselves and the industry has to keep taking a chance on us.” – Tiphanie Yanique

***

“Why does the land speak your poem?

The land is doing what all good poets do, it is speaking for people – the Taino who were the original inhabitants – who have no voice.” – Lorna Goodison speaking on her poem “Reporting Back to Queen Isabella”; also read the poem.

***

“We don’t see you. The future is not you. The future is not your story. And the future is not black sci fi. So if we don’t exist in the future, where do we exist? Only in the past.” – Canadian film director Sharon Lewis on her film Brown Girl Begins, based on Nalo Hopkins’ Brown Girl in the Ring

FICTION

“Sometimes I listen outside closed doors, a thing I never would have done in the time before. I don’t listen long, because I don’t want to be caught doing it. Once, though, I heard Rita say to Cora that she wouldn’t debase herself like that.” – excerpt from Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale

***

(Audio reading by Ali Smith of Grace Paley’s A Conversation with My Father) “Story here is a matter of life and death; the father is old, ill and dying; they both know it, and so does the reader. But this breathtaking, breathgiving short story, which never compromises on this truth or the admittance of inevitable tragedy, is profoundly, comically generous in its open-endedness, and leaves you both shaken and renewed by the heart, the fight and the life in it.” – link for full listen

***

“I sharpened the knife on the bottom of a saucer and quartered the potatoes, and then fried them with the garlic and a fistful of coriander. My mother returned from the garden holding a cluster of beets, her hands black and her feet black, and she asked why we never had any napkins and she must always wipe her hands on the pages of English grammar books.” – from Waiting for the Electricity by Christina Nichol

***

“Swami did not listen to the naysayers. He continued to sit and fast on his pulpit while the highway took shape around him and stretched further and further into the west. The road shone just like when Charlton Heston parted the sea to rescue the Jewish people and lead them to the Promised Land. Swami continued to chant while Friendship Village slowly disappeared. One by one, families succumbed to the generous compensation offered by the government for their feeble acres. Some agreed to relocate to more affluent areas in the west, to houses blessed with running water and electricity. Others even moved overseas to start a new life. Many bought second hand Japanese cars. The children who sat in the backseat often waved at Swami as they passed him on their way to the Promised Land of cineplexes, shopping malls, American chain restaurants and coffee shops.” – “How the Professor Made History” by Suzanne Bhagan

***

“That was the day I learned you should never try to pull your fingers out of an eel’s mouth, not a live one or a dead one. Not if you want to have any skin left to carry him home with, and especially not if it’s a twenty-pound silver-belly.” – Eel by Stefanie Seddon

***

“Still, he shut up and drank the tea, the sweet-milk making it go down more easily. Sweet milk was his favourite thing next to an ice-cold soursop suckabubby. As with the suckabubby, he would clamp his mouth to the opening and coax out the thick liquid when Tanty wasn’t looking. Tanty preferred to buy the sweet-milk since it lasted longer un-refrigerated than the evaporated sort, and their fridge did little more than take up space.” – excerpt from The Boy from Willow Bend by Joanne C. Hillhouse

***

“When I tell you, I could only love you in England, I also mean that you could only love me here, as well, but I cannot say this because you would not understand, you would argue, and tell me that love conquers all. We speak in English, and I cannot tell you that I know this is not true.” – I am a Bird by Kathrina Haji Mohd Daud

***

“Jules Poitevin is 54, he has three children, two sons of 17 and 14 and a nine-year-old daughter. He had felt that two children were more than enough, but his wife really wanted a little girl.

To keep a marriage running, you had to make sacrifices.” – Paxadol by Arnon Grunberg

***

“Their memories had become muddled with what they had been told, and what they wanted to believe.” – Paddle to Canada by Heather Monley

***

“But he did not touch her. Instead, as he watched her check the soup, he felt sadness for her, too. He felt awful that she had to make this soup base every Tuesday. He knew that years ago, she had a miscarriage. He knew that the daughter she did give birth to, the one who survived the pregnancy, didn’t call home often enough and that her son could only call collect from jail. Touching her breasts would make her less important than what she was, and she wasn’t important at all.” – DeMisty D. Bellinger’s French Fry Soup

CREATIVES ON CREATING

‘When I arrived at the gallery, I found other unsure-looking writers waiting for the salon to start. Unless we’re behind a desk and a mountain books, we writers often look lost. We spend much of our writing lives isolated, and we forget what it’s like to be surrounded by others who speak the same creative language…. When the salon ended, I walked up to the Great Hall where an opera singer gave “the gift of song” to visitors who accepted her offering. Her voice filled the vast hall as she sang to a little girl who sat on her mother’s lap. Afterward, I poured over images and artifacts from the “One Life: Sylvia Plath” exhibit. I might have missed it all had I decided to stay home that day.

…

Sometimes we must force ourselves into different environments and open ourselves to art outside of the modes we work in. I’ve written before about visual work that inspires my own craft, but I must continually remind myself to resist spending day after day in front of a computer screen. When we open a channel of inspiration, we enrich and broaden our work.

As spring (finally) arrives for many of us, let’s force ourselves into the sunshine, into worlds outside our usual routines to shift our perspectives, even when we don’t particularly feel like it. There is never a perfect time. To wait for a perfect time is to risk running out of time altogether, and that would be truly missing out.” – Dorothy Bendel, managing editor, Atticus Review (from their e-newsletter)

***

***

“I wasn’t keeping it simple. By keeping it simple I don’t mean abandoning any intricate details of what I envisioned. I simply mean that I was leaving out some fundamental basic things that would strengthen the work I was doing. I had to revise my approach to these fundamental aspects of how I was working and keep it simple. In this case, keeping it simple meant, for me, not to overlook the fundamentals.” – from Levi King’s Emerging Director Residency – Week 2 Blog Post

***

“The poem stalled here. I went back to my journal later and edited a few times, and you can see the lines I crossed out as well as how the final draft came to be. I think it is important for the poet to trust that first voice that a poem appears in, insomuch as that first voice often contains a several different possibilities that cannot all be explored. Now, I may try to split that voice and discover more than one poem, but more often than not, it is a process of whittling away and discarding to find the right direction and emotion that I need to capture.” – British Virgin Islands’ poet Richard Georges

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, Oh Gad!, With Grace, Lost! A Caribbean Sea Adventure, and Musical Youth). 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.

Literary Arts in Antigua and Barbuda – a Reflection

This past weekend left me in a bit of a reflective mood. I attended a literary event organized for Black History Month by our Culture Department and a women’s empowerment event and Cottage of Hope fundraiser organized by The District (a clothing boutique) on Sunday, and felt much more inspired (in a positive way) by the latter. Enter side note –>Here’s where I should insert a picture of me contributing copies of my children’s books Lost! A Caribbean Sea Adventure and With Grace to the Cottage c/o The District, but I only remember to take pictures 50% of the time. I do hope that the young people who get to read the books enjoy them. Exit side note–>The Sunday event (which included testimonials from the likes of TnTs soca diva Destra and AnB’s soca diva CP) emphasized finding your passion and doing that, and in the doing, sharing.

So, as I reflect on my journey in literary arts, an improbable journey that I ventured out on and continue to venture out on despite the obstacles and setbacks, I can feel confident that it has been driven by my passion for writing, and that through Wadadli Pen and other projects, not just my books, I’ve been finding ways to share that passion. I mean, so much else is uncertain, and increasingly I question whether Antigua and Barbuda wants me at all, and it’s always a financial high wire act but I am happy that I haven’t let fear and disappointment  stop me from doing the thing I was put here to do.

This is from the IG of Art. Culture. Antigua – an online platform by Linisa George, promoting the arts. The announcement concerns the current Wadadli Pen Challenge season and features an image from the 2017 season awards ceremony held during the Wadadli Stories Book Fair – a community led lit arts showcase. Art. Culture. Antigua is back as a 2018 patron and the Best of Books continues to sponsor the Challenge plaque, pictured. Wadadli Pen was first launched by me in 2004 – writers who have partnered with me on the project over the years include D. Gisele Isaac (a founding partner), Dotsie Isaac Gellizeau, Brenda Lee Browne, Linisa George, Monica Matthew, Barbara Arrindell, Joy Lawrence, Floree Whyte, Glen Toussaint, Claytine Nisbett, and others, with contributions by several regional and international writers as well.

It is in this frame of mind that I think, too, about the literary arts in Antigua and Barbuda and how its strivings and whatever hurdles have been cleared are largely a reflection of the talent, passion, hard work, and will of the literary arts practitioners. We have had to cut and contrive a path of our own making – and, true, this may be true of artistes every where but especially so where there is no real infrastructure, nor resources, to support the artiste’s journey. We hustle and hustle hard, and still are asked to give even when our cups are empty (often without the asker considering what is the cost of this to the artist and what is the value of this to our community).

Presenting to the 12 and younger winner Verdanci Benta at the first Wadadli Pen awards ceremony in 2004.

When I started the Wadadli Youth Pen Prize in 2004, it wasn’t because I had an abundance of time and resources; it was because I saw a need and had/have still a passion for the literary arts. It has been my pleasure in the years of maintaining this blog – which launched in 2010 to encourage, report on, celebrate the continued journeying of the community of literary artists in Antigua and Barbuda of which I am a part, among other things.

A&B writers who got together to apply for Commonwealth funding to attend the Calabash literary festival in Jamaica in 2007.

From this reflective space, I thought I’d share some of our journey as writers in this Antigua-Barbuda land. There is no way in this reflecting to hit everything everyone did to create and sustain vibrancy in the literary arts in Antigua and Barbuda over the past 7+ years since I’ve been documenting it in this online space, but I can share some highlights N.B. where programmes have floundered often its due to lack of financial support and other resources to keep it going; the energy runs out when you’re burning it at both ends and still trying to make your bills. Wadadli Pen has been on the brink a number of times when I just didn’t feel like I had any MORE in me, and, honestly, it’s often someone from the community of writers who (along with the interest and expectation of the participants) pushes me to keep going and whose volunteer efforts help make it possible for me to do so.

2010 –

Here I am reading from Antigua-descended writer Ashley Bryan’s Anansi-themed Dancing Granny under the children’s tent at the ABILF. Before writing my own children’s books, Anansi was my go to when asked to read to children.

Showcases
This blog launched in April 2010 and committed to spotlighting not only the Wadadli Youth Pen Prize (a project committed to nurturing and showcasing the literary arts in Antigua and Barbuda since 2004) but the literary arts (and then some) in Antigua and Barbuda (and beyond) – one example of the type of coverage I did as site blogger from that first year was ‘Lit Happenings Antigua-Barbuda Nov 1-8 2010′.

Antigua and Barbuda International Literary Festival launched in 2006 by two entrepreneurial (Montserratian!) sisters with strong author support and so much potential but, notwithstanding a revival in 2010, unfortunately has not survived.

Wadadli Pen Open Mic launched in 2010 using the Wadadli Pen name but run by the Best of Books and acting as a development platform for young/budding writers.

Programmes
The Cushion Club – a reading club for children in Antigua and Barbuda – continued its relationship with Buckley’s Primary; this project began with school visits by me and CC leader Cedric Holder to the school, one of several schools we’ve both visited over the years, to read and run story workshops. The prize was sponsored by Cedric on behalf of the Cushion Club because of his desire to encourage greater interest and aptitude in the humanities. Cedric has also consistently contributed a prize to the Wadadli Pen Challenge on behalf of the Cushion Club.

Wadadli Pen returned after a 3 year hiatus – its life 2004-2010 to that time chronicled in this post.

Publications
Voices from the Lagoon, a collection of student writings shepherded by scribe and teacher Fransene Massiah-Headley released.

Number of publications in 2010 (not including the student publication which isn’t listed in the data base of Antiguan and Barbudan Writings, and specific to publication whether independently or with a local, regional or international press, ebook or print or both, by Antiguan and Barbudan writers living in Antigua and Barbuda):  7

2011-

Wadadli Pen 2011 winner, seen here receiving the Challenge plaque sponsored by the Best of Books, is now part of the Wadadli Pen team.

Showcases
When a Woman Moans – after bringing Eve Ensler’s Vagina Monologues to Antigua beginning in 2008, the Women of Antigua reached out to local writers to contribute pieces to this homegrown theatrical production and we (specifically Melissa Elliot, Elaine Spires, Brenda Lee Browne, Floree Williams-now-Whyte, Tameka Jarvis-George, Marcella Andre, Joanne C. Hillhouse and Salma Crump, with WOA co-founders Linisa George and Zahra Airall) did.

Antigua-penned and independently produced films The Skin (written by Howard Allen/produced by HAMA) and Dinner (written by Tameka Jarvis-George/produced by Cinque) earned slots at the Jamaica Reggae Film Festival.

D. Gisele Isaac and I were invited by the A & B Consulate in Canada to participate in Independence activities there, participating in panels and sharing our work alongside writers based in Toronto.

Programmes
The Best of Books Book Fair (and Wadadli Pen Awards) – this was the 10 year anniversary of the book store and the return to full strength of Wadadli Pen which was on hiatus in 2007, 2008, and 2009 (simply because I couldn’t see a way to carry it anymore), and had an abridged programme in 2010 (returning because it is a programme I care passionately about). The partnership has endured.

A word on school visits – many of us as writers in Antigua have done them – teachers call us sometimes as with the St. Mary’s Centre for Excellence; other times as with Joy Lawrence’s school tour promoting Wadadli Pen, we volunteer – the schools need a consistent programme but it cannot be on a voluntary basis given the time commitment for prep and actual presentation and because school presentations is something for which writers should actually be compensated (<–offsite link).

The Independence Literary Awards – this version** of it actually dates back to 2005 with first Brenda Lee Browne and then Barbara Arrindell at the helm. I was among the judges in the first year, and that was also the year I started building the data base of Antiguan and Barbudan writers, for the Museum exhibition we also did that year. In 2011, Arrindell announced her retirement with an open letter in which she called for the installation of a year round literary arts point person and development programmes, a call that landed, it seemed to those of us in the literary arts community, on deaf years.

Publications
The literary arts programme in the prison, facilitated by Brenda Lee Browne on a volunteer basis published its first collection of works from inside the prison.

Number of books published in 2011(not including the prison publication which isn’t listed in the data base of Antiguan and Barbudan Writings, and specific to publication whether independently or with a local, regional or international press, ebook or print or both, by Antiguan and Barbudan writers living in Antigua and Barbuda): 4

2012-

Wadadli Pen Challenge 2012 photo call.

Showcases
Antigua and Barbuda penned and independently produced documentary film Melissa Gomez’s Silent Music shows at the Toronto Film Festival.

The Friends of Antigua Public Library, based in New York, hosted the U.S. launch of my first U.S. publication Oh Gad! 

Programmes
Art at the Ridge which is not around anymore had regular art shows and took over for a time the annual Christmas card competition; they also became a Wadadli Pen patron and partner in these years.

Just Write Writers’ Retreat launched at Mount Tabor by Brenda Lee Browne.

Publications
Linisa George is spotlighted at the Poetry Parnassus during the Olympics and published in the companion collection The World Record – this collection includes works by writers from every Olympic country; through her own efforts Linisa became Antigua-Barbuda’s selection.

I had works included in Womenspeak Caribbean Arts and Letters out of the Bahamas – other Antiguan and Barbudan writers like Brenda Lee Browne and Barbara Arrindell would publish with them in subsequent years. That year, my story Genevieve, later published in Dancing Nude in the Moonlight 10th Anniversary Edition and Other Writings (2014), was short listed for the Small Axe Fiction Prize. I was also published that year in the University of the Virgin Islands’ Caribbean Writer, from which I’ve also received two literary prizes over the years; not my first or last time publishing with them but they have quite high literary standards and reputation, and it’s always nice to make the cut.

Number of books published (not including  works in anthologies, and specific to publication whether independently or with a local, regional or international press, ebook or print or both, by Antiguan and Barbudan writers living in Antigua and Barbuda): 7

2013-

At the Caribbean Congress of Writers in Guadeloupe with Bahamian writer Marion Bethel and UK based Jamaican writer Leone Ross.

Showcase
Antiguan Authors Day – a promotion at the Best of Books.

On the heels of the publication of my novel Oh Gad!, I had the opportunity to participate in a number of off island literary showcases such as the Caribbean Congress of Writers in Guadeloupe.

The Public Library holds an annual Summer Read programme; writers – myself and others – have been asked to volunteer to do presentations and we have.

Dr. James Knight wrote and independently produced a documentary on the life and music of King Short Shirt. It premiered at Deluxe Cinema and was also subsequently screened in Jamaica.

Programmes
An open letter from me re Wadadli Pen.

My first Jhohadli Summer Youth Writing Project launched – as it prepared to launch I contemplated ways to make it interesting. After our week of workshop activity, I was happy to receive this positive review from a parent.

Publications
Antigua-Barbuda collection edited by Althea Prince launched in Canada.

Joy Lawrence Explored the History of Parham in the second book in her village folk history series.

An online magazine inspired by the poem Black Girl in the Ring was launched by the poem’s writer and the site’s publisher Linisa George.

Number of books published (not including journals, online or otherwise, and specific to publication whether independently or with a local, regional or international press, ebook or print or both, by Antiguan and Barbudan writers living in Antigua and Barbuda): 6

2014-

Collecting my Burt Award prize at the Bocas Lit Fest in Trinidad.

Showcases
The launch of my book Musical Youth included readings by other writers – specifically past Wadadli Pen finalists and was followed by a workshop organized and facilitated by me and sponsored by the same organization, CODE, that sponsored the Burt Award for which Musical Youth placed second overall, earning itself a publication deal. This was a busy year for me in several ways with, among other things, the release of the mass market edition of Oh Gad! and recommendation on NPR in the US; also the release of Dancing Nude in the Moonlight 10th Anniversary Edition and Other Writings.

Programmes
Wadadli Pen celebrated record number of entries on its 10th anniversary and more importantly the participant response was #inspired

Publications
I was asked to volunteer as guest editor of regional online publication Tongues of the Ocean to produce an Antigua and Barbuda issue and drew on my network of writers and artists to do just that. The final publication included works by Althea Romeo-Mark, Brenda Lee Browne, Gayle Gonsalves, Kimolisa Mings, X-Saphair King, Heather Doram, Glenroy Aaron, Barbara Arrindell, Tammi Browne-Bannister, Tameka Jarvis-George, Marcus Christopher, Dorbrene O’Marde, Hazra Medica, Linisa George, past Wadadli Pen finalists Devra Thomas, Shakeema Edwards, Emile Hill, Rosalie Richards, Vega Armstrong, Zion Ebony Williams, and others.

My short story Amelia at Devil’s Bridge included in Pepperpot: Best New Stories from the Caribbean which had launched in Trinidad (at Bocas), Scotland (at Aye Write!), and New York (at PEN Awards Literary Safari), each of which I had the opportunity to participate in.  This particular story was shortlisted for the Small Axe Fiction Prize and subsequently excerpted in one of Harper Collins’ CSEC revision texts.

Number of Books published (specific to publication whether independently or with a local, regional or international press, ebook or print or both, by Antiguan and Barbudan writers living in Antigua and Barbuda): 25

2015-

(with Jamaica Kincaid at the VI Lit Fest)

Showcases
Lady of Parham – a published play inspired by the story of the ghost of Parham in Antigua – was shortlisted for the Guyana literary prize.

I was invited to the Virgin Islands Literary Festival – the featured writer was another Antiguan, Jamaica Kincaid.

Programmes
Stories Handed Down –  a research and writing competition started by the Friends of Antigua Public Library some years earlier was won in 2015 by a Wadadli Pen regular. The FOAPL has also provided literary showcases through its Author in Residence series and book club, cultural remembrance through its Collecting Memories online data base, and programmes like its summer read project with the Public Library over the years.

The Cushion Club and Wadadli Pen teamed up to offer a summer reading challenge.

Publications
Dorbrene O’Marde becomes the first Antiguan and Barbudan long listed for the Bocas prize.

Joy Lawrence continues researching village histories .

The Art of Mali Olatunji which I reviewed in the Antigua and Barbuda Review of Books 2016 edition.

Number of Books published (specific to publication whether independently or with a local, regional or international press, ebook or print or both, by Antiguan and Barbudan writers living in Antigua and Barbuda): 33

2016-

Antiguans-Barbudans Joy Lawrence and Joanne C. Hillhouse were included in the River of Stories series with selections by writers from around the world.

Showcases
Joy Lawrence received a National Award, a rare occurrence for a literary artiste and one that required celebrating on the blog.

Programmes
Independence Literary Arts Forum (this was a government project).

Writing workshop during the Best of Books summer camp.

Publications
Spilling Ink – an arts collective – launched a second book.

My picture book With Grace, a Caribbean fairytale launched.

The Antigua and Barbuda Review of books – edited by Paget Henry, and funded largely by Brown University where he teaches (which begs the question what will become of this project when he is no longer able to helm it?); he also organizes the annual Antigua Conference. The Review continues annually critiquing literary works by Antiguans and Barbudans such as Dorbrene O’Marde’s Nobody Go Run Me and Short Shirt/Shelly Tobitt’s classic Ghetto Vibes album. Both projects began roughly around 2004/5 (ish).

Number of Books published (specific to publication whether independently or with a local, regional or international press, ebook or print or both, by Antiguan and Barbudan writers living in Antigua and Barbuda): 16

2017-

Leaving this one large so that you can see the covers of all those Antigua-Barbuda book titles in the background; and also the bright faces of our 2017 intern, right, and a finalist, left.

Showcases
They’re not so officially but I call anyone who travels to represent our country in the literary arts a literary ambassador. In 2017, that was Barbara Arrindell at the Alliouagana Festival in Montserrat, where she presented alongside the likes of Paul Keens Douglas.

In fact, as much as possible, I try to cover any cultural ambassador in the arts, including our soca artistes.

If you’re lucky, your books travel without you and I’m fortunate that my books have traveled and one of their stops (this one fairly close to home) in 2017 was the USVI where With Grace was named to the Governor’s Summer Read Challenge.

Programmes
Wadadli Pen found another way to give another young person an opportunity when it took on its first intern. Here she writes about her experience;  and the project announced a permanent team to push the project forward – included on this team are two writers/literary stakeholders and two former Wadadli Pen winners.

This is really an every year thing – every year for a number of years, I submit or am asked to submit recommendations for the Department of Youth Affairs’ National Youth Awards in Literary Arts; and the prize has gone to the likes of Linisa George and Women of Antigua (2012),  Linisa George and Glen Toussaint (2013),Wadadli Pen 2013 and 2014 winner Asha Graham in 2015 with another Wadadli Pen alum Angelica O’Donoghue copping the media award , Zahra Airall (2016),   Spilling Ink, an Antiguan and Barbudan arts collective (2017) , and others.

Just Write organized a workshop focused on historical literature and collaborated with visiting poet with Antiguan and Barbudan roots Tanya Evanson to offer a master class.

August Rush (the writing and producing duo of Linisa George and Zahra Airall) has given writers a regular showcase for several years consistently through its Expressions Open Mic series but as we all do, they hit a point where self-care and other projects forced them to shelve it in 2017. Another August Rush initiative that provided what was needed for a time is the Young Poets Society of Antigua and Barbuda.

Publications
Lost! A Caribbean Sea Adventure launched with a chat between the US based publisher, Trinidad based writer, and Antigua based writer (me).

Floree Williams Whyte launched independent press Moondancer Books and her first book under the imprint.

Claytine Nisbett launched her first book and re-launched her online magazine.

Tammi Browne-Bannister included in international collection. Submitting
internationally is something I continually advocate on the blog, using my own experiences as example.

We even launched an online book of the year prize that admittedly was too little, too late in terms of planning and promotion and that’s never a good look.

Number of Books published (specific to publication whether independently or with a local, regional or international press, ebook or print or both, by Antiguan and Barbudan writers living in Antigua and Barbuda): 18

2018-

Showcases
Antiguan and Barbudan writer included in a top ten list of Caribbean female writers you should be reading on the Literary Hub.

In the tradition of the Open Mics more than a decade ago now at Traffic Nightclubs and possibly inspired by Expressions, we’ve had, for the past few years, Soothe:

This like other literary/arts activities (including an upcoming workshop on self-publishing by Kimolisa Mings) is listed in the blog’s Arts Roundup series.

It’s worth noting that this blog has not limited itself to the literary arts, nor has the Wadadli Pen Challenge which has included art challenges (illustrations, cover design) over the years. Most recently, I reported on this showing by Antiguan and Barbudan art teachers, and discussion which touched on arts issues like the lack of a national gallery
And we continue to report on film such as the ongoing success of Vanishing Sail on the film festival circuit.

Programmes
Here at the blog, I also don’t limit what I share to what’s happening domestically – for example, I’m always encouraging our writers to submit to programmes like the Commonwealth Short Story competition.

I continue to offer workshops via the Jhohadli Writing Project which (as I’ve announced on my author blog) is also available to offer workshops in schools and other institutions.

And…
Really, can there be any talk of literary arts in Antigua and Barbuda without mention of international literary citizen Jamaica Kincaid who added to her considerable accolades with receipt of the Dan David prize from Tel Aviv University – among the literary and cultural news reported on the blog in 2017.

This blog has also covered many issues in arts and culture – in fact, it is to some of these posts that I point people when they approach us – writers and artists – for conversations that rarely, it seems, yield real, juicy, tasty, tangible fruit. Among the things that I have written about in this space…?

• My Dreams of Havana in which I write about my frustrated efforts to get a group of Antiguan and Barbudan writers to the international book fair in Cuba
• The Need for funding of Browne’s literary arts/creative writing programme in the prison
• Arts Registry – a 2014 post inspired by the setting up of an arts registry (whatever happened to that?)
• Policy to Action…or nah – in response to the appointment of someone (a Jamaican) to lead the cultural policy initiative
• Wadadli Pen Gave me a Voice– written by one of our past finalists in 2014
• Arts and Antiguan-Barbudan Independence: A Discussion– transcription of a radio interview discussing the role of the arts
• Endorsed!! – that 2011 open letter about the Independence lit arts comp
• The Value and Cost of Time – valuing an artist and an artistic entrepreneur’s time; still the hardest paradigm shift to effect (still one of my bigger challenges as an artist and freelancer working in Antigua)
• Antiguan and Barbudan Arts a Wish List – covering a lot of the same ground as the Arts Registry post
• Arts in Development – and again
• Guest post (we have these from time to time), this one on unearthing the roots of the Antigua system of education

You can see from this listing – which is only part of the story and only over the 7+ years of this blog’s existence – that the Antiguan and Barbudan literary community has been doing and doing and doing (largely) without any wall, financial or otherwise to lean on.
The blog is, of course, also the home of my baby (as much my baby as any of my books have been), the Wadadli Youth Pen Prize. So we report on each year of the prize back to the beginning (2004, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018). Among the services this blog continues to provide are Opportunities and Opportunities Too (the former listing projects, funding, markets etc. and the latter upcoming deadlines); writing and publishing tips (with Resources, Publishing 101 with Eugenia O’Neal, Chatting Writing and Publishing in the Caribbean with Diana McCaulay, Womanspeak: the Lynn Sweeting Interview, Kevin Jared Hosein Breaks it Down, developing your writing skills –tips from Wadadli Pen, On Intellectual Property Rights, Negotiating an ebook contract as just a sample, not to mention the blog’s reading rooms and writing spaces); the A & B Literary Archives – Songwriters, Playwrights and Screenwriters, Antigua and Barbuda Children’s Fiction, Antiguan and Barbudan Poets, Antiguan and Barbudan Writing, Antiguan and Barbudan Fiction, Antiguan and Barbudan Non-Fiction, Published plays and screenplays, A & B Writings in Journals and Contests, Antiguans and Barbudans Awarded, Antiguan and Barbudan Writers on the Web, Song Lyrics data base, Antigua and Barbuda Media: An Abridged RecordAntigua and Barbuda Media: An Abridged Record, Author spotlights-. Jamaica Kincaid, Floree Whyte, Vivian Michael, Swallow, Veronica Evanson Bernard, Kush David, Marie Elena John, Gayle Gonsalves etc., A & B Artistes Discussing Art; A & B Literary Works reviewed; and more); regional and international news (literary festivals, the passing of Derek Walcott etc.); local Arts News – e.g. A & B Arts Round up, Meeting Ashley Bryan, Veteran Calypso Writer now a Novelist; Obits (Nerissa Percival, Roland Prince, Marcus Christopher, X-Saphair King, and others). Wadadli Pen, the blog, has also afforded me the opportunity to see the progress of young people I’ve come in to contact with over the years – such as when former Cushion Club kids shine, or when Wadadli Pen alums stride (e.g. Angelica O’Donoghue, Rilys Adams, Lia Nicholson, Kemal Nicholson, etc.) and, of course, though we still dream of doing a publication, anyone can read for free the winning stories through the years, or other pieces written since by Wadadli Pen alums.
I write all of this to say that work has and is being done, that our artistes have provided something to build on. Within these touchstones are answers to one of the questions now being raised, what do artistes need/want – I think at the root of it though is a desire to be valued, to be a voice, and to be in an enabling environment (access to information, resources, funding, and more). As we stay tuned to see what will jump off in what the Minister of Culture described as a year focused on the literary arts, we will continue working and collaborating, as we have done.

**re versions – When I speak to versions of things, I do so because it’s important to note that we tend to start and start over things in Antigua and Barbuda as though starting from scratch each time. Part of the problem is there has been too little recording of what has come before and too little continuity so that you often do feel like you’re starting from scratch. I discovered a weathered contributor copy of the 168-page book Young Antiguans Write, a 1979 publication of the Ministry of Education and Culture, at my friend Gisele Isaac’s house some years ago. Young Antiguans Write is a collection of the prize winning works of participants in the school creative writing competition that ran from 1968-1978. Both the publication and the creative writing programme was, to my understanding, largely the efforts of someone (Lucilla Benjamin) who was committed to the task within the Ministry. I’m going to assume that once that person moved on for whatever reason, the baton just lay their on the track, unclaimed. Because in my coming of age, I don’t remember such a programme or any sense of a literary culture in Antigua and Barbuda; what I remember is the Independence essay competition that I won one year earning myself a trip to another Caribbean island. There were tourism industry ones that I participated in as well. That was it though, spotty competitions specifically about Independence/Tourism and that memory is in part what made me insist that Wadadli Pen be about whatever the writer wanted to write about (no limitation re theme, the focus on the art not art in service to a particular theme). But as much as I wasn’t aware of Young Antiguans Write, it played a part in Gisele becoming a writer, and Gisele being a writer, the only other Antiguan-Barbudan novelist I knew at the time and the only one that was accessible to me (Jamaica Kincaid was an inspiration yes but a distant idea), us being friends made it possible for me to say, after reflecting on the lack of nurseries for writers in the Caribbean (shout out, to Guyanese writer Ruel Johnson for bringing that bit of clarity to my own fledgling journey as a writer then), hey let’s do this thing. And between me, Gisele and Young Explorer, the Wadadli Youth Pen Prize was born. Starting, but not, though I didn’t know it, starting from nothing. One of the reasons I’ve been talking and angling to find a way to set up this project more formally is because I want it to be continuous; I want the baton to be picked up, and while it’s possible that whoever picks up the baton may not have the passion for it that I did (it is my baby, after all), they should have an awareness of and foundation on which to build – an operational template, a plan, resources, funding, and support – to make its survival not just a matter of will. We’ll see. Meantime, keeping a record of what we do, not just Wadadli Pen, not just my efforts, but our arts and culture (literary arts and beyond) has been important to me so that there is continuity, so that there is an accounting of all this ‘nothing’, so that no one can plausibly question (or believably overlook) the will, passion, talent, and hard work of those of us working in the arts in Antigua and Barbuda. We’ve been here.

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, Oh Gad!, Musical Youth, With Grace, and Lost! A Caribbean Sea Adventure). 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.

Merry Christmas

It’s here, people (almost), the most wonderful time of the year…or so the song says. Whether your 2017 has so far been good, bad, or, more like, the rollercoaster ride of a bumpy Antiguan road or a deceptively smooth one (you know the one, where a pot hole as deep as the Grand Canyon suddenly drops in out of nowhere), here’s hoping 2018 is better.

A reminder to check out our most popular posts of 2017.

A reminder to vote for your favourite Antiguan and Barbudan book of 2017.

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A reminder that I have a new creative writing workshop series starting in 2018 and that you don’t have to be in Antigua or Barbuda to participate.

And if you’re wondering about the Wadadli Pen 2018 Challenge season, bear with me, it’s been a challenging stretch, decisions are being made; will update as soon as something has been finalized. Meantime, always feel free to flashback to the winning stories of years past and see the work and the writers we’ve helped shepherd  into the public space in 13 years of existence.

Thanks for taking this journey with us and here’s hoping your Christmas is indeed Merry.

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, Oh Gad!, With Grace, Lost! A Caribbean Sea Adventure, and Musical Youth). All Rights Reserved. Do not re-use content without permission and credit. 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.

Wadadli Pen 2017 Intern Michaela Harris Shares her Experience

(Images: left, Michaela as a 2013 Wadadli Pen Challenge finalist; right, Michaela as 2017 intern co-emceeing the Challenge awards ceremony)

To truly give an accurate account of my experience as a volunteer intern of the Wadadli Pen Challenge 2017, I must first state that I have participated twice in the past. I always thought that it was so difficult to get the right story, express one’s self in the right way, and paint the picture of your story so vividly that the readers experience it as if they were sitting with you, in your thoughts, as you wrote.  This year allowed me to understand that the people who “just had to read my story” also faced difficulties and in most cases, difficulties that were more than my own as a participant. For that I am deeply thankful.

(Image: Internship orientation – Michaela, right, with Wadadli Pen founder and coordinator, author Joanne C. Hillhouse)

My internship began in December 2016 and came to an end in May of this year. My tasks were, but not limited to, administrative and promotional work. I became a youth media ambassador, making media appearances promoting the programme on youth friendly traditional media platforms & recommending and targeting youth social media platforms. I also assisted with flyer distribution.  Additionally, I checked the group’s email, responding to requests or concerns, and relaying  urgent information to my boss, Ms. (Joanne) Hillhouse.

Initially, I thought that the tasks listed were going to be a walk in the park but I soon learned otherwise. For the duration of this internship, I was also attending the Antigua State College as well as managing the youth arm of a community service organization, Junior Chamber Youth under JCI Antigua. I quickly developed a rhythm of doing things; check the Wadadli Pen inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, do college assignments on a Saturday, and plan the meetings for the Youth organization on Sundays. At first it worked, but the unpredictable nature of life soon took things for a spin. Assignments that were due in the same week could not be done on a Saturday. Time also had to be allotted to studying for upcoming tests. Making time for activities with family and friends was also a factor I hadn’t considered initially because I never thought it would be too difficult. I am proud to say that I never gave up even on the days when it all became quite frustrating, and I owe that to not only the support of loved ones around me but to the facilitators of this challenge. Ms. Hillhouse would always encourage me, in a short but effective email, to keep pushing and allow myself to develop from this learning experience. However, as this was not a suicide mission, I was always encouraged to express when it was too much for me to handle. Short visits to see Wadadli Pen volunteer and partner Barbara Arrindell at the Best of Books were also very motivating. She would always share kind words with me and smile that could brighten anyone’s day.

(Images: post-awards, Michaela stopped in at the Best of Books again to collect her certificate for successful completion of her internship and to assist with the prize giving to one of the winners, Ava Ralph, who did not make the awards ceremony)

The ways in which I developed from this internship are numerous. I first and most importantly was challenged to learn better time management skills as a young adult. My writing, whether in emails or for my previously submitted blog post was soundly critiqued by Ms. Hillhouse to encourage better writing each time. An immense level of professionalism was cultivated as I was entrusted with access to the email account which held confidential information. I also gained experience with both the prep and appearance for a radio interview at Observer Radio Station.  My final task was to co-host the Wadadli Pen awards at the first Best of Books book fair this year alongside Ms. Hillhouse and Ms. Arrindell. It was truly a pleasure.

At the end of my time with the Wadadli Pen team, I realized the great deal of work put in by all members of the team to make this initiative a success. The judges who had to read 93 [Blogger’s note: actually 96 eligible submissions at final count] pieces this year and be able to select the top three in each category, those who were responsible for soliciting and accumulating prizes for the worthy young writers, the set-up of the event itself, and the task Ms. Hillhouse held of overseeing all of these activities and more were mind blowing. As a participant in the past I only knew of attending the well put together ceremony not knowing the effort and dedication necessary to allow that seemingly small event. I therefore take this opportunity to express a heartfelt thank you to all who assisted me along this journey. A special and certainly deserving thank you to Ms. Joanne Hillhouse for the opportunity she gave to me. I hope to continue to learn from her and that many others will grasp the opportunity to do so in the future.  Wadadli Pen is only getting bigger and better each year, let us continue to encourage our young people to do positive things with their lives.

My name is Michaela Harris, and I encourage you to start writing!

Blogger’s Note: Michaela’s internship completion letter from me as Wadadli Pen founder and coordinator read, in part, “(Michaela’s) experiences would have helped build her communication skills, her appreciation for the administrative tasks behind the scenes of any major project, her time management skills (as she had to manage the time on the project with her responsibilities as a student at ASC), and her sense of responsibility to the tasks she takes on (it’s worth noting that when the internship ended officially she offered to stay on to complete one of her major assignments). I found her to be enthusiastic and responsible, executing most of her tasks and taking direction and feedback well. It was our pleasure to have her on and are delighted to have served as a stepping stone toward her future goals.” This was our first time taking on an intern, my first time taking on an intern, so it was a learning experience for me as well, and we were fortunate that it was Michaela. We will do this again, I hope. Hopefully, an intern for each person on the team so that they can have more support while sharing their skillset and assisting with the development of a young person – Michaela’s critiques of her experience in the internship programme will assist with the shaping of these future relationships. Hopefully, we will be as fortunate in terms of the young people we attract as the programme moves forward.

 

Art supporting Art

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Jane Seagull has gifted a custom made journal to our winning writer for the past several years, since her time as artist in residence at Art at the Ridge, which was also a Wadadli Pen patron at the time. We’re grateful that she’s still with us even though Art at the Ridge has closed its doors. Jane actually had a show on around the same time as the Wadadli Pen awards. The show is no more but she shared some of the pieces with me and (with her permission) I’m sharing them with you. Find her on facebook if you’re interested in purchasing her art or commissioning a piece.

And remember to support all our patrons – because arts patronage is rare and cherished especially here (not branding, not sponsorship, but just giving in the interest of boosting the arts because you realize that though not seen as an economic driver, art and creativity are essential…rare). The patrons for the 2017 season of Wadadli Pen (and really all information related to said season) can be found behind the Wadadli Pen 2017 tab above, see also About Wadadli Pen.

 

Wadadli Pen Challenge 2017 – The Picture Post

Yep, it’s that time again; time for our epic picture post – a time when I actually get to see what happened; because as anyone organizing anything knows, it’s actually kind of a blur (understatement).  The Wadadli Pen 2017 Challenge awards were held on May 13th at the tail end of the Wadadli Stories Book Fair (kudos to the organizer of that, btw). This year, we have pictures by Linisa George of Art. Culture. Antigua – which is already one of Wadadli Pen’s patrons so she’s already been more than generous with us; and Jon Whyte, who was there to support his wife, Floree, chief judge of the Wadadli Pen 2017 Challenge. Some pictures have also been taken from either the Best of Books Bookstore or the Wadadli Stories page on facebook and from a posting by Marissa Walters of the St. Andrews students. Here they are, in no particular order.

12 and Younger
Images of winners in the 12 and Younger age category – who were, in descending order, Zion Ebony Williams, Emma Belizaire, Shadiael Simmons, Ashley Francis.

13 to 17
Images of winners in the 13 to 17 age category – who were, in descending order, Devon Wuilliez, Ava Ralph (not pictured), Francis Yankey, and Andrecia Lewis.

18 to 35
Images of winners in the 18 to 35 age category – who were, in descending order, Kaeiron Saunders, Lucia Murray, and Fayola Jardine.

School with the Most Submissions
That’s Island Academy with 22 of 90+ submissions.

Tout Monde Sam and Bagai

Some highlights from Wadadli Stories

Media
Observer (front page standalone) + Caribbean Times (centre spread)

Some post awards pics
Things that happened after the awards for reasons beyond our control included the presentation of prizes to 13 to 17 2nd place Ava Ralph and to our intern Michaela Harris. Thanks to the staff of the Best of Books for these ones.

Wadadli Pen 2017 Links

Wadadli Pen 2017 Patrons
A Teacher Claims the 2017 Wadadli Pen Prize
Wadadli Pen – Who won what in 2017?
Wadadli Pen Winners Through the Years – Story Links
About Wadadli Pen

 

 

WADADLI PEN Challenge – Who won what in 2017?

As always, we couldn’t do this without support. In 2017, this has meant partners Barbara Arrindell, Joanne C. Hillhouse, Margaret Irish, Devra Thomas, Floree Whyte – along with intern Michaela Harris and judges Glen Toussaint and Sharifa George – volunteering, working together, and playing our roles. We, especially, couldn’t do it without our patrons; without them, we would have no rewards to offer our deserving writers. So, we pause to say thank you. Thank you for coming through (mostly). Thank you for making it possible for us to encourage and reward the cream of Wadadli Pen Challenge’s 2017 crop as decided by our judging team. Thank you for your tangible contribution to the arts and youth development in our twin island state, Antigua and Barbuda. To anyone reading this, we encourage you to support the businesses (also the individuals and organizations) that support the arts.

Here’s how the prizes break down – in addition to certificates for each winner from Wadadli Pen, sponsored by the Best of Books:

School with the Most Submissions – Island Academy International School (22 out of 93 eligible submissions)

• Writing workshop with facilitator fee and miscellaneous expenses to be covered by a patron who wishes to remain anonymous
• EC$500 gift certificate toward the purchase of books, sponsored by the Eastern Caribbean Amalgamated Bank
• CAPE and CSEC books across several subject areas, contributed by

12 and Younger category winners (from left Ashley, Zion, Shadiael, and Emma) at the May 13th award ceremony. Photo by Linisa George/Art. Culture. Antigua

12 and Younger

Zion Ebony Williams

Shadieal Simmons

Ashley Francis

Emma Belizaire

Finalists in the 12 and Younger category receive gifts sponsored by US-based Antiguan and Barbudan Juneth Webson and books contributed by plus:

Honourable Mention – Ashley Francis (11, student at St. Andrew’s School; author of ‘Our Caribbean’)

3rd – Shadiael Simmons (11, student at Baptist Academy; author of ‘Brave Eleven-year-old saved Two Months Baby’)

• EC$75 contributed by
• With Grace, a book by Joanne C. Hillhouse, contributed by publisher

2nd – Emma Belizaire (11, student at St. Andrew’s school; author of ‘Cricket is My Life’)

• EC$100 contributed by
• With Grace, a book by Joanne C. Hillhouse, contributed by publisher
• Gift contributed by the West Indies Cricket Board

1st – Zion Ebony Williams (11, student at Baptist Academy; author of ‘Those who don’t hear, will feel’)

• EC$125 contributed by
• With Grace, a book by Joanne C. Hillhouse, contributed by publisher
• EC$50 gift certificate for books, contributed by the Cushion Club

13 to 17 category winners (from left Francis, Devon, and Andrecia) at the May 13th award ceremony. Photo by Linisa George/Art. Culture. Antigua

13 to 17

Devon Wuilliez

3rd (tie) – Andrecia Lewis (17, student at Antigua State College; author of ‘Strange’)

• EC$75 contributed by the International Women’s Club of Antigua and Barbuda
• Books – The Sisters and Manco’s Stories by Jan Carew + Reached by Ally Condie contributed by the Best of Books

3rd (tie) – Francis Yankey (16, student at Antigua Grammar School; author of ‘And She sang Fire’)

• EC$75 contributed by the International Women’s Club of Antigua and Barbuda
• Books – The Sisters and Manco’s Stories by Jan Carew + Cirque du Freak: Lord of the Shadows by Darren Shan contributed by the Best of Books

2nd – Ava C. Ralph (16, student at Antigua Girls’ High School; author of ‘Non Fiction?’)

• EC$125 contributed by the International Women’s Club of Antigua and Barbuda
  
• Books – Jeremiah, Devil of the Woods by Martina Altman, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling,  + Champions of the Gayelle by Alwyn Bully, Zeno Constance, and Pat Cumper contributed by the Best of Books

1st – Devon Wuilliez (16, student at Island Academy International School; author of ‘The Great Big Dumz’)

• EC$225 contributed by the International Women’s Club of Antigua and Barbuda
• Two vouchers to visit Antigua’s sister island, Barbuda, contributed by Barbuda Express
• Books – Jeremiah, Devil of the Woods by Martina Altman, Twilight: Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer, + Dragon’s Oath: A House of Night novella by P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast contributed by the Best of Books

18 to 35 winners (from left Lucia, Kaeiron, and Fayola) with the Best of Books sponsored Alstyne Allen Memorial Plaque at the May 13th awards ceremony. Photo by Linisa George/Art. Culture. Antigua

18 to 35

Lucia

3rd – Fayola Jardine (author of ‘Shakiyah and the Mango Hater’)

• EC$100 contributed by Caribbean Reads Publishing
  
• Books on writing – 3 A M Epiphany by Brian Kitely and This Year You write Your Novel by Walter Mosely, and Just Write Writers’ retreat scholarship, contributed by Brenda Lee Browne
• Books contributed by

2nd – Lucia Murray (student, St. Anthony’s Secondary School; author of ‘Mr. Duppy’)

• EC$200 contributed by Juneth Webson
• Book on writing – On Writing by Stephen King, and Just Write Writers’ retreat scholarship, contributed by Brenda Lee Browne
• Books contributed by

1st – Kaeiron Saunders (teacher, St. Anthony’s Secondary School; author of ‘Not Another Island Story; as told by Auntie Gah’)

• EC$300 contributed by Juneth Webson
• Gift basket/bag of products contributed by
  
• Book on writing – Unleash the Poem by Wendy Nyemaster, contributed by Brenda Lee Browne
• Books contributed by

At the awards: Kaeiron Saunders, overall winner, with the Best of Books sponsored Alstyne Allen Memorial plaque which bears the names of all the winners since Wadadli Pen started in 2004. Photo by Linisa George/Art. Culture. Antigua

Top Three Overall

3rd – Zion Ebony Williams

• EC$200 contributed by Frank B. Armstrong
• Art made and contributed by artist Jennifer Meranto
• cake voucher contributed by Danz’s Sweet Dreams

2nd – Devon Wuilliez

• EC$300 contributed by Frank B. Armstrong
• Art made and contributed by artist Jennifer Meranto
• One-on-one coaching session with author Joanne C. Hillhouse

Winner! Winner! Winner! – Kaeiron Saunders

• EC$500
• Pen contributed by Paperclips
• External hard drive contributed by the Cushion Club
• Journal made by artist Jane Seagull
• Art made and contributed by artist Jennifer Meranto
  
• Two novels (contributed by the author Claudia Elizabeth Ruth Francis)
• Inspirational card (from a line created and contributed by Monique S. Simon’s Caribbean Folklore Project)
• Name added to the Challenge plaque sponsored by the Best of Books

Featured image and some of the included images by Linisa George/ Thanks to them. Thanks as well to the media who helped us get the word out including Antigua Nice, where Wadadli Pen has a year-round presence as their contribution to our project; and media who shared our notices and releases, or who hosted us for interviews (primarily ABS and Observer media). Thanks all; any oversights are not intentional.

NOT ANOTHER ISLAND STORY; AS TOLD BY AUNTIE GAH by Kaeiron Saunders

Saunders, a 23-year-old Biology teacher and lab technician in the Advanced Level Department of St. Anthony’s Secondary School, says, “(I’m) fascinated by interesting people, new places and written things. Creative at heart, student of science in mind.”

Judges’ Verdict: “Great piece!”

They adjudged it 1st in the 18 to 35 age category, and 1st overall in the 2017 Wadadli Pen Annual Writing Challenge.

***

“Not another island story, Auntie
I’ve heard it all before”
But every year, around this time
Auntie Gah would add more.

Gabriella was her Christian name
Affectionately called “Gah-Gah” for short
Telling stories, her favourite pastime
Making me listen, her sport

I suspected she was really my mother
She must have witnessed my birth
The details she knew about me
Were things that could not be learnt

Every story began the same way
With a throwback to the past
A tale about the good ole days
And how it saddened her that they didn’t last

We used to sleep with our doors open
And the village raised the child
Boys were taught to be chivalrous
Girls were taught to be mild

Now everyone does their own thing
Selfish as can be
Parents have kids without a ring
The teenage world revolves around “me”.

You don’t know who’s the teacher
And it’s not their age that’s the uncertain thing
You don’t know who’s the preacher
And it’s not just the congregation who sins

Now this part of the story
Was the part I hated most
Where everything turned ugly
Metaphorical gargoyles, goblins, ghosts

I wanted to interrupt her
Ask if this time we could change
Give the story a happy ending
Throw a hero into the game

So what’s the moral Auntie?
Don’t all stories have a good end?
A happily ever after?
An enemy who becomes a friend?

Hush and listen to my story
The point is not to criticize
But to show that the good within a society
Is relative to each new generation’s eyes

For a time will come, my little prodigy
When this story will be yours
You’ll look back in time happily
And face the future with remorse

You cannot see it now
Cause to the young, the present is bliss
But change is always hard to accept
So in a few years, you too will reminisce

The comforts you see as normal now
Will one day exist no more
And the comfort of your children
Their appeal to you will be a quart short of poor

The point, my dear child,
That I am trying to make
Is that this island’s story
Depends on the choices you make

Through its dreams a generation comes true
So while God holds the future
the future holds you
Responsible; be careful what you do

Don’t take it lightly
For when I glance into the past
I do it to remind you
That the present too shall pass

We’re busy making money
As though money maketh man
But our island dies slowly
Cause of death? Failure to plan

To plan a proper course of action
A map of the old which charts the new
Instead of building on the old foundation
We try to lay one anew

Listen to Auntie Gah’s story
My child, we must all receive
This island’s past lessons of wisdom
If we endeavour to all achieve

-END-

Please respect the writer’s copyright. And while we welcome feedback, please be constructive.

With thanks to our patrons, see this writer’s total prize haul below (and remember, support the businesses/individuals who support the arts):

EC$500
EC$300 (contributed by Juneth Webson)
Pen (contributed by Paperclips) + Personalized journal (Jane Seagull)
External hard drive (Cushion Club)
Painting (contributed by the artist Jennifer Meranto)
Books – Perfect Life by Eileen Pollack, New York Actually by Sarah Morgan, The Things I Should Have Told You by Carmel Harrington, Ex Factor, Summertime Dreams, The Woman Who Upped and Left by Fiona Gibson (contributed by Harper Collins)
Gifts (courtesy Raw Island Products)
Book – Unleash the Poem by Wendy Nyemaster (contributed by Brenda Lee Browne)
Two novels (contributed by the author Claudia Elizabeth Ruth Francis)
Inspirational card (from a line created and contributed by Monique S. Simon’s Caribbean Folklore Project)
Certificate x2 + Winner’s Name on the Challenge plaque (sponsored by the Best of Books)

THOSE WHO WON’T HEAR, WILL FEEL! by Zion Ebony Williams

Zion Ebony Williams

About the author: 11 year old Zion Williams is Grade 6 “A” student at the Baptist Academy.  She  loves liturgical dancing, singing and watching her favorite TV shows. Although relatively shy, lately she has become bolder, due mainly to her church’s quest to have young children doing public speaking at as early an age as possible. Zion has steadily progressed up the ranks since she started submitting to Wadadli Pen, earning honourable mention in the 12 and Younger category for The Night I went to Cricket in 2014 and 2nd runner up in the same category for A Dinner to Remember in 2016.

About the story: In an effort  to  prepare  Zion for the Grade 6 National Assessment this year,  her mom gave her several topics from which to choose and write a story, so she could get some practice in creative story writing. This is the story she wrote on the topic “Those Who Won’t Hear Will Feel.”  The story is about a nightmare she had, in which she suffered the consequences of being disobedient to her mother.

In the 2017 Wadadli Pen Annual Writing Challenge, the judges ranked Zion’s story 1st in the 12 and younger age category and 3rd overall.

***

Weeeoooeee, weeeoooee!  the wailing of the siren  and  the flashing lights seemed so  distant, but I knew the ambulance was here, for I heard my mother  saying, “be careful , l think her foot is broken .”  “Ahhhhhhhh!” I screamed as they lifted me into the ambulance. The pain was so excruciating, I felt I would  surely die. The talking grew fainter, and then… nothing….blackness . I had passed out.

It all started one bright day during the summer holidays. It was a normal day, until my mom said she had to go to a meeting, so I would be home alone with my big sister. Mom  left giving the usual command to study and do my homework,  with the reminder,  “Heights of great men reached and kept, were not attained by sudden flight …..”  and I finished it for her, because I had heard it so many times before.  This was still normal,  until the neighbor’s  two girls called me out to play.  I knew my mom didn’t want me playing with them. She had often said “you’re in the same school, but you’re not in the same class. ” She meant their standards and values were different from ours.  You know those mothers who always have  a saying for everything ? Well, my  mom is one of those.
With all thoughts of the consequences for disobedience out of my head, I went out to play. We went directly to the forbidden dumbs tree, that  I was  told,  as a girl,  I was  never to climb. We competed to see who could climb to the highest part of the tree  and get the half snatty dumbs .  I really wanted to win, so although the limb did not seem sturdy, I still climbed on it. First, there was  a soft  “crack”, as I placed one foot,  and then a loud “CRACK”,  as I placed my other foot on the limb. The next thing I knew , I  fell  through the cassi  branches and  to the ground  with a loud THUD!

When I regained consciousness,  I was in the hospital  with a  cast on one foot,  a bandaged head, and heard one of the girls saying,

“It’s all her fault, we told her not to go up in the tree.”

“What!  They never told me that! ” I screamed to myself. I kept my eyes closed, because I didn’t want to see my mom’s disappointed look, but  I could not help hearing her say, “pickney who nah hear wa mumma say, drink peppa warta, lime, and sarl.”   When I was finally brave enough to look timidly  at mom,  she said lovingly, “a disobedient child is worthy of death, but thank God you didn’t die”.

“I’m sorry, mommy” I said sheepishly.
After  being  outfitted with a pair of crutches  and pain killers, I was sent home.  Mom  gave me my favourite ice cream, and then  said,  “ you know you’re going to get lashes for disobeying?”  as she went for the pot stick. “Whaaaaaa…whaaaaa!” I wailed loudly,  before I had even gotten a blow. I could not believe she was still going to punish me with my injuries….how CRUEL, I thought !

Mom was not moved. “What you crying for, you get something to cry for?….. Stop the noise or I’ll give you something to cry for! ….Open your hand!  Those who won’t hear,  will feel ! ”  I screamed , as she raised her hand,  and then felt some one shaking me.

“Wake up Zion!”  I was drenched in sweat.  “Phew!”  It was a DREAM….No,  a NIGHTMARE!

-END-

Please respect the writer’s copyright. And while we welcome feedback, please be constructive.

With thanks to our patrons, see this writer’s total prize haul below (and remember, support the businesses/individuals who support the arts):

EC$100 gift certificate (contributed by the Cushion Club)
EC$200 (contributed by Frank B. Armstrong)
EC$125 cash/gift certificate (sponsored by Art. Culture. Antigua)
Painting (contributed by the artist Jennifer Meranto)
cake/cake voucher (contributed by Danz’s Sweet Dreams)
Books – Mary Poppins in Cherry Tree Lane by P L Travers, Mary Poppins in the Park by P L Travers, Mary Poppins Opens the Door by P L Travers, Mary Poppins Comes Back by P. L. Travers, Mary Poppins by P L Travers, Spell Like a Champion (sponsored by Harper Collins)
Gifts (sponsored by Juneth Webson)
With Grace by Joanne C. Hillhouse (contributed by Little Bell Caribbean)
Inspirational card (from a line created and contributed by Monique S. Simon’s Caribbean Folklore Project )
Certificate x2 (sponsored by the Best of Books)

“AND SHE SANG FIRE.” by Francis Yankey

Yankey, left, at the Wadadli Pen awards with other winners in his category. Photo courtesy Linisa George/Art. Culture. Antigua

Francis Yankey, a 16-year-old fifth form student at the Antigua Grammar School, says, “Writing my poems and a story for the Wadadli Pen were not easy, but worth it. I was inspired by a past Grammarian, who used to enter this competition & due to my love for reading and wanting to hone my writing skills. I am grateful for the Wadadli Pen for doing a wonderful initiative.”

Judges’ verdict: “Lovely and imaginative.”

In the 2017 Wadadli Pen Annual Writing Challenge, Yankey’s story tied for 3rd in the 13 to 17 age category.

***

“Isabette, Isabette, Isabette,” wanders the mind of Sonny Joe. Twenty years now, he still remembers her sweet musical sounds. Isabette, that black girl on fire.

When he was a young man, he would always walk down on the street in his village to Faroe’s Beach in the night.  In the village, there were no lamp posts neither street lights; however, he continued to walk in the darkness. As he entered the beach, he took off his clothes and hat. When his feet touched the cold waters from the sea, he breathed in the cool, misty breeze.

He jumped into the sea and swam in far distances for his relaxation. Suddenly, he heard someone singing, he was not alone. As he looks up, his mouth opened wide and the first word was Isabette, but that was not her true name. He saw her orange-red locks, her glowing red eyes and her lips glitter as gold. He also saw her elegant dress which was the same color of her locks. Isabette was the name of his mother who died when he was young. She was no ordinary black girl that he has ever seen before. His body was benumbed in the ocean, listening to the tunes and seeing fire blaste out from her mouth as she sang her heart out. She sang,”oh la la, tra la la. Love is so sweet, love is so merry, and love is so cherry.” Furthermore, he beheld geometric shapes in fire blasted from her mouth mid-air.

His eyes talked with her dazzling, red eyes. The only possible language between them was the language of love. The sad thing is that he didn’t bring his guitar to harmonize with her amazing voice. This happened in a few seconds where she disappears. The next night, he returned to the beach hoping to see her again. Then fire magically comes out of the sand and there she was. He couldn’t resist her charms and her unbelievable voice. While she sang so lustfully, he played his guitar with its sweet rhythm. They finished performing after midnight, and she vanished once again.

This strange incident continued to happen for the year. In all his mysterious nights with her, she didn’t seem to come from this planet. When he asked her questions pertaining to who she was, she just sang higher acting if she was deaf. Who was this black beautiful stranger?

When he returned as always to the Faroe’s Beach, he waited patiently for her arrival to meet him. As he waited, he remembered her melodic lyrics and the fire that would always come out of her mouth. Notwithstanding, she will never come back again to meet her lover, but he didn’t know. So he waited for a long time and she still has not arrived yet, therefore he sadly left.

Night after night, he came but without any luck. The only thing was fond memories of this stranger. He wanted to tell the village, but they would consider him a lunatic. So he kept it to himself as his treasured secret. Years passed by rapidly, yet he clearly remembered Isabette. His secret was the love between them and she would always be his black girl on fire.

-END-

Please respect the writer’s copyright. And while we welcome feedback, please be constructive.

With thanks to our patrons, see this writer’s total prize haul below (and remember, support the businesses/individuals who support the arts):

EC$75 (contributed by the International Women’s Club of Antigua and Barbuda)
Books – The Sisters and Manco’s Stories by Jan Carew + Cirque du Freak: Lord of the Shadows by Darren Shan (contributed by the Best of Books)
Certificate (sponsored by the Best of Books)