Poets of the Caribbean

Danielle Boodoo-Fortune Appointed Poet Laureate of Trinidad and Tobago

2026-10-22T13:47:41.134-04:00

Heartiest congratulations to poet, illustrator, and visual artist, Danielle Boodoo-Fortune, who was appointed Poet Laureate of Trinidad and Tobago on October 15, 2026. Danielle will serve a two-year term in this role.

I am very pleased about Danielle's appointment. She was previously featured on Poets of the Caribbean. Her collection, Doe Songs (Peepal Tree Press, 2018) won the 2019 Bocas Lit Poetry Prize.

Danielle has also contributed to anthologies, and some of the publications where her work has been featured include Small Axe, Cordite Poetry Review, Poetry London, and Room Magazine.

Shauna M. Morgan's Ground Provisions

2026-10-12T20:16:11.299-04:00

I am pleased to feature Jamaican poet, Shauna M. Morgan. Shauna grew up in Clarendon, Jamaica and her debut poetry collection, Ground Provisions, was published by Peepal Tree Press in November 2025. Morgan is an Associate Professor and Creative Writing Division Director at the University of Kentucky. Her work has appeared in several periodicals and anthologies, and she has been awarded the Catherine James Palmer Poetry Prize.

Ground Provisions was recently shortlisted for the 2026 Jerwood Prize for Best First Collection. For more on the collection, and Shauna's writings, see the link below:

Forward Arts Foundation on Ground Provisions

I just ordered my copy and look forward to reading Shauna's poetry!

Celia Sorhaindo

2026-07-13T08:17:29.141-04:00

Celia Alexandra Sorhaindo was born in Dominica, lived for a while in the United Kingdom, and returned to Dominica in 2005. She is a prodigious writer of acclaimed poetry, short stories, and academic resources, and her work has appeared in numerous publications. Her recent poetry publications are Guabancex (2020) (longlisted for the 2020 Bocas Lit prize), Radical Normalisation (2022). Her newest collection, Abiya, was self-published on Amazon KDP in 2023.

Featured below is her poem, Knock on Wood, published in 2021 in Wasafiri Magazine:

Knock on Wood

Awake early, for a change, I shake my husband to tell him my dream; my dead dad had said,
we need a place to rest and chat in the garden. 8 bricks, 2 wood-planks later — tahdah!
A bench knocked-up from bits of Mum’s hurricaned house. The fence repairs to keep the
neighbour’s male, kale-addicted goat out would have to wait. We made the seat together.
To sit in heat and breathe humid air. A new health ritual to join the herbal teas and exercise.

We decide on basic rules. No virus or apocalyptic talk. There is enough fact and theoretic noise
around these topics already. No human sound at all is fine. Together 28 years we know to listen
for when one of us wants to be, comfortably, or uncomfortably, silent. We’re alert to nature’s
quiet too; ears fine-tuned for warning changes in environmental chatter. He slowly grinds
some home-grown, self-roasted, coffee beans and I grin to myself, knowing how this goes.

He will 10-minute-time the gas-stove pot for its drawn-out brew, and I will stretch an extra
10 for richer flavour. We take our mugs out. Mine hand-painted, rim-chipped but treasured;
his, plain cream and logo-stamped from Starbucks. We walk barefoot through damp grass
and I try not to trample the tiny mushrooms I notice for the first time. I wonder if that fungi
film I watched last night on YouTube, brought them into view. I tell my husband how minute

mycelium, intricate under-our-feet fibers, communicate; sole connects us to under-ground
worlds. How they, are our ancestors. He skeptically smiles. He turns to show me the trees,
miraculously thriving still since the hurricane; the thick row of sugarcane; the hollow where
the mango had been ready to gift us its first fruit; the steady hum of bees bee-ing all over
the little lime and large moringa blossoms — an awesome sight and sound as we feared

they would not return. Yesterday, my husband chopped off rotten cherry tree branches,
after one fell heavy, bang on his head. We laugh about this precarious life we’ve survived
thus far; each scared and sacred point, leading to this conversation, over this coffee, on this
bench, in this garden, in this country, in these times, after that storm. Entrenched in challenges,
we try to imagine what normal could possibly look like. We rap knuckles on our wooden bench.

Celia was also a 2016 Cropper Foundation Creative Writing Fellow and a 2017 Callaloo Creative Writing Workshop fellow.

To learn more about Celia and her works, check out her website. There, you will also find some interesting interviews she has given. Please continue to support Celia and other poets of the Caribbean by purchasing their publications, writing reviews, and leaving thoughtful comments on their websites and other platforms.

Let's raise a glass and celebrate the talented Celia Sorhaindo!

Happy Poetry Month!

2026-04-19T12:51:00.004-04:00

Happy poetry month. Now that nicer weather is here, I hope that you are out and about taking in spring festivals, poetry readings, and visiting and supporting small bookstores. I would love to hear what you have been up to for poetry month and whose works you have been reading. On my side, I am continuing to work on a poetry manuscript, I queried a poetry publisher, and I started a YouTube channel where I read Caribbean poems, so quite a busy period. Enjoy the rest of poetry month!

Announcing My New YouTube Channel, Poets of the Caribbean

2026-03-29T10:47:25.434-04:00

I am happy to announce that I have started a YouTube channel called Poets of the Caribbean. On the channel, I read the poems of our amazing Caribbean poets. Join me once a week as I delve into the writings of my fellow poets.Check out my channel at the link below, and I would appreciate your support in helping me grow it. Please share, like, and subscribe. Thanks in advance!

Celebrate World Poetry Day 2026 - Caribbean American Poetry Association (CAPA) Virtual Poetry Reading & Open Mic

2026-03-13T17:03:00.001-04:00

Saturday, March 21, 2026 is World Poetry Day. Celebrate the day at the Caribbean American Poetry Association (CAPA) Virtual Poetry Reading and Open Mic at 7:00 p.m.

CAPA is inviting poets and guests to share poems in any of the languages or dialects spoken across the Caribbean (English, Spanish, French, Dutch, Patois, Creole, Papiamento, etc.) in support of UNESCO's designation of the day to support linguistic diversity.

The event is free and registration is available on Eventbrite. For more details, please contact CAPA at caribbeanamericanpoetry@gmail.com.

Thomas Henry MacDermot - Father of Jamaican Literature

2026-02-13T16:56:00.002-05:00

Thomas Henry MacDermot wrote under the pseudonym Tom Redcam (interestingly, his surname spelt backwards). He was born in Clarendon, Jamaica on June 26, 1870, the third of five children. McDermot pursued teaching, and then eventually journalism, becoming editor of the Jamaica Times, one of several publications he wrote for.

He played a crucial role in promoting Jamaican literature by establishing the All-Jamaica Library, a series of short stories and novellas. This encouraged and nurtured the writings of Jamaicans, including Claude McKay and others.I believe this earns him the right to be called the father of Jamaican literature.

McDermot's own writings include the following:

Novels:

Becka's Buckra Baby (1903)

One Brown Girl and 1/4 (1909)

Poems:

Orange Valley and Other Poems (1951) Pioneer Press

Thomas MacDermot died on October 8, 1933, in England. He was posthumously honored as Jamaica's first Poet Laureate for the period 1910-1933. In addition, the Tom Redcam Library in Kingston was named after him. For more on his life and works see:

https://www.jls.gov.jm/tom-redcams-150th-anniversary/

https://prabook.com/web/thomas.macdermot/1781936

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_MacDermot

Edgar Cairo, Prolific Surinamese Poet

2025-12-14T12:03:00.000-05:00

Today we celebrate Surinamese poet, Edgar Cairo. Edgar Eduard Cairo was born in Paramaribo, Suriname on May 7, 1948. He was a prolific writer (he is credited with approximately 40 works in various genres), playwright, as well as a visual artist. Cairo's publications include poems, plays, novellas, novels, and short stories. His writings focused on black identity, black consciousness, slavery in Suriname, and the wider Dutch colonial history in the Caribbean. His work also was influenced by, reflected, and emphasized African oral tradition.

Edgar Cairo

Cairo later studied and lived in The Netherlands, and this also impacted him as a black man navigating that space. He wrote in Dutch, as well as Sranantongo, the Surinamese creole. In 1969, he wrote the novella, Temekoe, his debut publication. Poetry collections include Loos (1989), and Het uur van de Wolf (1995). Edgar Cairo died on November 15, 2000, in The Netherlands.

Caribbean American Poetry Association (CAPA)

2025-07-27T19:02:00.000-04:00

The Caribbean American Poetry Association (CAPA), was founded in 2015 by Dr. Beryl R. Williams to promote Caribbean poets and their poetry in the United States. As Founder and President, Dr. Williams has worked tirelessly so that a wider audience can become acquainted with and enjoy Caribbean poetry.

Dr. Williams was born in Dominica and has a bachelor's degree in Mass Communication, a master's in Public Administration, and a PhD in Management and Organizational Leadership. Her work has been published in several anthologies. She is also the author of two poetry collections, A Pebble in My Shoe, and Zandoli.

CAPA is a nonprofit 501(c)(3). If you are a Caribbean poet and would like to join CAPA or support its mission, please email CAPA at caribbeanamericanpoetry@gmail.com. You can also follow CAPA on Instagram at: @capapoetrystory. CAPA's mailing address is:

CAPA

P.O. Box 326, Huntington Station, NY 11746

Juneteenth and Caribbean American Heritage Month Celebrations

2025-06-21T21:55:00.000-04:00

It was an honor to be a featured poet, alongside Keisha-Gaye Anderson and Lindamichelle Baron on Juneteenth 2025. The event was also held as a part of the Caribbean American Poetry Assocation (CAPA) celebration of Caribbean American Heritage Month at the beautiful Joseph Lloyd Manor House in Long Island, NY.

Tribute was paid to Jupiter Hammon, the first African American published poet in the United States. Hammon and his ancestors were enslaved at Lloyd Manor House.

Thanks again to Andrew Tharler of Preservation Long Island for the kind hospitality, to Dr. Beryl Williams of CAPA for inviting me, and to the Huntington Arts Council, and Poets and Writers for funding the event.

Top 2025 Caribbean Book Blogs - Poets of the Caribbean Made the List!

2025-06-13T17:37:00.001-04:00

For the second year in a row, Poets of the Caribbean was ranked in the top 25 Caribbean Book Blogs, in 6th place. This is indeed an honor! Thanks to all my readers and subscribers for your support and comments over the years. Your suggestions and recommendations have been so beneficial.

Here is a link to all the other great Caribbean book blogs:

25 Best Caribbean Book Blogs and Websites in 2025

Caribbean American Poetry Association (CAPA) 2025 Juneteenth Celebration

2025-06-08T16:32:00.001-04:00

If you are looking for ways to celebrate Juneteenth this year, as well as National Caribbean American Heritage Month, the Caribbean American Poetry Association, (CAPA) and Preservation Long Island is hosting a free event on Thursday, June 19th. The event is also a tribute to Jupiter Hammon, America's first published black poet.

I am honored to have been invited by CAPA to participate in this year's event. If you are in the Long Island area, I hope that you will join me, Dr. Lindamichelle Baron, Keisha-Gaye Anderson and others for an afternoon of poetry, drama, music, and history.

The event will be held at Joseph Lloyd Manor, 1 Lloyd Lane, Lloyd Harbor and will begin at 2:00 p.m.

For more details, check out the following link:

Preservation Long Island Juneteenth Event

Hope to see you there!

Happy National Poetry Month, 2025 - Celebrating Poet and Memoirist, Safiya Sinclair

2025-04-01T18:43:00.003-04:00

Happy National Poetry Month!

I hope that you have started the month with interesting poetry to read and events to participate in. Today, I want to highlight Jamaican poet and memoirist, Safiya Sinclair. Safiya was born in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Her chapbook of poems and essays, Catacombs, was published by Argos Books in 2011.

Her debut poetry collection, Cannibal (University of Nebraska Press, 2016), won the Whiting Award, the American Academy of Arts and Letters Metcalf Award, the Prairie Schooner Book Prize and the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Poetry. It was also a finalist for the Pen America Literary Award, longlisted for the PEN Open Book Award, the Dylan Thomas Prize, and the American Library Association selected it as one of its Notable Books of the Year. Impressive! Safiya's other well-deserved awards are too numerous to mention.

I am now reading Safiya's critically acclaimed memoir, How to Say Babylon (Simon & Schuster, 2023). Currently, she is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at Arizona State University.

I would love your feedback on what you are currently reading, whether you have read any of Safiya's works, and how you plan to celebrate poetry month.

Questions in Jamaican Patois - Reviews

2024-10-06T17:19:00.002-04:00

Book reviews are so nice. It shows that readers took that extra step to let the author (and the world) know how they feel about a book. It is a very thoughtful gesture that authors appreciate. Even when they are not glowing reviews, they are beneficial and help authors to perfect their craft.

I am happy to share this link to some reviews so far of my second poetry collection, Questions in Jamaican Patois. If you have read the collection but have not yet written a review, I would love to hear your thoughts, and thanks in advance!

Questions in Jamaican Patois by Yasmin Morais – Finishing Line Press

Spotlight on Haiti's Poets - Oswald Durand

2024-10-06T17:10:00.002-04:00

Haiti's poets have contributed so much to Caribbean poetry. I have featured in the past the work of Rene Depestre. In addition to Depestre, other famous Haitian poets include Jennifer Celestin, Danielle Legros Georges, Lenelle Moise, Dany Laferriere, and Oswald Durand. I am sure there are many more Haitian poets whose works I am still to discover.

I would like to share the work of Oswald Durand in this post. Durand was born in 1840 and died in 1906. One of his poems, Choucoune, has a fascinating history. The poem praises the beauty of a Haitian woman, Marie Noel Belizaire, with whom Durand had a romantic relationship. Written in Haitian Creole, it became so popular that Michel Mauleart Monton composed a song from its lyrics. Eventually, it was translated to English as Yellow Bird. Many Caribbean singers, and Arthur Lyman made the song even more popular, with variations in translation and lyrics from the original poem by Durand. And so, this original poem just kept giving and giving and taking on new iterations.

Below is the poem in Haitian Creole:

Dèiè yon gwo touff pingoin

L'aut'jou, moin contré Choucoune ;

Li sourit l'heur' li ouè moin,

Moin dit : "Ciel ! a là bell' moune !"

Li dit : "Ou trouvez çà, cher ?"

P'tits oéseaux ta pé couté nous lan l'air...

Quand moin songé ça, moin gagnin la peine,

Car dimpi jou-là, dé pieds-moin lan chaîne !"

Choucoun' cé yon marabout :

Z'yeux-li clairé com' chandelle.

Li gangnin tété doubout,...

- Ah ! si Choucoun' té fidèle !

- Nous rété causer longtemps...

Jusqu' z'oéseaux lan bois té paraîtr' contents!...

Pitôt blié ça, cé trop grand la peine,

Car dimpi jou-là, dé pieds moin lan chaîne !

P'tits dents Choucoun' blanch' com' lait'

Bouch'-li couleur caïmite ;

Li pas gros femm', li grassett' :

Femm'com' ça plai moin tout d'suite...

Temps passé pas temps jodi !...

Z'oéseaux té tendé tout ça li té dit...

Si yo songé çà, yo doué lan la peine,

Car dimpi jou-là, dé pieds moin lan chaîne.

N'allé la caze maman-li ;

- Yon grand moun' qui bien honnête !

Sitôt li ouè moin, li dit :

"Ah ! moin content cilà nette !"

Nous bouè chocolat aux noix

Est-c'tout çà fini, p'tits z'oéseaux lan bois ?

- Pitôt blié çà, cé trop grand la peine,

Car dimpi jou-là, dé pieds moin lan chaîne.

Meubl' prêt', bell' caban' bateau,

Chais' rotin, tabl' rond', dodine,

Dé mat'las, yon port'manteau,

Napp', serviette, rideau mouss'line...

Quinz' jou sèl'ment té rété...

P'tits oéseaux lan bois, couté-moin, couté !...

Z'autr' tout' va comprendr" si moin lan la peine,

Si dimpi jou-là dé pieds-moin lan chaîne...

Yon p'tit blanc vini rivé :

P'tit' barb' roug', bell' figur' rose ;

Montr' sous côté, bell' chivé...

- Malheur moin, li qui la cause !...

Li trouvé Choucoun' joli :

Li parlé francé, Choucoun' aimé-li...

Pitôt blié ça, cé trop grand la peine,

Choucoun' quitté moin, dé pieds-moin lan chaîne !

Cà qui pis trist' lan tout ça,

Cà qui va surprendr' tout' moune,

Ci pou ouè malgré temps-là,

Moin aimé toujours Choucoune !

- Li va fai' yon p'tit quat'ron...

P'tits z'oéseaux, gadé ! P'tit ventr'-li bien rond !...

Pé ! Fémin bec z'autr', cé trop grand la peine :

Dé pieds pitit Pierr', dé pieds-li lan chaîne !

Bruce St. John - Barbadian Poet

2024-06-01T09:47:00.002-04:00

Bruce St. John was born in 1923 in Barbados. After completing his high school studies at Combermere Secondary School and Harrison College in Barbados, he pursued further education at the University of London, the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto), and also a Masters in Spanish at the University of Toronto. In addition to being a poet, St. John was a concert singer, physical education instructor, and a lecturer in Spanish at the University of the West Indies.

Among his works are two EPs, and two print works, although he also contributed to several anthologies. Like many Caribbean poets, St. John chose to write in both dialect and formal English, and this captured the authentic and lived experiences of Barbadians. Below are his most noted works:

The Foetus Plains (EP) 1972

The Foetus Pleasures (EP) 1972

At Kairi House, 1972 (with a revised edition in 1975)

Joyce and Eros and Varia. Yoruba Press, 1976

Edward Kamau Braithwaite contributed to this article in Encyclopedia.com in Bruce St. John's life and accomplishments, and it includes a few samples of his poetry. In the entry, Bruce St. John also provides comments on his writing style and process.

I would love to hear your comments on Bruce St. John's works so please let me know if you have met him, read his books, or listened to his EPs.

Poets of the Caribbean Listed in the Top 25 Caribbean Book Blogs

2024-04-25T07:38:00.000-04:00

Hello,

I am so honored that Poets of the Caribbean has been included in the top 25 Caribbean Book Blogs. Thank you so much for your support over the years. When I started the blog in 2010, I wanted to showcase to the world amazing Caribbean poets and the rich writing heritage from this region. Your comments, suggestions, and continued readership have inspired me to continue to post these past fourteen years.

For more information on the other blogs on the list, here is the link: Top Caribbean Book Blogs

As National Poetry Month winds down, I hope you continue to seek out and learn about more Caribbean poets, and I hope to continue to bring you exciting posts about their lives, poetry contests, book festivals and my own publications.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Celebrating National Poetry Month 2024!

2024-04-09T18:57:00.002-04:00

Happy National Poetry Month 2024, dear readers!

I trust that you have been engaged in either writing, reading, or attending poetry readings during National Poetry Month this year. Do let me know what poems and authors you have been enjoying.

For my part, while browsing through a bookstore late March, I bought Pablo Neruda's Veinte Poemas de Amor y Una Cancion Desesperada (Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair), and I have been thoroughly enjoying the collection. Interestingly, this year is the 100th anniversary of its publication. If you are a big Neruda fan like me, and you have read from this collection, let me know what your thoughts are on it.

So excited to share as well that my second poetry collection, is now available on Amazon at the link below:

Questions in Jamaican Patois

Thanks in advance for your support!

Questions in Jamaica Patois (Poems): Now Available for Pre-Order

2023-11-26T07:54:00.002-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you had a wonderful time connecting with your families and friends. I am so excited to share that my latest poetry collection, Questions in Jamaican Patois, is now available for pre-order from the Finishing Line Press website. As always, thanks for your support!

Vacation Update and Writing Successes

2023-08-31T12:27:00.002-04:00

Dear Poets of the Caribbean readers and subscribers,

I hope your summer has been amazing, and that you managed to get a lot of summer reading in - whether it was by the beach, on a plane, a cruise, train or bus. Do share what you have been reading!

My summer has been great and I had an enjoyable family reunion in Toronto, Canada. Here is a picture of me trying to hold up the CN Tower. Lol!

I want to share some very good news about some writing successes that I have had this year. The first relates to poetry publication. My chapbook manuscript, Questions in Jamaican Patois, has been accepted for publication by Finishing Line Press, and will be out later this fall. I will share the book link as soon as it is available. Thanks in advance for your support, whether it is to purchase a copy, post the link on your blog or other social media accounts, or to write a review. More news on this soon.

My second writing success, while in the academic realm, is nevertheless exciting too. Thanks to my wonderful co-author, Yemisi Dina, our manuscript, Legal Research Methods for the English-Speaking Caribbean, has been accepted by Carolina Academic Press, and will be out around January 2024. This was truly a labor of love, and a much-needed legal research resource for Caribbean law students and faculty, and researchers of Foreign, Comparative, and International Law.

So, all in all, a good writing year! If you are feeling discouraged about rejections, or in a writing slump, keep pressing on! Also, please let me know of your successes when they come. Pick up that pen, or work that keyboard!

For National Poetry Month, Enjoy "Dis Poem" by Mutabaruka

2023-04-12T17:51:00.000-04:00

Dis Poem

By Mutabaruka

dis poem

shall speak of the wretched sea

that washed ships to these shores

of mothers cryin for their young

swallowed up by the sea

dis poem shall say nothing new

dis poem shall speak of time

time unlimited time undefined

dis poem shall call names

names like lumumba, kenyatta, nkrumah

hannibal, akenaton, malcolm, garvey

haile selassie

dis poem is vexed about apartheid racism fascism

the klu klux klan riots in brixton atlanta

jim jones

dis poem is revoltin against 1st world 2nd world

3rd world division man made decision

dis poem is like all the rest

dis poem will not be amongst great literary works

will not be recited by poetry enthusiasts

will not be quoted by politicians nor men of religion

dis poem is knives bombs guns blood fire

blazin for freedom

yes dis poem is a drum

ashanti mau mau ibo yoruba nyahbingi warriors

uhuru uhuru

uhuru namibia

uhuru soweto

uhuru afrika

dis poem will not change things

dis poem needs to be changed

dis poem is a rebirth of a people

arizin awaking understandin

dis poem speak is speakin have spoken

dis poem will continue even when poets have stopped writin

dis poem shall survive u me it shall linger in history

in your mind

in time forever

dis poem is time only time will tell

dis poem is still not written

dis poem has no poet

dis poem is just a part of the story

his-story her-story our story the story still untold

dis poem is now ringin talkin irritatin

makin u want to stop it

but dis poem will not stop

dis poem is long cannot be short

dis poem cannot be tamed cannot be blamed

the story is still not told about dis poem

dis poem is old new

dis poem was copied from the bible your prayer book

playboy magazine the n.y. times readers digest

the c.i.a. files the k.g.b. files

dis poem is no secret

dis poem shall be called boring stupid senseless

dis poem is watchin u tryin to make sense from dis poem

dis poem is messin up your brains

makin u want to stop listenin to dis poem

but u shall not stop listenin to dis poem

u need to know what will be said next in dis poem

dis poem shall disappoint you

because

dis poem is to be continued in your mind in your mind

in your mind your mind.

2023 Bocas Lit Festival

2023-03-23T11:12:00.001-04:00

It's that time again - the annual Bocas Lit Festival will take place from Friday, April 28th through to Sunday, April 30th in Trinidad & Tobago.

Check out this year's program. There is also a children's program.

The following poets have their works included this year in the nine long-listed books for the 2023 OCM Bocas Prize:

Michael Fraser's The Day-Breakers (published by Biblioasis)

Anthony Joseph's Sonnets for Albert (published by Bloomsbury)

Pamela Mordecai's de book of Joseph (published by Mawenzi House).

Sonnets for Albert won the 2022 T.S. Eliot Prize.

Check out my previous post on Pamela Mordecai's two new publications, de book of Joseph and a Fierce Green Space.

Song of the Banana Man by Evan Jones

2023-02-09T12:56:00.007-05:00

A friend shared with me this delightful reading by George Scott of the poem, Song of the Banana Man, written by Jamaicn poet, Evan Jones. Mr. Scott, an educator, grew up in Jamaica and later moved with his family to Hartford, Connecticut, where he started a small business.

This poem brings back many memories from my primary school days in Jamaica where it was recited a lot in schools. Set in rural Jamaica in the 1940s, Song of the Banana man captures the psyche and ethos of small farmers - hardworking, salt of the earth people who look you in the eye, tell you good morning and howdy, and will die with their dignity. Not waiting for any handouts, but proudly toiling day in day out. I hope you enjoy the reading.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEOvGM-UONY

Poetry Gift Suggestion for the Holidays: Pam Mordecai's A Fierce Green Place

2022-12-14T13:38:00.009-05:00

As you shop for Christmas gifts, consider the gift of poetry and include Pam Mordecai's A Fierce Green Place. Published by the New York indie publisher, New Directions, it is also available as an e-book and has been highly recommended by the California Review of Books as a gift suggestion.

While you are at it, check out Pam's other recent publication, de book of Joseph, which is so appropriate for the holidays. Written in the Jamaican dialect, it was published by Canadian indie publisher, Mawenzi House, and is her imagined story of Joseph's life. It is also available as an e-book.

Here are the links to purchase information on Pam's publications: https://www.ndbooks.com/book/a-fierce-green-place/ and mawenzihouse.com/product/de-book-of-joseph/

I hope you will share these great reads with friends, family, and colleagues and leave some reviews. Happy holidays, and best wishes for 2023!

Ode to Toni Morrison (and Collected Poems) by Jennifer Brown Banks

2022-04-06T11:23:00.001-04:00

Happy National Poetry Month, 2022!

I hope that you are enjoying poetry from all around the world. In this post, I am highlighting Ode to Toni Morrison (and collected poems...) by Jennifer Brown Banks. I just purchased Jennifer's collection, and it is truly a gem. Jennifer's collection is available for purchase on Amazon. I hope you will share your feedback.

Jennifer is the creator of the award-winning blog for writers, Pen and Prosper. In her latest collection, she writes from the heart about parenting, family (in particular, the mother-child relationship), love, friendship, the Covid-19 pandemic, race, senseless violence within Black communities, among other themes. Jennifer's poems make us laugh out loud, reflect, and ponder our own emotions on the topics in the collection. Some of my favorites are:

Silly (Circa 2005)

Sundays at Mom's Place

Ode to Toni Morrison (1931-2019)

In the Movies

On Our Watch

For Strangers Who Love Books

Parenting is Like Baking a Cake

For a Friend With Alzheimer.

I leave you with Jennifer's Parenting is Like Baking A Cake.

Parenting Is Like Baking A Cake

You take the best

Ingredients,

Combine,

Incorporate

With exacting measures,

Carefully

Follow directives

Add heaping helping

Of Love,

Mix,

Mold,

Hover over,

Say a silent prayer,

That your

Painstaking efforts

Will ultimately yield

Something

You can be

Proud of,

And hope

It rises.