Tag Archives: Shakeema Edwards

A & B Writings in Journals, Showcases, and Contests (A – G)

This page has grown fairly quickly, so I’m breaking it up in to two pages. For H – N, go here, for O – T, go here, for U – Z, go here. and for books, go here. This is exclusively for creative pieces by Antiguans and Barbudans accepted to established literary journals, festivals (and other notable literary platforms), and contests (not pieces posted only to personal blogs) as I discover (and in some cases, re-discover) them. Primarily, the focus is on pieces accessible online (i.e. linkable) because those are easiest to find; but it is not limited to these. It is intended as a record of our publications and presentation of creative works beyond sole authored books. Naturally, I’ll miss some things. You can recommend (in fact, I welcome your recommendations), but, as with all areas of the site, additions/subtractions are at the discretion of the admin. 

AARON, GLENROY‘Summer One’ and ‘Coconut Man’ (visual art – painting) – Tongues of the Ocean (special issue – Artists and Writers of Antigua and Barbuda edited by Joanne C. Hillhouse) – 2014

ADAMS, RILYSFictional Reality (fiction, 2011 award winning Wadadli Pen story) – Anansesem (Wadadli Pen special issue) – 2011

AFLAK, ALLAN – (visual art – photography – also published in Alexis Andrews’ book Images in 2007) – in Carnival is All We know: an Anthology Celebrating 50 Years of Antigua’s Carnival and the Creativity of Our Writers & Artists (edited by Joanne C. Hillhouse and published as a supplement in the Daily Observer) – 2007

AIRALL, ZAHRA – Island Expressions in St. Kitts – 2016

AIRALL, ZAHRAThe Looking Glass (fiction) – in Theorizing Homophobias in the Caribbean – Complexities of Place, Desire and Belonging – 2012

Excerpt: “They’d met at a conference in Mexico, she was from Dominica, and Laurie was instantly drawn to that thick French accent when Marie spoke.”

ANDREWS, ALEXIS – (visual art – photography) – in Carnival is All We know: an Anthology Celebrating 50 Years of Antigua’s Carnival and the Creativity of Our Writers & Artists (edited by Joanne C. Hillhouse and published as a supplement in the Daily Observer) – 2007

ANTONIA, MAKEIDA/WADADLI WRITERInner Child (poetry) – in intersectantigua.com – 2020

ARMSTRONG, VEGA – Legend of the Sea Lords (fiction, 2012 award winning Wadadli Pen story) – Anansesem – 2012 + Tongues of the Ocean (special issue – Artists and Writers of Antigua and Barbuda edited by Joanne C. Hillhouse) – 2014

Excerpt: “Suddenly Freya dove under the water, the others quickly followed her. When they caught up with her they too saw the mysterious creature.”

ARRINDELL, BARBARABelonging to Barbuda (fiction) – Caribbean Feminist Stories, intersectantigua.com – 2020

ARRINDELL,  BARBARA – Scholarship Child (fiction, from her book The Legend of Bat’s Cave and Other Stories) – Interviewing the Caribbean (Caribbean Childhood: Traumas and Triumphs Part 2) edited by Opal Palmer Adisa – 2020

ARRINDELL, BARBARAA LIFE, a spirit…a name  (fiction, subsequently published in 2017 anthology The Black Notes edited by Althea Prince) – Tongues of the Ocean (special issue – Artists and Writers of Antigua and Barbuda edited by Joanne C. Hillhouse) – 2014

ARRINDELL, BARBARA – How Snake Stories became Anansi Stories (fiction, fable) – Womanspeak: A Journal of Writing and Art by Caribbean Women, Volume 7 Womanspeak 7– 2013

ARTHUR, ADEPraying for her Nadleehi (fiction) – in intersectantigua.com – 2020

AUGUSTUS, CARLIsolation (visual art and poetry) – in intersectantigua.com – 2020

AUGUSTUS, CARLLive Free (visual art) – in intersectantigua.com – 2020

AUGUSTUS, CARLTake Flight (visual art and text) – in intersectantigua.com – 2020

BARNES, SYLVANUS – Harp of Gold (poetry, from his book Barney’s Wit and Wisdom) – in Carnival is All We know: an Anthology Celebrating 50 Years of Antigua’s Carnival and the Creativity of Our Writers & Artists (edited by Joanne C. Hillhouse and published as a supplement in the Daily Observer) – 2007

BARTON, SHARON – ‘Evolution’ (visual art – designer gown, worn by Antigua Carnival Queen first runner-up Kimmorna Otto, which, in 2005, won best evening gown; it attempts to capture the colour and flow of reggae and calypso) and ‘Wild Orchid’ (visual art – designer gown worn in 2006 by Antigua Carnival Queen runner-up Charmaine Morgan) – in Carnival is All We know: an Anthology Celebrating 50 Years of Antigua’s Carnival and the Creativity of Our Writers & Artists (edited by Joanne C. Hillhouse and published as a supplement in the Daily Observer) – 2007

BATSON, NADIA – Expose (song lyrics, the Trinidad and Tobago singer/songwriter penned the tune for Antigua-Barbuda soca band El A Kru) – Carnival is All We know: an Anthology Celebrating 50 Years of Antigua’s Carnival and the Creativity of Our Writers & Artists (edited by Joanne C. Hillhouse and published as a supplement in the Daily Observer) – 2007

BEAZER, CHATRISSEThe Legend of Banana Boy (fiction, 2011 award winning Wadadli Pen short story) – Anansesem (Wadadli Pen special issue) – 2011

BENJAMIN, AKEILE – The Adventures of Mr. Coconut (fiction, 2012 award winning Wadadli Pen story) – Anansesem – 2012

BENTA, VERDANCI – Boysie’s Fixed Account (fiction, 2005 award winning Wadadli Pen story) – Anansesem – 2012

BROWN, MARK – ‘Jumbie’ and ‘Queen of the Band’ (visual art – painting) – in Carnival is All We know: an Anthology Celebrating 50 Years of Antigua’s Carnival and the Creativity of Our Writers & Artists (edited by Joanne C. Hillhouse and published as a supplement in the Daily Observer) – 2007

BROWNE, BRENDA LEE – Granny Cecelia’s Travelling Handbag – Womanspeak: A Journal of Art and Writing by Caribbean Women Volume 8 Womanspeak 8– 2016

BROWNE, BRENDA LEEexcerpt from London Rocks (fiction, published as a novel in 2017) in Moko: Caribbean Arts and Letters – 2015

Excerpt: “Dante’s mother asks if he is getting married as he smells as sweet as a bride and he had been getting ready since about 5pm – well since midday when he went to the barbers for a trim and a shape.”

BROWNE, BRENDA LEEFor my Father & Untitled (poetry) – Tongues of the Ocean (special issue – Artists and Writers of Antigua and Barbuda edited by Joanne C. Hillhouse) – 2014

BROWNE, BRENDA LEE – Betty Sope – Womanspeak: A Journal of Writing and Art by Caribbean Women, Volume 7 – 2013

BROWNE-BANNISTER, TAMMI – Wee Willie Winkie (fiction, winner of the 2016 Marguerite Cobb-McKay Prize) – The Caribbean Writer Volume 29 – 2015

BROWNE-BANNISTER, TAMMI – Stabs in the Dark (fiction) – Akashic’s Mondays are Murder series – 2014

BROWNE-BANNISTER, TAMMI – Strange Fruit (fiction) – Tongues of the Ocean (special issue – Artists and Writers of Antigua and Barbuda edited by Joanne C. Hillhouse) – 2014

BROWNE-BANNISTER, TAMMI – No Frills, No Lace (fiction) – Poui: Cave Hill Journal of Creative Writing – 2014

Excerpt: “The director’s walk was ceremonious not in haste, perhaps from years of practice. He carried one hand lying in the other at the back of his buttocks and he went along with his head bowed.”

BROWNE-BANNISTER, TAMMI – Coo Yah (fiction) – Moko: Caribbean Arts and Letters (online Virgin Islands journal) – 2014

BROWNE-BANNISTER, TAMMICocks, Hens, Dogs and Swine (fiction) – in St. Somewhere (online literary journal) – 2013

BROWNE-BANNISTER, TAMMIThe Bird who saved his Food (fiction) – Anansesem (online Caribbean Children’s Literary Journal) – 2013

Excerpt: “Once upon a time an albatross got caught in a fisherman’s net that was spread out at sea.”

BROWNE-BANNISTER, TAMMI – Mango Belly and Mango Belly Part 2 (fiction) –  Anansesem (online Caribbean Children’s Literary Journal) – 2011

Excerpt: “He ate each and every kidney, tantalizing his classmates with every suck, pick, slurp and lick. Their mouths watered and their eyes followed the golden juices that gushed down his hands.”

BUTLER, LORINDA T.Antigua Me Come From (poetry) – The Caribbean Writer, Volume 8 – 1994.

CADOGAN, DAVID – ‘Rasta Pan’ (visual art – painting) – in Carnival is All We know: an Anthology Celebrating 50 Years of Antigua’s Carnival and the Creativity of Our Writers & Artists (edited by Joanne C. Hillhouse and published as a supplement in the Daily Observer) – 2007

CHARLES, KENNELLA – Awaken to the Night – (fiction, 2005 award winning Wadadli Pen story) – Anansesem (Wadadli Pen special issue) – 2011

CHRISTOPHER, MARCUSLyrical Sampler (calypso lyrics) – Tongues of the Ocean (special issue – Artists and Writers of Antigua and Barbuda edited by Joanne C. Hillhouse) – 2014

DIXON, S A – (visual art – illustration for Market Day by Latisha Walker-Jacobs, award winning art and story in Wadadli Pen 2011 Challenge) + Cocos Nucifera (fiction, 2011 award winning Wadadli Pen short story) – Anansesem (Wadadli Pen special issue) – 2011

DORAM, HEATHER‘Hope is on the Horizon’ (from The Pandemic series) 18 x 30 acrylic and mixed media on canvas, cover art w/ACalabash Poetry Portfolio-5 Curated by John Robert Lee – 2021

DORAM, HEATHERIsolation 1 – in intersectantigua.com – 2020

DORAM, HEATHER ‘Fusion’ (visual art – 20 x 36 inch mixed media on canvas, cover art w/The Other Daughter by Joanne C. Hillhouse) – Adda (Commonwealth Writers online literary platform) – 2017

DORAM, HEATHER‘Moonlight on Butterflies’, ‘Serenity’, and ‘Rightful Place’  (visual art – painting) –  Tongues of the Ocean (special issue – Artists and Writers of Antigua and Barbuda edited by Joanne C. Hillhouse) – 2014

DORAM, HEATHERcarnivalmag‘Spirit of Carnival’ (visual art – mixed media painting on felt, cover art capturing the colour, glitter, and masking of the Carnival season, and illustrating the mythical connection with the inner self that happens during Carnival) and ‘Mama Looka Mas!’ (visual art – painting); and ‘Genesis’ (used a metaphor for Carnival and life, worn in 1994 by Lesley-ann Brown) and ‘CARICOM Woman’ (exploring the concept of “us coming together as a people, as a region” worn in 1992 by Diana Horsford) and ‘Spirit of Africa’ (worn by 1993 Antigua Carnival Queen Charmaine Bailey) and ‘Lady in Red’ (worn by 1988 Antigua Carnival Queen Irma-Marie Senhouse) – (visual art – costumes with builder and husband Connie Doram). Additional costumes for Vitus mas troupe (a highlander costume, 1997’s ‘Cocks Crow’, 2000’s ‘Folktales’ including characters like Anancy in his spider’s web, and 2003’s ‘Peace and Love’ (the stiltwalker section High High High)) – in Carnival is All We know: an Anthology Celebrating 50 Years of Antigua’s Carnival and the Creativity of Our Writers & Artists (edited by Joanne C. Hillhouse and published as a supplement in the Daily Observer) – 2007

D’ORNELLAS, ANNALISA -Toes in the Sand (poetry, national contest selection) – 2009

Excerpt: “I was once a girl
that played on these shores.
I gathered the shells
in  bundles and scores.
I wore them on my neck
and strung some as bangles
I  noticed their twinkling
and delightful angles.”

ECKERT, DEBORAH – ‘Lornette and Oriane’ (visual art – painting) – in Carnival is All We know: an Anthology Celebrating 50 Years of Antigua’s Carnival and the Creativity of Our Writers & Artists (edited by Joanne C. Hillhouse and published as a supplement in the Daily Observer) – 2007

EDWARDS, GEORGE W. (AS TOLD TO JOHN H. JOHNSON) – Folklore from Antigua, British West Indies – Journal of American Folklore Vol. 34 No. 131 pp. 40-88 – Jan – March, 1921

Excerpt (from Johnson’s introduction): “The stories, riddles, and proverbs given in this collection were recited by George W. Edwards, a native of Greenbay, Antigua, British West Indies…George Edwards is a man fifty years old. In giving the bulk of this material, he exhibited unusual memory-power. Aside from prompting, suggestions, and riddles Nos. 34, 39, 42, 45, and 47, he alone is responsible for the entire collection. He has lived in New York for the past ten years. His greatest aid in recalling the stories has been his wife, who is about thirty years of age and also a native of Greenbay, Antigua. She is the informant of the five riddles mentioned above.”

EDWARDS, GEORGE W. (AS TOLD TO JOHN H. JOHNSON)The Chosen Suitor from Folklore from Antigua, British West Indies, Journal of American Folklore Vol. 34 No. 131 – as reproduced in Bluebeard (ed. D. L. Ashliman) – 1999 -2014

Excerpt: “Dere’s a woman had one daughter an one son. Dis boy coco-bay, boy, an’ he was an’ ol’ witch too.”

EDWARDS, SHAKEEMADiaspora & That Laugh (poetry)- Tongues of the Ocean (special issue – Artists and Writers of Antigua and Barbuda edited by Joanne C. Hillhouse) – 2014

EDWARDS, SHAKEEMAThe Curse of the Kumina (fiction, 2011 award winning Wadadli Pen story) – Anansesem (Best of Wadadli Pen Special Issue) – 2011

EVANSON, TANYA – Poetry Africa (Durham, South Africa) – 2018

EVANSON, TANYA – performs at the 8th Word N Sound International Youth Poetry Festival in Newtown Johannesburg – 2018

EVANSON, TANYA@ Ubud Writers and Readers Festival – 2016

EVANSON, TANYA – Temple Exercises as feature poet at Vancouver Slam – 2016

EVANSON, TANYA – GRIOTS OF ALL TIME – live spoken word @ The Club, The Banff Centre, Banff AB Canada / 2014 Spoken Word Program

EVANSON, TANYA – Word Aloud Festival (Durhan, Canada) – 2014

EVANSON, TANYAMundo Gumbo – Canadian Festival of Spoken Word – 2013

EVANSON, TANYA – Apocalypsiata (poetry) – Womanspeak: A Journal of Art and Writing by Caribbean Women, Volume 7 – 2013

Excerpt: “Soon there’ll be nothing left to burn/books, beds, bodies on the Barbie”

EVANSON, TANYA – reading/performing at Calgary Spoken Word Festival – 2013.

EVANSON, TANYA – reading/performing (including “An-teee-ga”) at the Calgary Spoken Word Festival – 2012

Excerpt: “Let me tell you bout that place/in Caribbean/clear blue water/sand sat between your toes/in hot sun/and the people/my people/and not my people/Antigua” (An-teee-ga)

EVANSON, TANYA – Zamizdat Scat at Calgary Spoken Word Festival – 2011

EVANSON, TANYADervish Weaponry (poetry, from the 2008 CD Memorists) – on Badilisha Poetry X-Change – 2008

FARARA, JAN – ‘Steel and Sparkle’, ‘Rhythm at Sunset’, ‘Carnival Pride’, and ‘Carnival Stilts’ (visual art – paintings) – in Carnival is All We know: an Anthology Celebrating 50 Years of Antigua’s Carnival and the Creativity of Our Writers & Artists (edited by Joanne C. Hillhouse and published as a supplement in the Daily Observer) – 2007

GEORGE, GEMMA – Stray Dog prepares for the Storm – (fiction, 2004 award winnin g Wadadli Pen story) – Anansesem (the Wadadli Pen special issue) – 2011

GEORGE, LINISAThe Rebellion (poetry) – intersectantigua.com – 2020

GEORGE, LINISA – In the Closet (poetry) – BBC Poetry Postcards series – 2014.

GEORGE, LINISA – Brown Girl in the Ring (poetry, theatrical monologue) – performed during the CARA Festival, Antigua – 2009 + published in the World Record (a publication of global artistes invited to perform at the 2012 Poetry Parnassus staged to coincide with the 2012 Olympics) +  Tongues of the Ocean (special issue – Artists and Writers of Antigua and Barbuda edited by Joanne C. Hillhouse) – 2014 + featured in the Charlotte Caribbean Festival, and, 2015, in the Shakespeare festival in the Bahamas.

GONSALVES, GAYLEMiss Ellie (fiction) – Tongues of the Ocean – 2014

Excerpt: ‘Ellie points to England, a land that is far from the Caribbean Sea, and smiles at her daughter, “This is where it all started.”’

GORDON, CAROL – ‘Ancestral Call’, ‘Dance’, ‘Friend’, and ‘Nubian’ (visual art – painting) – in Carnival is All We know: an Anthology Celebrating 50 Years of Antigua’s Carnival and the Creativity of Our Writers & Artists (edited by Joanne C. Hillhouse and published as a supplement in the Daily Observer) – 2007

GORDON, ORIQUE – The Lost Coin (fiction, 2011 award winning Wadadli Pen short story) – Anansesem (Wadadli Pen special issue) – 2011

GRANT, DEBESHA – Blue Mountain Hike (fiction, 2005 award winning Wadadli Pen short story) – Anansesem (Wadadli Pen special issue) – 2011

GREGORY, JAMILA – ‘Bird of Paradise’ (visual art – costume design intended as a play on the word ‘Bird’, depicting the flower ‘Bird of Paradise’ and also the bird ‘The Great Bird of Paradise’. It was the first costume to ever to be presented on stilts in the pageant’s history. It was built by Johnson Browne, Jamila Gregory, and the Vitus Mas Troupe. Gregory, the 2006 Carnival Queen, won the costume segment of the Antigua Carnival Queen competition) – in Carnival is All We know: an Anthology Celebrating 50 Years of Antigua’s Carnival and the Creativity of Our Writers & Artists (edited by Joanne C. Hillhouse and published as a supplement in the Daily Observer) – 2007

GRESHAM, SARAH-ANNEGeneration Cry (non-fiction) – in intersectantigua.com – 2020

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, Oh Gad!, With Grace, Lost! A Caribbean Sea Adventure, and The Jungle Outside). All Rights Reserved. Please do not repost artist images without permission and credit. If you enjoyed this post, check out my Jhohadli  page and/or Facebook, and help spread the word about Wadadli Pen, my books, and my freelance writing-editing-coaching-workshop services. You can also subscribe to the site to keep up with future updates. Thanks.

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More (Unnecessary) Wadadli Pen Trivia

I was curious to see which of the winning Wadadli Pen stories were proving to be most popular among visitors to the site. Thankfully, Wadadli Pen spits up info like that routinely. So, here they are, the Wadadli Pen Top 10:

The Legend of Banana Boy by Chatrisse Beazer (2011)

Road Trip to Paradise by Angelica (Ayoka) O’Donoghue (2006)

Sands and Butterflies by Devra Thomas (2011)

The Scary Night by Zuri Holder (2011)

Ma Belle by Kemal Osmel Nicholson (2006)

The Lost Coin by Orique Gordon (2011)

The Curse of the Kumina by Shakeema Edwards (2011)

Stray Dog Prepares for the Storm by Gemma George (2004)

Skin Deep by Shakeema Edwards (2010)

The Village Obeah Woman by Verdanci Benta (2006)

 

So, that’s the top 10 based on views and clearly 2011 is a popular year. Some years, like 2005, don’t even come close to the top 10… no indication, I assure you, of the quality of the stories. So check ‘em out. And it’s early days yet for 2012, but the winning story Smitten is gaining ground fast, only two spots away from the top 10 of most viewed winning Wadadli Pen stories.

And there you have it, your days’ installment of unnecessary Wadadli Pen trivia. As you were.

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THE CURSE OF THE KUMINA BY SHAKEEMA EDWARDS

cover art by Hudle Jennings, second placed in the Wadadli Pen 2011 art challenge.

It wasn’t so long ago that I was condemning Eve with the rest of my Sunday school class: she was a sinner, she had wilfully
defied God and she deserved to be punished. However, it wasn’t so long ago either that I had tasted my first real bite of temptation.

In many ways it was all my granny’s fault, she was the instigator; she knew the type of child I was, curious to a fault, yet
she let it slip on afternoon on our way from the market that I was never to enter Mother Kumina’s yard.

“And why not?” I asked with hands on hips, eyes rolling back, and defiance etched into my face.

“If you want the curse of the Kumina child go right ahead,” Granny replied.

“Curse! Please, I don’t believe in no curse! It’s mango season and you’re telling me I can’t pick mango because of a curse?”

“Girl, nobody say you can’t pick mango. You can pick mango from every tree in the village but not from Mother Kumina tree.”

Why did she have to say that? Once I heard Granny’s words I realized that I had tasted the sweet, the sour, the bitter,
and the rotten fruit of every mango tree in the area except that of Mother Kumina’s tree. Instantly, my curiosity stood up and began an incessant screaming. She would not be satisfied; all food lost its flavour, all mangoes were sour, and every drop of water evaporated on my tongue. My curiosity and I would not rest without a taste of that forbidden fruit.

Thus, four hours after my granny’s warning I climbed over Mother Kumina’s fence and slithered up her mango tree like a
fugitive lizard. As I was sitting on a thick branch wondering which plump treasure to seize first I suddenly heard the disconcerting sound of grass being trampled. I looked towards the source of the sound and my sight was accosted by three large pit-bulls coming my way.

There was no time to think. Hastily, I grabbed a single mango and jumped out of the tree; skinning my right knee as I hit the
ground. Without looking back I made a run for the fence and slithered over it with even more speed than I had the first time.

I was basking in my triumph for all of two seconds when the first pit-bull burst through a hole in the fence.

 “Oh Father!” I yelled as they chased me down Pineapple Avenue, up Orange Lane, and across Cocoplum Drive. They were relentless and they chased me all the way to Old Maggie’s pasture. Both of my Bata slippers burst during the chase; cassie pierced me in my unshod feet, I splashed myself with dirty water as I ran through pothole after pothole trying to escape, still the dogs ran on, and all the while I clutched my conquest firmly in my left hand.

After circling the village almost two times I was able to lose my pursuers and ran home as quickly as I could.

“Curse, schmursh!” I cackled as I looked at the orange-red mango in my hand. With a cursory wipe on my tank top, I skinned
it with my teeth and took a great bite out of the fruit. It was the sweetest mango that ever was; even though it griped my belly for an entire week, and every mango I have had since has tasted like ash, I’ll never regret taking that mango from Mother Kumina’s tree.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

The Curse of the Kumina was written by Shakeema Edwards. Born in 1993, she began reading at age three and quickly developed an aptitude for English and Literature. She started writing poems and short stories for friends and family at age eight. But it wasn’t until 2008 that she started entering literary competitions. That year, she won the Women of Antigua V-Day essay contest and the Best of Books/Joanne C. Hillhouse Next Chapter contest for the book Dancing Nude in the Moonlight, winning both. The former Antigua Girls High School and current Antigua State College student has also fared well in the Antigua and Barbuda Independence Literary Arts Competition, earning a spot in a weekend writers retreat specifically for young writers who distinguished themselves in that competition.  Inspired by ‘Classical’ novelists such as Jane Austen and Elizabeth Gaskell, whose works have withstood all tests of time, Shakeema aspires to see her own name (or a creative pseudonym) etched into the spine of a novel that will change generations of people.

She’s off to a good start with her wins in the 13 to 17 age category in the 2010 Wadadli Pen contest and second place spot in both the 13 to 17 age category and the
overall competition in 2011.

COPYRIGHT INFORMATION & TERMS OF USE
Copyright of the winning Wadadli Pen stories and/or art work featured on this site belongs to the creators of the individual works and are used here purely for promotional and educational purposes. Other blog content, except otherwise noted, is created and/or maintained by Joanne C. Hillhouse. Site content should not be copied, distributed, transmitted, used for commercial purposes, altered, transformed, or built upon without the consent of the copyright holders.

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Lit Happenings Antigua and Barbuda Nov 1 – 8 2010

Lots of literary happenings in Antigua between November 1st and 8th. Here are a few links to keep you in the loop:

  • Headliner Pam Grier was MIA after being heavily promoted for an Antigua and Barbuda International Lit Fest fundraiser. But the show did go on and the weekend had its ups and downs. Read about it all here. Had a great time with the children’s tent at the Festival village, btw. Will post pics as soon as I have them.
  • The Friends of Antigua Public Library (NY) presented the winners (including Wadadli Pen alum Terrikia Benjamin) of its annual short story and visual arts competition with their prizes on Youth Day of the Antigua and Barbuda International Literary Festival. Find out more. Keep an eye on the Antigua Stories page for the posting of the winning stories.
  • Antiguan author Floree Williams launched her second book Through the Window and it went amazingly well. Here’s a link to the coverage.  I also today received a copy of first time author Tameka Jarvis-George’s Unexpected and I’m looking forward to reading it; will keep you posted of the local launch of this other author’s literary strides.
  • The Independence Literary Arts Committee did it again; attracted some 50 entries to this year’s ‘Wake them let them rise and shine’ themed seasonal writing competition. Wadadli Pen alums Shakeema Edwards and Hilesha Humphreys were among those in the winners circle. Here are the details.
  • Young Antiguan, Deshawn Browne, with backing from Antiguan filmmaker Dr. Noel Howell, launched his first book at only 11 years old. A film is set to follow by next summer.
  • This one is a bit before November 1st, but we have to mention it: Dorbrene O’Marde collects his well-deserved honour from the Sunshine Awards.

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Spotlight – Shakeema Edwards

This is Shakeema Edwards collecting the V-Monologues literary prize from Women of Antigua representative Greschen Edwards. The one time literary award coincided with the group’s first staging of the Vagina Monologues. Edwards, a former student of the Antigua Girls High School, has also won other youth writing prizes in Antigua such as the Dancing Nude in the Moonlight next chapter competition (a promotional activity organized by the Best of Books for my second book), Independence literary awards, and a Wadadli Pen prize.

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Skin Deep by Shakeema Edwards

 [winner 13 to 17 age category in the 2010 Wadadli Pen lit awards]

Shakeema Edwards at the 2010 awards ceremony

He rose his fist into the air but said nothing, yet a deaf-man’s ‘S’ echoed all around them, they heard screams of unity and peace ringing through the air; some were afraid. The[y] stood silent, they stood still, they felt oppression whipping at their bones, they felt the shackles on their feet and they knew they could not escape it. They cried, those who couldn’t help it; they saw children being beaten, there bodies weak from hunger, their empty mouths crying for death, they saw them bleed out in the distance, the red blood pouring from their wounds changed colour. It was now as black as its surroundings.  They felt the pain, deep in the pits of their stomach. They heard an old lady cry out for them. “Little Black boy,” She said, “whose face blends into the shadows of my dreams. Why have you forsaken me?” They felt ashamed. Standing where their Father’s had once stood, fighting for an independence they so quickly neglect. They thought about their fathers; starving away on slave ships, slaving away till death. They heard Bob Marley sing [‘Redemption Song’], they heard the bullet ringing in the air that shot Martin Luther down; they had pulled the trigger. They had disowned their heritage, bleached their skin and blended in; they debased their brothers and made their mother weep. He lowered his fist and finally he screamed, “Brothers, Africa weeps.”

 I understood, I thought about my own sins and pains to do everything I could to disown my heritage, I thought about the contents of my medicine cabinet; my bleaching cream, my hair relaxer and the bandages from my surgery. I, who would soon be called to educate my children; what could I possibly do or say or teach them. What, when they asked about Malcolm X or Marcus Garvey, would I say when I knew nothing of them.

He raised his fist into the air as he told us, “I think somewhere in the progress you misunderstood, Black is not the colour of our hearts but our complexions, it is the shadow on our past but the shade which our bright futures will cast.  My brothers, return unto your mother’s bosom and repent, let her know that the days when we fight among ourselves would soon be gone and that the heart of Africa will always remain strong. Repeat after me, he shouted, “Hadharani Ni Umbika,” we repeated, “louder, Hadharani Ni Umbika,” we shouted, “again, Hadharani Ni Umbika,” we believed it.

THE END

COPYRIGHT INFORMATION & TERMS OF USE

Copyright of the winning Wadadli Pen stories and/or art work featured on this site belongs to the creators of the individual works and are used here purely for promotional and educational purposes. Other blog content, except otherwise noted, is created and/or maintained by Joanne C. Hillhouse – coordinator of the Wadadli Youth Pen Prize, and author of The Boy from Willow Bend and Dancing Nude in the Moonlight. Site content should not be copied, distributed, transmitted, used for commercial purposes, altered, transformed, or built upon without the consent of the copyright holders.

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