“He is quite simply amongst the very best of Caribbean poets who warrant an international reputation. Kendel Hippolyte’s poetry moves easily, boldly between the worlds of public engagement and the intimacies of domesticity. What unites this movement are the distinctive sounds and rhythms of his voice, and whilst some poems have a named recipient, and some are addressed to himself, all engage the reader in an implicit dialogue.”
In addition to being an award winning poet, Kendel is also a celebrated playwright, director, and anthologist.
I like origins stories and a desire to share a quote from Kendel, from a recent interview, in which he discussed his origins as a writer, among other things, prompted this post. Here it is:
“I was a shy child and having to go and stand in front of a class and read something, especially something personal like that – horror! But disobeying the teacher was out of the question so i somehow reached the front of the class with my exercise book and i read the poem. (A very attentive audience, my memory tells me, but no doubt attentive for reasons other than the pleasure of poetry.) i finished reading … And the class burst into spontaneous applause! Not a bad introduction to the world of composing poetry and performing it.” Read the full interview here.
Oh and I’m not trying to hog his spotlight but the only picture I have of Kendel is this one from the Caribbean Congress of Writers event in Guadeloupe.
As with all content on Wadadli Pen, unless otherwise indicated, this is written by author and Wadadli Pen founder and coordinator Joanne C. Hillhouse. All rights reserved.
Shout out to Antiguan and Barbudan writer, Tammi Browne-Bannister, included in the collection So Many Islands – announced earlier this year, published this month.
The collection also includes works by
Tracy Assing • Trinidad and Tobago
Heather Barker • Barbados
Angela Barry • Bermuda
Cecil Browne • St Vincent and the Grenadines
Sabah Carrim • Mauritius
Damon Chua • Singapore
Marita Davies • Kiribati
Fetuolemoana Elisara • Samoa
Kendel Hippolyte • St Lucia
Erato Ioannou • Cyprus
Emma Kate Lewis • Malta
Karlo Mila • Tonga
Jacob Ross • Grenada
Melanie Schwapp • Jamaica
Mere Taito • Rotuma, Fiji
Mikoyan Vekula • Niue
Afterword by Sia Figiel
The collection which includes a foreword by Marlon James is edited by Nicholas Laughlin and Nailah Folami Imoja.
November 30th 2017 was publication day for my latest book, the children’s picture book, Lost! A Caribbean Sea Adventure which tells the story of Dolphin, an Arctic seal who finds himself stranded in the Caribbean.
On December 1st 2017, the illustrator (Trinidad and Tobago artist and poet Danielle Boodoo-Fortuné), publisher (CaribbeanReads), and I (author Joanne C. Hillhouse) engaged in a promotional live facebook chat, which I’ve copied (with minor editing and a bit of jigsawing) below. Oh, there were emoticons but you’ll just have to picture (most of) those; I’ll keep the hashtags.
Danielle Boodoo-Fortuné …Since I first read Lost! and started illustrating, I’ve been wondering about the true story of Wadadli the seal. It’s fascinating! Joanne, did the idea for a book come to you immediately?
Joanne C. Hillhouse …Immediately, no. Actually Wadadli’s story was some years before I wrote this. I was as surprised as anyone that it had imprinted on me in any particular way. I do think because I was doing a lot of school visits at the time and because I read to children as a volunteer reader with the Cushion Club, I kind of wanted to experiment with writing a children’s story. And the children at one of the schools I visited and the kids of the Cushion Club were actually the first to hear this story.
Joanne C. Hillhouse …An image of the actual seal Wadadli that inspired this story (quite literally finding himself stranded in the waters off Antigua and having to be helped home). I think you did an amazing job re-interpreting him and creating all of the other creatures he meets along the way, plus the world of the story.
Danielle Boodoo-Fortuné …Yes, I think this was one of the first photos I saw in the early stages! It’s sometimes hard with animals, to give them human expressions, but luckily Wadadli had those gorgeous eyes to begin with.
Joanne C. Hillhouse …Very soulful eyes, yes.
Joanne C. Hillhouse …I’m always curious about a visual artist’s process… how did you approach this project?
Danielle Boodoo-Fortuné …I wanted to get a feel for all the characters’ personalities, especially Dolphin. I wanted to bring out those qualities of curiousity and playfulness that make him so endearing in the book. It was a joy to illustrate because the underwater setting made it the perfect fit for watercolours, my medium of choice.
Joanne C. Hillhouse …I always thought your aesthetic and style would be a good match for this story. #superfan
CaribbeanReads …I agree this definitely fit your style. As soon as I saw some of your earlier work I knew it would work well.
CaribbeanReads …How did this story come about Joanne?
Joanne C. Hillhouse …Wadadli, of course – the arctic seal who had made big news here and in environmental circles in the wider Caribbean after being stranded in waters off of Antigua. The need to have an actual children’s story for this children’s author label I carried erroneously (lol) for so long (since my first book The Boy from Willow Bend). The invitation the story extended for me to delve in to fantasy, which fascinates me. And the characters, the characters are always a draw, the main draw, when I’m writing – the main character’s challenge of making new friends when you’re in a strange place and feel like you’re sort of a weird one yourself (that’s actually what came first and everything kind of filled in around that). So that meeting scene between new friends is the first thing I remember clearly.
CaribbeanReads …Why did you picture him as a daydreamer?
Joanne C. Hillhouse …lol projection?
Joanne C. Hillhouse …He’s clearly a lover of stories – see his bond with his nema – and stories are all about living a little bit in your head. Plus it helped define him as a little bit different from his friends and provide an instigating incident for his adventure.
Joanne C. Hillhouse …I say that after the fact; in real time, as I was writing him, because he was a daydreamer.
CaribbeanReads …It definitely works
Joanne C. Hillhouse …Thanks.
CaribbeanReads …How did that day dreaming influence your illustrations, Danielle.
Danielle Boodoo-Fortuné …Dolphin’s daydreaminess really helps define him, I think. It was the first thing that struck me when I started doing concept sketches of each of the characters. It set him apart from his friends…. aside from his nose of course. In the illustrations, I wanted his eyes to always be wide and filled with wonder.
CaribbeanReads …You definitely got that right!
Joanne C. Hillhouse …CaribbeanReads, as a publisher with an independent press, you have to be careful in your selections as your booklist is much shorter…what moved Lost! up the list in your mind? Why did you want to publish this book?
CaribbeanReads …We fell in love with the story. The two main characters are so different and equally loveable. The words conjured up beautiful images.
CaribbeanReads …We do have to be very careful about what we invest in but this was a no-Brainer. Children will love the story and the characters.
CaribbeanReads …My only concern was finding an illustrator to do it justice. I think we all agree that was a success.
Joanne C. Hillhouse …yep, agreed.
Danielle Boodoo-Fortuné …Yay! Such an honour. I agree that children will love the story and the characters. It’s a bedtime favourite in my house already.
Joanne C. Hillhouse …Danielle, have you illustrated any other books or was this a new type of project for you?
Danielle Boodoo-Fortuné …I’ve worked on a few illustration projects, but this was definitely one of my favourites as I got to do full watercolour, every single page! 😀 I’ve always wondered, Joanne, how do you choose illustrators? Do specific ones come to mind for a book, or is it a process of looking through several options?
Joanne C. Hillhouse … Cool. It’s the publisher’s choice ultimately. But I was asked to make recommendations and you were at the top of my list …the only mark against you was that you weren’t Antiguan and I like to rope Antiguan artists in to my projects if I can…but I didn’t hold it against you (lol)…and clearly I didn’t know if you did book illustrations though I knew your art…and really it was your art …there was one underwater piece in particular that made me think heeeyyy …it was a woman sort of suspended and the suggestion of movement and at the same time stillness/solace…don’t remember the name…but really your entire oeuvre generally…, your style, your aesthetic, something about the delicacy and beauty and flow of your lines and the whimsy of your artistic voice (different in some ways from your poetic voice) that made me think you could see the world I imagined. I’m glad to know I was right.
Danielle Boodoo-Fortuné …Lost! was really a delight to work on. Thank you for inviting me to be such a big part of Dolphin’s story. 😊
Joanne C. Hillhouse …☺️
Joanne C. Hillhouse …Danielle, any particular challenges during the process?
Danielle Boodoo-Fortuné …Working with a wee one-year-old assistant clinging to my legs! 😂 My little one, Rafael, was so fascinated by the illustrations. Other than that, not at all. CaribbeanReads was a pleasure to work with, and the story was so visual and lovely.
Joanne C. Hillhouse …😆😀
Joanne C. Hillhouse …And thanks. I’m just glad the story didn’t leave you uninspired. Lol.
Danielle Boodoo-Fortuné …Joanne, how do you switch so seamlessly from children’s fiction to poetry to blogging, etc? And you do each one so well. I’m in awe. #superfantoo
Joanne C. Hillhouse …It’s not seamless at all, but it helps that I don’t think in terms of genres. I don’t like boundaries around art (and some of the snobbery that inspires it) either as a reader or a writer. I write from character and curiousity (the things I’m trying to understand, or in this case the what if…). I did learn, and this was the challenge, that editing something you’ve written for a young reader poses certain unique challenges – in terms of reading level, vocabulary, abstract v. non abstract thinking etc.
Danielle Boodoo-Fortuné …That makes a lot of sense. I find that when I don’t think of myself as a ‘poet’ or ‘writer’, but just someone trying to explore an idea through poetry or painting, the work is so much stronger. I love that idea of writing from curiousity.
Joanne C. Hillhouse …Yeah writing helps me process and make sense of the world. So if you see me being miserable, I’m probably blocked.
Danielle Boodoo-Fortuné …Me too! It all feels like chaos when I’m blocked. 😂
Joanne C. Hillhouse …For me, it feels like being cut off from myself. Hate that space.
Joanne C. Hillhouse …Oh, you know what else I’m curious about, the process visually of distinguishing between the world of the Arctic and the world of the Caribbean…underwater.
Danielle Boodoo-Fortuné …I had to show some restraint with the Arctic underwater world, not go too crazy with colour. Lots of cooler blue hues, less undersea life. When Dolphin got to the Caribbean Sea, I used lots of warmer tones, swirls, different kinds of application techniques.
Danielle Boodoo-Fortuné …And CaribbeanReads was really great about giving feedback!
Joanne C. Hillhouse …p.s. for anyone who doesn’t know Danielle Boodoo-Fortuné and I first met in 2008 when we were presenters at a panel Celebrating Caribbean Women writers in Barbados (early in both our writing journeys) – so thrilled to have had the opportunity to work on a project with her FINALLY – she is one of our distinctive modern poetic voices. Don’t sleep on her talent. It’s actually not fair that she’s just as talented with images as she is with words.
(So that’s pretty much it. We opened it up to anyone to ask questions but, short of that, had fun having that conversation among ourselves; I think you’ll agree there were some interesting insights.)
Joanne C. Hillhouse …This was a rare treat. …Thanks for hanging Danielle Boodoo-Fortuné and CaribbeanReads … Joanne C. Hillhouse signing off from Antigua. Lost! A Caribbean Sea Adventure to the world. #bestseller #speakingitintoexistence
This just popped in to my social media newsfeed so I had to pause to big up Floree Williams Whyte who now has her own publishing imprint, Moondancer.
Floree Williams Whyte is part of the Wadadli Pen team: she’s been a judge since 2012 and, in 2016, became a part of the core advisory and action team as we move toward becoming a formal non-profit and solidifying the foundation we’ve been building since we launched in 2004. So, we had to take a moment to shout her out and big her up for this major milestone on her publishing journey.
Per Moondancer’s facebook page: Moondancer Books is a small press, publishing Caribbean based books. This ever expanding brand, owned by Floree Williams Whyte, encompasses anything that is creative, inspiring and literary.
She’s also announced on the page that this book is coming soon:
Per us: Floree is a talented writer who first hit the market with Pink Teacups and Blue Dresses, a book of sometimes quirky and always authentic vignettes of growing up, Antiguan. Her second book was Through the Window.
While Floree has self-published before (Through the Window), setting up an imprint is a different level (a level at which you’re a business woman with an independent publishing house). Kudos to her for taking that step.
And you can be sure we’ll be trying to grab her for a guest post or Q & A about this new step here on Wadadli Pen soon.
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!, Fish Outta Water, Musical Youth, Dancing Nude in the Moonlight 10th Anniversary Edition and Other Writings, and With Grace; also a freelance writer, editor, writing coach and workshop facilitator). All Rights Reserved. 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.
On Wednesday 21st December 2016, the Best of Books bookstore on St. Mary’s Street hosted the launch of the latest book by Antiguan and Barbudan writer Joanne C. Hillhouse. The book, With Grace, a Caribbean faerie tale, is the sixth book and second children’s picture book by the local writer.
“In With Grace, Joanne has shared a magical story set in familiar Caribbean places,” said Best of Books manager Barbara Arrindell. “I enjoyed reading it to myself and I can’t wait to read it to some of the little people in my life.”
The book, in summary, is the story of Grace who leads a carefree life in Grace’s Peak, looking down on the villagers, until a little girl comes in search of assistance, changing both of their lives forever.
Hillhouse said, at the launch, that she was happy to create a book in which young Caribbean children could see themselves reflected – see someone, a girl and a faerie/fairy who looks like so many of them – as this is rare in the fairytale sub-genre.
Among those who’ve submitted endorsements of the book are Alscess Lewis-Brown, editor of the Caribbean Writer, published by the University of the Virgin Islands, who’s written on the book jacket, “With Grace explores a Caribbean space richly woven with magic, mystery, and fantasy – an engaging fable not only for young readers but any reader poised for a new reading experience that twists and turns on a suggestion of allegory.”
With Grace is published by Little Bell Caribbean and Mario Picayo, publisher and children’s author in his own right, described the book on the jacket as “beautiful, well thought, and meaningful.”
At the launch, excerpts from With Grace were read by Tamare Banis and Anya Hull of the Cushion Club reading club for kids, with which Hillhouse served as a longtime volunteer, and by the author herself. She also fielded questions about the book and her writing career. Absent from the launch but celebrated for the quality of her illustrations in the book was Barbadian artist Cherise Harris.
While the kids were entertained at the launch with colouring sheets, adults had a chance to win as a door prize an earlier Hillhouse book, Dancing Nude in the Moonlight 10th Anniversary Edition and Other Writings. This prize was claimed by Agnes Meeker.
The formalities were followed by the purchasing and signing of With Grace, now available at the Best of Books and soon to be in other bookshops and markets – regionally and internationally.
The launch event was emceed by Best of Books supervisor Glen Toussaint.
Here, Wadadli Pen will be celebrating award wins (including sometimes award nominations and long and shortlisting, and accolades received) by Antiguan and Barbudan writers. It came about because I’d bump in to laudatory accomplishments (beyond publishing) but couldn’t figure out where to put them. The Antiguan and Barbuda Writings pages are bibliographies, and neither the Reviews page nor the journal publications page were right. So, here we go. Please note, this page is a work-in-progress. As with the other named sections, it will be updated somewhere between when I find updates and when I find the time to post them. I’m not ranking the awards at this point (some are local, some regional, some international, some prestigious, some not so much…I’m just adding them as I can). No omissions or errors (and there are plenty, no doubt) are intentional. As always if you have information that will help me flesh out the content, let me know. Conversely, if you wish to be removed, no problem, just let me know that too.
Wadadli Youth Pen Prize Challenge wins are not listed here but if you want to see the winners of that in-house prize through the years, go here.
2021 –
Joanne C. Hillhouse’s short story ‘Freedom Cup – The Games are Coming’ was one of 30 stories long listed for the Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival Elizabeth Nunez Award for Writers in the Caribbean
– Canada-based Antiguan and Barbudan writer Gayle Gonsalves was a National Indie Excellence Finalist in Canada in the multi-cultural category for her novel My Stories have No Endings. She also placed second in the Women’s Fiction category of the Colorado Independent Publishers Association and CIIPA Education and Literacy Foundation’s awards.
Ripped Bodice Awards for Excellence in Romantic Fiction (2020) – Rilzy Adams, Go Deep. Adams has also been nominated for other books and other industry awards – Swoonies, Black Girls Who Write (Go Deep nominated for Best Black Erotica), and Rebel Women Lit readers choice among them (making it on to short lists in some cases).
Wadadli Pen 2020 winner Andre J. P. Warner’s winning story Bright Future for Tomorrow was awarded best short fiction in the first Rebel Women Lit Caribbean Readers Awards. Wadadli Pen founder and coordinator Joanne C. Hillhouse was a RWL CRA honoree . There were several other nominees from the Wadadli Pen family and from Antigua and Barbuda; full list of nominees can be found here.
Joanne C. Hillhouse’s short story ‘Vincent’ was one of 21 stories long listed for the Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival Elizabeth Nunez Award for Writers in the Caribbean
Richard Georges who was born in Trinidad and resides in the BVI but has Antiguan roots was longlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize for the story ‘Shedding’
Richard Georges who was born in Trinidad and resides in the BVI but has Antiguan roots won the 2020 Bocas Prize for his poetry collection Epiphaneia
The Directorate of Gender Affairs held its first ever Women of Wadadli Awards – a number of artists were recipients – Heather Doram (visual artist) for Culture, Noreen Phillips for Fashion, Wadadli Pen founder and coordinator and author Joanne C. Hillhouse for Literature, Colleen Simpson (author of A Likkle Bit a Dis & a Likkle Bit a Dat) for Culinary Arts, dramatist, photographer, writer, and educator Zahra Airall for Fine Arts, Wadadli Pen partner and patron and a writer and dramatist in her own right Barbara Arrindell as a Change Maker, Marion Byron for Music, Mickel Brann for Media/Journalism, and Mako Williams, who is also a visual artist, for Science and Technology. Details in this WoW article in Observer
Richard Georges wins a fellowship to the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study – Georges is Trinidad born and lives in the BVI but he also has Antiguan roots
Winners of Flow Mobile Film Competition (Antigua and Barbuda) –
The top three winners in category 12-16 years
1st Sontee’ Beazer – “Independence”
2nd Jontae Cornelius -“What Independence Day Means to Me”
3rd Kaleb Kidane Hatton – “What does Independence mean to me”.
The top three winners from the category 17- 30 years old
1st Moses Wiltshire – “My Independence”
2nd Bernella Vidal – “What Independence Means To Me”
3rd Dalisha Spencer – “Independence”
The top three winners in the 31+ category
1st Romeo “Kulcha D” Reid – “Kulcha D Independence”
2nd Laune Isaac – “Reflections On Independence
3rd Colin John-Jenkins -“What Independence means to me”
The PEN America Literary Awards Longlist – The Circuit: A Tennis Odyssey by Rowan Ricardo Phillips longlisted for the PEN/ESPN AWARD FOR LITERARY SPORTS WRITING ($5,000) To honor a nonfiction book on the subject of sports published in 2018
Richard Georges who was born in Trinidad and resides in the BVI but has Antiguan roots was longlisted for the OCM Bocas Prize for his poetry collection Giant.
2018 –
Richard Georges who was born in Trinidad and resides in the BVI but has Antiguan roots was highly commended for the Forward Prize for his poetry collection Giant
2017 –
Richard Georges who was born in Trinidad and resides in the BVI but has Antiguan roots was short listed for the Forward Prize for best first collection for his poetry collection Make Us All Islands
Ashley Bryan – Newbery Honor, Coretta Scott King Honor for writing and illustration, Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life by Ashley Bryan
Althea Romeo Mark awarded the Arts and Science Poetry Prize for poems published in POEZY 21:Antologia Festivaluluiinternational Noptile De Poezie De Curtea De Arges, Curtea De Arges, Romania
Alexis Andrews wins the Donald Gosling Award for best television or film contribution at the Maritime Media Awards for Vanishing Sail –
Richard Georges who was born in Trinidad and resides in the BVI but has Antiguan roots won the Marvin E Williams prize from The Caribbean Writer for ‘X’ and was shortlisted for the Small Axe Poetry prize for ‘Darkening/Freeport’
Ashley Bryan – short-listed for the Kirkus Prize and received a Newberry Honor
Anisfield-Wolf book award + Griffin Poetry Prize for Heaven by Rowan Ricardo Philips
Richard Georges who was born in Trinidad and resides in the BVI but has Antiguan roots was shortlisted for the Wasifiri New Writing Prize – Poetry for ‘Bush Tea’
Joanne C. Hillhouse’s Commonwealth Short Story submission ‘Amelia at Devil’s Bridge’ was selected for publication in Pepperpot: Best New Stories from the Caribbean – consisting entirely of brand-new stories by authors living in the region, gathered from among the very best entries to the Commonwealth Short Story Prize from islands throughout the Caribbean
Jamaica Kincaid receives the Before Columbus Foundation Book Award for See Now Then
Melissa Gomez and Cinque Productions’ film Silent Music wins Best Documentary feature at the Maine Deaf Film Festival
Rowan Ricardo Philips is a Great Lakes Colleges Association New Writers Award winner for poetry + NAACP Image Award finalist for Outstanding Literary Work, Poetry + PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award for Poetry winner + Whiting Award winner, for The Ground
Althea Romeo-Mark is awarded the Marguerite Cobb McKay prize by The Caribbean Writer for the short story ‘Bitterleaf’ which had been published in 2008, Volume 22
Floree Williams (now Whyte) receives the (Antigua and Barbuda) National Youth Award for achievement in the literary arts; Zahra Airall also receives an NYA in this year
Howard and Mitzi Allen receives National Youth Awards as Pioneers in Filmmaking
V-Monologues literary prize to Shakeema Edwards from Women of Antigua; who that year also wins the Dancing Nude in the Moonlight Next Chapter contest sponsored by the Best of Books
Joanne C. Hillhouse received the Michael and Marilee Fairbanks International Fellowship to participate in the Breadloaf Writers Conference.
Althea Prince receives the Antigua and Barbuda International Literary Festival Award for Excellence in the Literary Arts
2006 –
Ashley Bryan – U.S. nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award (the highest recognition for creators of children’s books)
Carolyn Providence is nominated for the Best Spoken Word album at the National Underground Spoken Word and Poetry Awards.
Vivian Michael and teen novelist Akilah Jardine receive (Antigua and Barbuda) National Youth Awards for achievement in the literary arts; Joanne C. Hillhouse is named honourable mention.
Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda’s Jubilee Award for Outstanding Contributions and Achievements in the Field of Arts and Culture to Althea Prince
Ashley Bryan – the Atlanta Literary Festival was named for him and he also received the University of Southern Mississippi Medallion from the Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival
Joanne C. Hillhouse, Joy Lawrence, Sylvanus Barnes, and others received a UNESCO Honour Award for contribution to literacy and the literary arts in Antigua and Barbuda
2002 –
Motion won the 2002 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation National Poetry Face-Off competition.
Mary Geo Quinn Highly Commended for her short story ‘Joe’, an entry for the Commonwealth short story prize
Althea Romeo Mark’s story ‘Easter Sunday’ wins the Stauffacher English Short Story Competition/Switzerland
1992 –
Joanne C. Hillhouse second placed in the Rick James Ensemble One Act Play Competition with the play ‘Barman’s Blues’; Zahra Airall wins a prize in that same competition as the Youngest person to enter
Roy H. S. Dublin’s Tomorrow’s Blossoms, first published in 1934 to commemorate the tercentenary year of the colonization of Antigua and the centenary year of emancipation, is awarded the King’s Medal
Date unknown, unsure, unconfirmed –
Althea Romeo Mark wins a scholarship to the Breadloaf Writers’ Conference
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). All Rights Reserved. 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.
Peepal Tree Press has announced its publication of a new novel by Garth St. Omer (written several years ago). Titled: Prismns.
“Eugene Coard is woken one morning by a phone call to report the murder of a former St Lucian friend. It throws him back to memories of their island days, and his complicated love life in London that made necessary his relocation to the USA. Thoughts about his friend’s metamorphosis from middle-class “CB” to criminal, ghetto-dwelling “Red” provoke Eugene to review his own so far profitable transformations. But just how much of Eugene’s story can we believe? His confessions reveal him as probably the most unreliable and devious narrator in Caribbean fiction; has he, as a writer and psychiatrist, been exploiting the confusions of race in the USA to his own advantage?
With nods to Ellison’s Invisible Man and a witty inversion of Saul Bellow’s Sammler’s Planet , Prismns is a dark comedy about the masks people wear in a racially divided society that anticipates the metafictions of a writer such as Percival Everett. In the shape-shifting figure of Eugene Coard, Garth St Omer has created a character whose admissions will bring the reader shocked and horrified delight. Prismns was written in the 1980s but perhaps because it was so ahead of its time, not published until now.
Garth St Omer was born in St Lucia in 1931. He is the author of four previous novels and a novella, mainly set in St Lucia and published between 1964-1972. Until his retirement as Emeritus Professor, he taught for many years at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Garth St Omer was born in Castries, St Lucia in 1931. During the earlier 1950s St Omer was part of a group of artists in St Lucia including Roderick and Derek Walcott and the artist Dunstan St Omer.” – Peepal Tree Press blurb.
“Jared, look,” I exclaimed softly. I was lying on my stomach, at the edge of a cliff overlooking the beach, pointing towards the dark-skinned girl with flowing red hair.
“What am I looking at, exactly,” my partner asked, crawling up beside him and scanning the beach, “All I see is a girl.”
“That’s her!” I whispered, “The soucouyant we’ve been hunting!”
“Oh, so she really does exist..?” Jared sighed, looking at her through the binoculars he’d just bought, “How can you be sure that’s the soucouyant though?”
“Take a look at the grass on the other side of the beach,” I said, tapping him on the shoulder, “It’s scorched. And whose footprints can be seen coming from that direction?”
“Oh, I get it now,” Jared said, slowly getting to his feet, “Guess I’m going home then.”
“What? Why?” I asked, getting up after him, “We’ve been hunting her for the past week! Our job’s almost done.”
“It’s more about the journey than the reward,” he said, “I’ve seen enough movies to know what happens next to someone with my skin color.”
As he left, I looked back to the girl who’d disappeared. I never saw Jared again.
Ondrej collects. Presenter – poet Dotsie Isaac Gellizeau.
Ondrej Austin-McDonald was a participant in the 2014 CODE creative writing workshop facilitated by Joanne C. Hillhouse. Ondrej is a Best of Books Promising Writer pick in the 2015 Wadadli Pen Challenge.
All Rights Reserved. While linking and sharing the links, referencing and excerpting, are okay, lifting content (words, images, other) from the site without asking is not cool. Respect copyright.
Sanae dropped her school bag. She stood tall stretching her scrawny arms above her head.
“You looking ready, girl” Carina acknowledged, between crunches of ice from her Frozen Joy.
“I readying all day. Where is he tho’?” Sanae responded.
“Here he comes!” a boy announced.
From around the corner Jeffrey approached.
“I gon’ wap you” he greeted while jogging in-place. Sanae did not respond.
“It’s late so get on your mark. First around the school yard wins” one of the students rushed.
The two exchanged glances while crouching down at their imaginary starting line.
With a combined cry from the students “Get set. Go!” Sanae sped off, and Jeffrey was close behind.
The cheers from their classmates first grew further then closer and louder with each step. She was still ahead of Jeffrey and knew she could win. Startlingly, a hand brushed her shoulder. It was Jeffrey trying to pull her down.
As they neared the finished line, Jeffrey made another attempt but missed and fell plum on his face. Everyone started laughing and congratulating Sanae for the win. She did not laugh, simply told the soiled, panting boy, “Never doubt me because I am a girl. Now who’s next?”
Olsfred James: “I do not refer to myself as a writer or a poet. I simply like to think of myself as one with words.” James is a Best of Books Promising Writer pick in the 2015 Wadadli Pen Challenge.
Olsfred collects his prizes, sponsored by the Best of Books and the Burt Award, from poet and guest presenter Dotsie Isaac Gellizeau, who released her CD ‘I am Speaking’ earlier this year.
All Rights Reserved. While linking and sharing the links, referencing and excerpting, are okay, lifting content (words, images, other) from the site without asking is not cool. Respect copyright.
So, we had to take a moment to shout her out and big her up for this major milestone on her publishing journey.
, a book of sometimes quirky and always authentic vignettes of growing up, Antiguan. Her second book was Through the Window.
– Canada-based Antiguan and Barbudan writer Gayle Gonsalves was a National Indie Excellence Finalist in Canada in the multi-cultural category for her novel My Stories have No Endings. She also placed second in the Women’s Fiction category of the Colorado Independent Publishers Association and CIIPA Education and Literacy Foundation’s awards.
Wadadli Pen founder and coordinator Joanne C. Hillhouse was a RWL CRA honoree 
. There were several other nominees from the Wadadli Pen family and from Antigua and Barbuda; full list of nominees can be found 
Melissa Gomez’s film Silent Music wins the Audience Choice Award at the Toronto Deaf Film and Arts Festival
Joanne C. Hillhouse receives the David Hough Literary Prize from the Caribbean Writer.
V-Monologues literary prize to Shakeema Edwards from Women of Antigua; who that year also wins the Dancing Nude in the Moonlight Next Chapter contest sponsored by the Best of Books
Wadadli Pen 