About the Author – Nine year old Eunike enjoys reading and playing. She hopes to one day become a teacher and a famous YouTuber.Eunike first submitted to Wadadli Pen at 5 years old in 2017 and continued submitting in subsequent Challenges (2018, 2020) before making the short list in 2021. Eunike is a student at the Baptist Academy of Antigua.
About ‘The Blackboard’: The story is about a blackboard, which lived in the “Non-Living Things” world. The blackboard was accused of having the corona after it sneezed while being written upon. Eunike said, “After being a part of a short workshop by Ms. Arrindell, as well as a story my mother wrote, I was inspired to write this story.”
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‘The Blackboard’
‘Achoo!’ sneezed the Blackboard while the teacher Ms. Jakes wrote a math equation on her.
For a second, the class was as quiet as the St. John’s cemetery.
Then Flora, the girl with the long braids, all the way to her bottom shouted ‘Corona!’ and suddenly everyone, including Ms. Jakes, was rushing out of the classroom. All you could see was a bundle of bodies, trying to squeeze through the door, above which was a sign entitled ‘Come in with questions. Leave with knowledge.’
Everyone scrambled down the corridor and almost ran out of the school yard. Thank God, Ms. Jakes remembered that she was a teacher. Breathing heavily, she said, ‘Hold on…stop…strain yourselves …tell Principal Crump’ and she dragged herself to the office.
“Mrs. Crrrrrrrrump. I.. neeeeeed to teeeelllll yooou soooomething!”
“What is it, did someone get hurt, was Rakeem sleeping in class again, is my daughter Chandria okay?” asked Mrs. Crump. “Here, drink some water and calm down.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Crump. I get my breath back. Blackboard sneezed. It has Corona! Call in the health inspectors quickly and we all need to go on quarantine. This is serious Mrs. Crump. This is serious.”
“Please take the children to Bathroom and let them clean up in case Blackboard got any saliva on them when it sneezed.” said Mrs. Crump, “This Non-Living Things Corona Virus is dangerous and we need to get this under control. God forbid that it should spread to humans.”
Mrs. Crump poked her head through the door and shouted “Miss Jenkins? Did you sanitize Bathroom?’
‘Yes, ma’am. You can eat off Bathroom floor.”
In five minutes, the inspectors drove into the school yard in Ambulance.
“Please, tell them to come back, I don’t have corona. I forgot to tell them that I have the flu.” Don’t they remember that it’s the flu season? I already got tested for the corona and my test came back negative. Please, please, please, don’t take me away to the Non-Living Things Hospital,” cried Blackboard. “I am so ashamed!
‘That’s where you have to go. You want US to catch the virus?”
Blackboard cried rivers of chalky tears, while the inspectors unhooked it from the wall.
The children ran behind Ambulance as it drove through the gate with Blackboard lying in the back. They began to sing, “It’s been a long day without you my friend, and we’ll tell you about it when we see you again”.
“Wa, wa, wa, wa,” was the sound which filled the air and disappeared as Ambulance went further and further away with Blackboard.”
This is one of the winning entries in the 2021 Wadadli Youth Pen Prize Challenge. Please respect each writer’s copyright.
About the Author – Andre is an aspiring writer, chess player, and youth leader. He was a Wadadli Pen runner up in 2018 and winner in 2020. He said, “I love the arts of literature and (am) a fan of physical activities.”
About ‘The Brave One’: The story of a young boy caught up in the woes of the pandemic, viewing the virus as a monster and experiencing events from his perspective as he does his part to fight the ‘monster’.
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‘The Brave One’
“Bwoy just go back inna ya room on the zoom and sit down! Me cannot help you Javon, me tired ah’ 6pm”. Javon ran to his room in tears, his dad never shouted at him like this before. The unshaven red eyed man, absorbed into his laptop that he saw barely resembled his dad anymore, only six months ago he was a happy go lucky guy with a wonderful smile. It was all that thing’s fault, why his dad was not happy, why he couldn’t see his friends, and why mommy wasn’t here anymore. It was all that monster’s fault; it took everything but today he would take it back!
Javon looked at himself in the mirror: six years old, three and a half feet of determination. He began psyching himself up by thinking of the last six months. It all started when the news said something was out there, lurking. His mom told him not to worry it was all the way in China; “corona by the chiney man, we all the way in Antigua” she said. A few weeks later he heard more news, it reached to America and other places. Overhearing his dad talking with his friends about how they should close the ports to stop the virus from coming to Antigua; he started to question what would happen to his cousins that lived there? The same answer was given, not to worry. Then it came, Javon vividly remembered seeing his parents glued to the T.V, watching the man who he saw in social studies, the prime minister. Never had he seen his parents so silent or nervous, after the show they lectured him about safety protocols to follow. That was the beginning of the weirdest times he ever had.
It was so fun at first! Javon got to wear a mask and play ninja with his friends every single day. Everyone washed their hands; he hated sticky hands from candy and ice pops. Lastly, he got his own cubicle at school, just like his daddy had in his office at the hotel. But the fun stopped there, at home everything changed, his parents looked tired and sad every day. Javon always wondered why a virus you couldn’t see bothered his parents so much they were the: brave knights of Couchlandia in the land of living room, and the cut-throat pirates of the Bathtub Sea. Then he figured it out there was no virus, it must be a vicious monster spreading plagues. The signs were all there, a curfew? Only the evilest monsters hunt at night, so obviously no one would be allowed outside. Then, came the lockdown, only strong monsters roamed in the day. Javon’s mom was a nurse, and she was now ‘essential’ it was obviously to help wounded soldiers who fought the monster. His dad now stayed home as extra security, Javon did not believe his dad’s excuse of how the hotel job closed, how could the big world run out of tourists? None of that mattered to him now he had a mission, it was time to slay the monster.
To defeat his enemy Javon decided to learn where its nest was, creeping out of his room to grab an important tool: his mom’s phone. He immediately called the ‘Covid’ hotline that was advertised, and every call went unanswered. Javon decided he would have to investigate himself; he needed all the clues he could to find this monster. He put on his detective glasses to crack this case; online he found how the monster arrived by plane, attacking a college student then slowly spreading over the nation, what made him mad was the monster even had a green scoreboard for all its victims. Now was the time he could act the curfew was on, the hours where the monster prowled around had begun. With the trail hot Javon snuck into the bathroom and hopped out the low window; armed with ninja stars, a cork gun and a lightsaber the hunt began. Reaching to the monster’s den was a perilous journey; every shadow jumped at him, dogs barked, and cars zoomed past him. After three hours he arrived: Mount Saint John’s Hospital, the belly of the beast. With a deep breath Javon entered. Back in Piggott’s Javon’s father, after discovering his son’s absence and his intended destination, bravely broke the curfew restrictions and hopped into his car racing for the hospital not knowing what he would find.
Using ninja skills Javon crept through the quiet corridors and up the stairs to the upper floors after overhearing a nurse saying “all corona up in the top floor”. Facing the restricted glass doors, Javon heard machine beeps and people gasping for air. Reaching a hand forward he noticed that it was shaking, in fact his whole body was shaking! Just beyond those doors lay the monster. That is when Javon realized it terrified him; the monster that took his mom, broke his dad, terrorized the world and destroyed his life scared him. Once those doors opened there was no turning back, the reality of what he was doing sank in, driving him to tears. But he brushed them away, pushing his hands forward again he had to do it, someone had to be the brave one! Before his hand touched the door it was grabbed by a larger hand. Panicking thinking of the monster Javon struggled as he was pulled into a tight embrace. Recognizing the familiar scent and embrace of his father, he leaned even deeper into the hug bawling his eyes out. Through his sobs Javon explained what he was doing for everyone’s sake, feeling his father’s chest shake he thought him angry. Looking up through tear-stained eyes he saw to his confusion that his dad was, laughing? Turning to leave and take him home, his dad cheerfully apologized, and said “don’t worry son you don’t have to be afraid anymore, from now on I will be the brave one.”
This story was edited by the author, post-judging, prior to posting.This is one of the winning entries in the 2021 Wadadli Youth Pen Prize Challenge. Please respect each writer’s copyright.
About the Author – Gazelle is a 12 year old grade 8 student of the Island Academy School, who has a passion for visual arts, music, natural sciences, information technology, and world affairs. She is the 10th of 11 children and says, “I believe that success depends heavily on one’s own intrinsic motivation so I always push myself to do the very best that I can.”
About ‘Beautiful Disaster’: The poet describes it as being “about the beauty and the tragedy that was brought about by the global Corona Virus Pandemic. Listening to and watching the news daily, I was disheartened by all the pain, the loss and the sense of hopelessness that prevailed. However, being an optimist, I chose as well to find the good that was beneath all the gloom and hence the title ‘Beautiful Disaster’ because even in this somewhat hopeless moment, there is still BEAUTY.”
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‘Beautiful Disaster’
On a sombre day in December When the world was busy playing There upon descended Corona A silent killer, all betraying.
The cries were loud, deafening was the clamour The hopelessness it bred, seemed to last forever But, in the midst of it all, there was a beautiful disaster For we all had the chance to focus on the things that matter.
Like family, and the togetherness we’d lost Like mother earth, and how she had been suffering because of us Like slowing down, reflecting and re-evaluating our pace And taking time to cherish, whatever time we had left in this place.
So yes it was, a beautiful disaster indeed Covid 19 or Corona, out of ugliness beauty breeds Our world has changed, humanity perhaps better for it A beautiful disaster, if ever nature saw fit.
This is one of the winning entries in the 2021 Wadadli Youth Pen Prize Challenge. Please respect each writer’s copyright.
I (Joanne C. Hillhouse, author and Wadadli Pen founder and coordinator), zoomed today with my fellow judges, author, publisher, and veteran Wadadli Pen judge Floree Williams Whyte and past winner and first time judge Devra Thomas. After separately creating our own list of ranked entries (entries, not writers whom the judges didn’t know as they read) from among 72 entries, and an average ranking from that list, guided solely by numerical ranking, leading to the posting of a long list, we discussed the long list, revisited the entries, lobbied and debated, and ranked, and we have a short list. Congrats to everyone who entered for trying (that’s important in #TheWritingLife) and to those who made the short list. How that short list breaks down will be revealed at our Awards ceremony (which is our next project activity – details to come). But in the meantime, join us in congratulating writers short listed for the Wadadli Pen 2021 Challenge Prize.
The plaque bearing the main prize winners’ name, which hangs in the Best of Books bookstore, got an upgrade in 2016 and is now known as the Alstyne Allen Memorial Plaque.
Eunike Caesar – The Blackboard (fiction) Jason Gilead – The Great Old Woodslave (fiction) Gazelle Zauditu Menen Goodwin – Beautiful Disaster (poetry) Sheniqua Maria Greaves – The Juxtaposed Reprieve (fiction) Ashley-Whitney Joshua – Hiraeth (fiction) Aunjelique Liddie – The Beach (poetry) Kevin Liddie – Mildred, You No Easy (fiction) Razonique Looby – Vixen (fiction) Andre Warner – The Brave One (fiction)
Congrats as well to the writers who made the long list. Since we mentioned only the titles and not the names before, they were (in addition to the short listed writers above) – Noleen Azille (Mission: Covered, fiction); Annachiara Bazzoni (Maybe, poetry); Aria-Rose Browne (Spirit of the Flame, fiction); Rosemond Dinard-Gordon (Emerging, poetry); Naeem Desouza (The Goat in the Rainforest of Puerto Rico, fiction); Jai Francis (The Legend of the Snowy Egret, poetry); Anastatia K. Mayers (Home, poetry); Linita Simon (The Breeze, fiction); Kadisha Valerie (The Silence was So Loud, fiction); and Latisha Walker Jacobs (Nothing Like Me, poetry).
All long listed writers will have the opportunity to participate in a workshop facilitated by me post-season (thanks to sponsorship from one of our patrons) – other prizes will be announced at the awards ceremony.
The winning school, i. e. the school with the most submissions, is St. Anthony’s Secondary School. Congrats to them and to teachers at all schools who had to rise to meet the challenges of a most extraordinary year.
At this stage the individual rankings of the three-panel judges are in, cross-referenced on a master list, and then ranked by numbers only. The judges will meet to finalize the short list and positioning re the individual prizes, hopefully this week. In the meantime, based solely on the numerical ranking, names withheld until the judging is completed (to keep the process anonymous), here, in alphabetical order, is the long list of stories still in the running for the 2021 Wadadli Pen Prize. Putting it out in gratitude for your patience, all 72 of you who submitted.- JCH
The Beach Beautiful Disaster The Blackboard The Brave One The Breeze Emerging The Goat in the Rainforest of Puerto Rico The Great Old Woodslave Hiraeth Home The Juxtaposed Reprieve The Legend of the Snowy Egret Maybe Mildred, You Na Easy Mission: Covered Nothing Like Me The Silence was So Loud Spirit of the Flame Vixen
The entire longlist will be eligible for a spot in a workshop to be facilitated by Joanne C. Hillhouse. The entire long list will be further shortened to a short list after judges’ deliberate. From that list we will have main prize winners, ‘2020’ themed prize winners, and 12 and younger winners. The main prize winner will be added to the Best of Books sponsored Alstyne Allen Memorial plaque while the 12 and younger winner will be the first name added to the Zuri Holder Achievement Award plaque. We also have various prizes for our finalists. This is all thanks to our various patrons. We can confirm, at this writing, that the winner of the schools prize, based on the number of submissions, will be St. Anthony’s Secondary School. Nine schools in all participated this year. Of course, we also had many entries with no school/institutional affiliation as entries were open to participants of all ages.
That’s the status at this writing. Bear with us a little longer; the finish line is in sight.
THE WADADLI PEN 2021 CHALLNGE INVITES REFLECTION ON ‘2020’
February 26th 2021
The Wadadli Youth Pen Prize returns with its latest challenge to writers and artists in Antigua and Barbuda. As in the past, the 1000 word (maximum) entries – of any literary genre or sub-genre – should be Caribbean in spirit. Entrants can write about anything but there is, also, an optional themed challenge.
The arts often flourish in difficult times as a way of channeling and expressing, also escaping, the turmoil and complexities of that time. For that reason, and the cathartic relief it can offer, Wadadli Pen looks back to ‘2020’, a year which has become a euphemism for struggle and uncertainty, as an optional sub-theme of the 2021 Wadadli Pen Challenge, with a reminder to reflect, imagine, and make it Caribbean. Both written and art-text combos (i.e. storytelling using both written and visual art) are welcome.
Each year, the winning writer’s name is emblazoned on to the Alstyne Allen Memorial plaque sponsored by the Best of Books. Additional pledged prizes so far this season have been confirmed from the Best of Books, Harper Collins (UK), International award winning Jamaican author Olive Senior, Patricia L. Tully of Antigua and Barbuda who has recently published her first book, and past Wadadli Pen winner Daryl George.
2021 Wadadli Pen Patron Daryl George’s name is on the Alstyne Allen Memorial plaque as a past winner. Pictured with George (right) is Douglas Allen (left), a Wadadli Pen founding partner and brother of the late volunteer for whom the plaque, sponsored by the Best of Books, is named.
Wadadli Pen is launching later than usual this year and without the usual prize confirmations but determined to press on. To support the work by sponsoring a prize or volunteering, contact wadadlipen@gmail.com
Wadadli Pen is open in 2021 to entries from anyone of any age resident in Antigua and Barbuda; but reserves the right to single out youth entries for commendation. As usual, Wadadli Pen will also recognize the school with the most submissions.
This is the first time the organizers have done the challenge and the readers choice book of the year initiative at the same time; the organizers encourage full participation in this ongoing effort to boost the literary arts. . Submissions due by March 26th 2021.
A reminder that the process with these Carib Lit Plus Caribbean arts bulletins is to do a front and back half of the month, updating as time allows as new information comes in; so, come back. (in brackets, as much as I can remember, I’ll add a note re how I sourced the information)
News
Before the end of November, news of another passing and another blow to the local calypso fraternity. In a year that took former kings Edimelo and Swallow (one of the Big Three), Calypso Joe, who claimed the crown in 1971, has died (per a report from ABS TV). We have nothing further to report but remind you that you can read about Calypso Joe here on the blog. With songs that are part of the fabric of Antiguan and Barbudan life in the 20th century, songs that are part of the story of Antigua and Barbuda, he truly was a classic. And thanks to TEDx Antigua a few years ago, we got to hear his story.
(Source – Facebook)
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Remember to D.A.R.E. (Source – Daily Observer newspaper)
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Antigua and Barbuda’s Culture Minister Daryl Matthew has had Education added to his portfolio in light of the arrest of the Education Minister Michael Browne on unspecified (for legal reasons) charges and Browne’s removal from Cabinet (unclear at this time how this affects his elected office as representative for All Saints West). Matthew is reported to be the Minister of Education, Sports, and Creative Industries. The confusion that creates for me is is this a rebrand of the Ministry of Sports, Culture, National Festivals and the Arts, of how we think about art and culture, or an erasure of same. If you’ve read my thoughts on Culture developmentally on this blog, you already know I don’t think the PTB have been nearly proactive, intersectional, nor intentional enough (nor have they prioritized the kind of continuous engagement with and engagement of the artistic community I would like to see as a member of and advocate for that community) and I wonder how/if this will shift that. Beyond that, trippling Education with Sports, and the Arts (assuming its embedded in the catch-all ‘creative industries’ term) makes sense as all have a built-in youth development agenda. Perhaps I’ll be able to discuss these and other issues with the new Creative Industries minister for my CREATIVE SPACE series at some point. (Source – local news and social media generally)
Professional Development
Antiguan and Barbuda commercial producer-director, visual artist, and owner of Palette Designs Ad agency Lawson Lewis “is among 30 professionals from within the region who are participating in a virtual script writing and film production programme sponsored by the Caribbean Export Development Agency. The intense sessions cover areas such as story development, screen writing, film scheduling, film budgeting and pitching.” (Source – Daily Observer newspaper November 20th 2020 pages 8-9)
Story and Book Recs
Dominican writer Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea is an undisputed classic of West Indian literature. Here’s my review of the book. But this post is about the recent Royal Society of Literature event ‘What’s So Great About… Jean Rhys with Linda Grant, Shivanee Ramlochan, Lauren Elkin and Shahidha Bari’. You can find my review of another Rhys favourite discussed in this conversation, After Leaving Mr McKenzie, here. You can view the whole RLS conversation here. Framing it at the beginning, the Caribbean person on the panel Trinidad and Tobago’s Shivanee Ramlochan, said, “In a year in which we are having this phenomenal event, it’s heartbreaking to know that Rhys’ childhood home in Dominica was demolished in May to make way for commercial properties. What I find instructive about that is that on the one hand it is for someone like me an unbearable tragedy but in looking at the responses of Dominicans many of which were suffused with grief, there are others that quetion the legitimacy of Rhys to that climate, to their environment, to the idea of why a white Dominican woman who spent scant time in Dominica should be venerated in a certain way. So the response to Rhys is not just one thing; it’s comprised of so many interweaving and complex parts about what makes Caribbean identity and what makes a Caribbean writer.” I’m listening to this after reading an article of Louisa Mae Alcott (of Little Women fame’s) house. I’ve toured that house in Concord, Massachusetts (and took with me a rich appreciation for the opportunity to do so, and a mug with Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy, and a kite) and appreciate what it means to hold certain spaces, not just because of the individuals but because of the stories they have told about those spaces. Also, since this is substantially what matters in the Caribbean, there is missed literary tourism value – I think of the times I’ve been contacted with inquiries about Jamaica Kincaid’s childhood home here in Antigua (which spoiler alert has not been preserved nor exploited for whatever value it holds to literary wanderers) and about the time I took a literary bus tour (a BIM book fair event) in Barbados that included spaces chronicled in literature and the homes of some who either made or facilitated the making of literature about Barbados. It was fascinating. And too often we are shortsighted – especially when it comes to the arts. (Source – via email from The Royal Society of Literature)
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Trinidad and Tobago writer Barbara Jenkins’ ‘A Good Friday’ was plucked from the pages of Pepperpot: Best New Stories from the Caribbean for reading by former Reading Rainbow host (and Roots start) Levar Burton on his Levar Burton Reads podcast which began in the early days of COVID quarantine in America. We’ve just added it to the latest Reading Room and Gallery but wanted to big her up here as well. His Trini accent not bad. (Source – via email from John Robert Lee of St. Lucia)
Publications and Postings
I have uploaded the video, in fulfillment of my grant requirement for the Catapult Caribbean Creative Arts online, to my YouTube channel AntiguanWriter. Please view, like, comment, share, subscribe.
(Source – Me!)
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Intersect Antigua-Barbuda has launched its online platform with a huge upload of stories, poems, and art consistent with its particular brand of gender artivism.
You can read and listen to the to the stories (which includes Carnival Hangover by Wadadli Pen founder and coordinator and Belonging to Barbuda by Wadadli Pen team member Barbara Arrindell) on the site. Kudos to the Antiguan and Barbudan activists that spearheaded this regionally-focused global initiative, and who, thanks to an international grant, have been able to take it to the next level. (Source – initially, social media, primarily instagram)
Kudos
To Ingrid Persaud and Monique Roffey, two Caribbean writers, both originally of Trinidad and Tobago, who have been shortlisted for 2020 Costa Book Awards – Persaud for best first novel for Love After Love and Roffey for best novel for The Mermaid of Black Conch: a Love Story. (Source – initially Ingrid’s page on instagram which led to research on the Costa page)
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Happy 50th to Hansib Publications: the Caribbean focused, UK press was founded in 1970. Per its latest catalogue, “Hansib’s legacy as a campaigning publisher has few equals in Europe, let alone Britain, as victims of bigoted bureaucracy, police brutality, nazi savagery and even internecine violence found a platform and a template for resistance in the weekly newspapers later founded under the Hansib umbrella: Caribbean Times, Asian Times and African Times.” It continues, “The flame which was fanned by these assorted ventures abides in the content of the tomes which Hansib continues to publish. Professional wordsmiths with international reputations jostle with first-time authors within a catalogue that stands as a monument to Caribbean ingenuity and West Indian obstinacy and speaks truth to power that Caribbean nations provided the first examples of modern multi-cultural societies. …Hansib Publications is proud of its reputation in providing an outlet for the many voices that remain unheard. It continues to encourage the personal narratives that are testimonies of struggle, survival and success that cannot get beyond the portals of mainstream publishers.” Among the narratives published by Hansib are Antiguan and Barbudan titles like London Rocks by Brenda Lee Browne, Antigua and Barbuda: a Little Bit of Paradise Seventh Edition (which I had the opportunity to work on as an editor), The Art of Mali Olatunji: Painterly Photography from Antigua and Barbuda by Mali Olatunji and Paget Henry, King Short Shirt: Nobody Go Run Me: The Life and Times of Maclean Emanuel (a book longlisted for the Bocas Prize) by Dorbrene O’Marde, Shouldering Antigua and Barbuda: The Life of V. C. Bird by Paget Henry, and my first book The Boy from Willow Bend(2nd and 3rd edition). There are also intriguing titles like Before Windrush: West Indians in Britain by Asher and Martin Hoyles, Daughter of the Great River by Khalil Rahman Ali, Lest We Forget: The Experiences of World War II Westindian Ex-Service Personnel by Robert N. Murray, and West Indian History and Literature by Frank Birbalsingh Here’s their current catalogue:
Hansib is listed in the Publisher’s section of our Opportunities page. (Source – email from Hansib)
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The Caribbean Writer literary journal out of the US Virgin Islands has announced its 2020 prize recipients. They are Carmelo Rivera (The Daily News Prize for ‘About My Identity Journey’), Eugenia O’Neal (Canute A. Brodhurst – best short fiction – Prize for ‘Harold Varlack’s Return’) w/honourable mention to Sara Lynn Burnett (‘Occasional Moonlight’) and Rafael Gamero (Gringo Pobre), Natalie G.S. Corthésy (The Marvin E. Williams Literary Prize for ‘The Helper Experiment’) w/Chike Bukka Roots Pilgrim (Ananci) and Althea Romeo Mark (The Returned, Los Cocolos) also shortlisted, Rajiv Ramkhalawan (The Cecile de Jongh Literary Prize for ‘An Unkept Heart’) w/Latoya S. Smith (‘Diaspora Darling’) and C. Andie Davis (‘Spinner’) shortlisted), and Rohan Facey (The Vincent Cooper Literary Prize for ‘Fi We Language’). (Source – initially one of the prize recipients on social media; then the substantial list from TCW via email)
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(Source – Social media – Facebook, specifically)
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Jamaican Curdella Forbes, based in the US, won this year’s Hurston Wright fiction prize for A Tall History of Sugar. See the full Legacy awards breakdown here. (Source – Hurston Wright email)
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Hell’s Gate Steel Orchestra, the oldest surviving (uninterrupted) steel orchestra in the world, has gotten its roses. This Independence (November 2020) they were bestowed the award of National Institutional in The Most Precious Order of Princely Heritage (Gold). “We are truly thankful that our commitment and contributions to the the Steelpan artform and Antiguan Culture for 75 years has not gone unnoticed. We have toiled tirelessly over the years to keep the artform alive and pass it on to future generations,” the band posted to its facebook page. “Many have made sacrifices to help make this band what it is today and this award is proof that those sacrifices have not gone in vain.” Hell’s Gate is the first group and/or band in Antigua and Barbuda to receive a national award.
(Source – the source of the image and quote is the band’s facebook page, but I first heard about their award during the announcements on radio here in Antigua and Barbuda) ETA: Observer article announcing the award
As with all content on Wadadli Pen, except otherwise noted, this is written by Joanne C. Hillhouse (author of The Boy from Willow Bend, Dancing Nude in the Moonlight, Musical Youth, With Grace, Lost! A Caribbean Sea Adventure/Perdida! Una Aventura en el Mar Caribe, and Oh Gad!). All Rights Reserved. If you enjoyed it, check out my page on 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.
One of the pleasures of 2018 has been the Jhohadli Writing Project Creative Writing Workshop series.
In that time, I’ve covered or am covering (inasmuch as you can cover any of these things in four weeks):
Setting
Plot
Characters
Workshopping Participant Works in Progress
Openings
Pacing
Tension
Likely, I’ll be circling back around to some of these again.
My approach has included story breakdown and analysis, discussion, lecture/presentation (definitions, techniques, purpose, effect/impact, practical application), in session writing exercises, take home writing exercises, prompted journaling, freewriting, and field exercises. Participants receive a kit with advance reading including works of fiction, author interviews, and articles related to the aspect of writing being explored. I decided to focus on one aspect at a time for…focus.
At the end of each four week series, participants do a written evaluation which I use to guide me as the JWP CWWS continues – and I do hope to continue to the end of 2018 after which time I will evaluate. I also pull quotes from the written evaluation for my performances review page which I use to sell not just the JWP CWWS but all my services and programmes. This time though I’m going to share the responses to ‘favourite workshop activity’ and ‘goals achieved’. I’m hoping by so doing you can get a sense of if these workshops are right for you.
Setting
(favourite workshop activity) “My fovourite workshop activity was reading the assignments and the discussions which assisted with writing my own settings.”
(goals achieved) “Creating settings using relevant details to create the scene. How settings helps to move the story along.”
Plot
(favourite workshop activity) “My least favourite activity of this workshop activity was having to do the impromptu writing activities during the sessions.”
(goals achieved) “Some of the goals I achieved were, learning how to overcome writers block, practicing writing more than one draft, and just learning how to write plot more effectively.”
Character
(favourite workshop activity) “My favorite character workshop activity had to do with reading about characters and being able to figure out what the writer is trying to show the reader about the characters’ personality and actions.”
(favourite workshop activity) “writing a character profile based on a photo of a model. It really was an exercise in imagination and conjecture based on little information… (least favourite) “writing what was going on inside of (name redacted’s) head. It was difficult to understand her.”
(goals achieved) “I learnt about how to develop a character more effectively.”
(goals achieved) “I achieved the goal of refining just a little bit more the skill of writing compelling characters. I had planned to expand on a story of mine during the workshop but was unable to because that is not how the workshop was set-up.”
This last critique actually prompted my decision to make the series that followed works in progress (one of the more successful installations, though the person who requested it didn’t participate in those sessions) and to make more space going forward for participant writing.
WIPs
(favourite workshop activity) “My favourite workshop experience was the discussions and the impromptu writing sessions.” (side note: this participant was also the same participant who earlier in the year listed impromptu writing activities as her least favourite: one of my goals with her was freeing up her writing, being in the moment and not stressing the outcome, and I count her turnaround on this subject as a win)
(favourite workshop activity) “I enjoyed everything at the workshop especially the discussions.”
(goals achieved) “I learnt how to put my thoughts/ goals on paper (journal) and just write.”
(goals achieved) “I learnt free-style writing, how to write a short story, about pacing, mood, the over use of adverbs, mixed metaphors and a lot more.”
Every participant has not filled out an evaluation form, though, keeping it real, the participant numbers are lower than the expressed interest, lower than I’d like, lower than is probably viable if I actually tallied the hours I spent prepping and leading these workshops. But with the creative writing workshop series, unlike my other workshops/courses which do have minimum participation, at least for this year, I have committed to pressing on if even one person is interested. So, pressing on.
The evaluation forms have also given participants the option of selecting from a list what aspect of writing they’d like to see tackled next. This doesn’t mean I’ll tackle it next as I have to plan ahead but it does cue me as to what they’re interested in tackling, and cues them to my interest in serving their writing (from a customer service and sales standpoint, this is about keeping them interested by indicating that I’m open to hearing and interested in delivering what they say they need).
So that’s my report on the Jhohadli Writing Project Creative Writing Workshop series 2018. It takes place on Saturdays for an hour and a half (2:30 – 4 p.m.) at the Best of Books here in Antigua and Barbuda. If you’re interested but can’t attend, I provide the kit and session notes, and do written edits and critiques of written assignments for remote participants, so that you get the full – just not the live – experience, on your time. This applies to interested persons in Antigua-Barbuda and abroad. There are two Saturdays of the current series left and I expect to begin the next sessions RIGHT AFTER.
Those sessions, I believe, will be taking us Back to Basics for some FUNdamentals. If you think this is an area in which you could stand to get some practice or if you just want to get in to the habit of writing or to be in a space where you can create (some you-time), or if you have a work in progress you’d like to get some movement on, this series might be of value to you. Going Back to Basics is also designed to pull in new participants as it opens a doorway for those intimidated by the writing process or hesitant about getting started. It’s open to adults though older teens are also welcomed. Contact me at jhohadli at gmail dot com for information or to register.
As with all content on Wadadli Pen, except otherwise noted, this is written by Antiguan and Barbudan writer Joanne C. Hillhouse (author of The Boy from Willow Bend, Dancing Nude in the Moonlight, Oh Gad!, Musical Youth, Dancing Nude in the Moonlight 10th Anniversary Edition and Other Writings, With Grace, and Lost! A Caribbean Sea Adventure; also a freelance writer, editor, writing coach and workshop facilitator). If you like the content here follow or recommend the blog, also, check out my page on Amazon, WordPress, and/or Facebook, and help spread the word about Wadadli Pen and my books. Thank you.
Why did you register for this workshop? I was curious. I also thought I could learn new things which I did.
What was your favourite/least favourite activity? I enjoyed everything at the workshop especially the discussions.
Would you recommend this workshop? Yes, most definitely. There is a lot to learn and the facilitator did a great job of explaining what I didn’t understand.
The Q & A above excerpt a recent Jhohadli Writing Project evaluation – redacted to exclude any information specific to the participant.
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, Musical Youth, With Grace, Lost! A Caribbean Sea Adventure, and Oh Gad!). All Rights Reserved. If you enjoyed it, check out my page Jhohadli or like me on Facebook. Help me spread the word about Wadadli Pen and my books. You can also subscribe to the site to keep up with future updates. Thanks.
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