Geoffrey Philp,

"Buxton Lady Under Lock Down" by Cynthia James

noreply@blogger.com (http://geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com/) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 06:30:00 +0000

Buxton Lady Under Lock Down

we would sit in the elephant ear of a marble queen,
icing dusting the skylight, listening to the wattle
wheezing through the atrium, the karaoke
tinkle of Ol’Virginny, Ol’ Kentucky Home inside

warm apple cider drunk, she’d say, “Those songs
we learnt in school, is only when I come I understand.
But I is from Kaywana stock; this place make you
more black. You must bring me some cocoa butter

when you coming next time,” rubbing Buxton spice;
we watched cars swish, slip, slurping past grey fingered trees
“Was a day like this that send me here; white, no headlights;
I didn’t see, nobody see, nobody say, nobody talk for me; he

burn like crisp; if wasn’t for my Buxton pride I dead already.”
but summer she was different; then we went out on Wheel-Trans.
“Look,” she says, “Imagine me who make with nail, tinin and
hammer, grater from scratch, buying coconut in frozen

quarter pound square pack. You know bout metamgee?
conkie? A tumbler of swank, Man, down the hatch!”
Then we would join the ladies for some checkers, bingo,
even take in the fashion show. “Is a man you know!

Wait till she start to strip. We ask the recreation people
for her every year.” And she shouting loud, “Go more!
Take off the shirt!” And bad talk Victor, her one and only son,
full of guile who just so, she-say-he-say, “Let’s go for a drive ...”

but she going back for her gold ring on the bureau
the Deceased Egbert give her. Now that was man!
“I could teach you the computer; you’ll like Facebook,”
“Unh-unh,” she said, “is a long long way to Tipperary.
Dawg a lay down, ashes cold.”

©Cynthia James 2012

About Cynthia James

Cynthia James is a Trinidadian, living for the past 3 years in Toronto. She writes poetry and fiction and her work can be found in publications such as Callaloo, Caribbean Writer and The Oxford Book of Caribbean Verse.

***

Miss Lou Reading Festival Celebrates Jamaica’s 50th Anniversary

noreply@blogger.com (http://geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com/) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 06:00:00 +0000

The fifth annual Louise Bennett-Coverley Reading Festival, an evening of rich cultural performances, will be staged on Saturday, February 11, 2012, at the South Regional Broward College Library in Pembroke Pines.

The show titled “Fifty years A We Kulcha – Pantomime to Ring-Ding” will celebrate Jamaica’s 50th anniversary of Independence and observe February as Black History Month along with several other activities planned at the Library.

Under the patronage of Jamaica’s Consul General, Sandra Grant Griffiths, the milestone event will feature special guest, the eminent Marjorie Whylie, an ethnomusicologist, and musical director of the National Dance Theatre Company. Oftentimes described as a "national treasure," Ms. Whylie, is also known for her long and close association as performer and student with the late Hon. Louise Bennett Coverley.

The annual Reading Festival was started in 2007 by Mrs. Norma Darby, former Executive Director of the Jamaica Folk Revue, following the death of the Hon. Louise Bennett Coverley, O.J. who passed away at age 86 years old in Toronto, Canada. Ms. Lou was buried at the Jamaica’s National Heroes Park in Kingston.

According to Mrs. Darby, “As we celebrate Jamaica’s 50th anniversary of Independence, here in the Diaspora, the performers at the Festival will interpret significant works of our esteemed Miss Lou through acts of song, dance and drama.” The Reading Festival, over the years, has explored and addressed the immense influence the works of the late Hon. Louise Bennett-Coverley has had on Jamaicans at home and in the Diaspora.

The event is free to the public and will also include performances from a selection of notable Jamaican artists from the South Florida Diasporic community who had worked with the Jamaican cultural icon and international renowned folklorist, comedienne, author, and social commentator during her long and expansive career. They are Dr. Ivy Armstrong, poet and public speaker; Dr. Susan Davis, actress, poet and educator; Geoffrey Philp, author and educator, and Malachi Smith, dub poet. Other performers expected to participate will also include the Jamaica Folk Revue, Tallawah Mento Band, and Body Nation Dance Theatre.

Proceeds from sales of Miss Lou’s works – books, CDs, and other memorabilia will continue to support of the Louise Bennett Coverley Scholarship at the Edna Manley College of Visual and Performing Arts in Kingston. The scholarship was named, posthumously, in honor of Jamaica’s cultural ambassador and is awarded to a student at the college pursuing studies in the performing arts. To date, six students have been recipients of the scholarship at the Schools of Drama and Dance, and Music.

Ms. Valrie Simpson, Regional Library Manager at Broward’s South Regional –Broward College campus has said that the Friends of the Library and the Broward College are pleased to partner in the annual Cultural Tribute saluting the legacy of Jamaica’s cultural ambassador and that Nation’s significant milestone of Independence. Other supporting organizations include the Broward College, Friends of the Broward Library, the Jamaican Folk Revue and the Jamaica Tourist Board.

Marcus and the Amazons: Black History Month @ MDPLS

noreply@blogger.com (http://geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com/) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

The community is invited to join in the Black History Month celebration at Miami-Dade Public Libraries. Meet author Geoffrey Philp who will read from his story – Marcus & the Amazons.

Readings take place on Thursday, January 26, 11 a.m. at the Kendall Branch; on Saturday, January 28, 3 p.m. at the Edison Branch; and on Tuesday, January 31 at the Opa-locka Branch.

For information about these and all other events, call 305.375.BOOK (2665).

MEDIA CONTACT:
Victoria Galan - Public Affairs Officer
Tel. 305.375.5180, galanv@mdpls.org

Source: http://www.mdpls.org/news/press/pr/2012/BlackHistoryMonth.asp

Book Launch: Near Open Water by Keith Jardim

noreply@blogger.com (http://geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com/) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:59:00 +0000

January 27, 2012

8:00 pm

Books & Books

265 Aragon Avenue,

Coral Gables,

Florida 33134-5008

Disturbing in its honesty, this anthology by Keith Jardim, Near Open Water: Stories (Peepal Tree Press Ltd, $18.95) focuses a sharp yet intimate eye upon the people of the Caribbean. The characters face problems of freedom, history, race, class, violence, entrapment, and morality. Theirs is a region in constant flux, trying to break away from its dehumanizing past while uncertain of how to manage the present and plan for the future. Unflinching in its portrayal of the realities of Caribbean life, these dark short stories also find solace in the natural beauty of the region.

***

Friday Links: Lectures, Conferences, and Workshops

noreply@blogger.com (http://geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com/) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:02:00 +0000

Cropper Foundation

13th International Conference of the Association of Caribbean Women Writers and Scholars

The 31st West Indian Literature Conference

Publishing in Caribbean Studies:
A Workshop with Cathie Brettschneider
Humanities Editor at the University of Virginia Press

Book Launch

Caribbean Literature and the Public Sphere: From the Plantation to the Postcolonial
Dr. Raphael Dalleo

Sex and the Citizen: Interrogating the Caribbean
Edited by Dr. Faith Smith

Saturday January 28, 2012
7:00 p.m.
Books & Books,
265 Aragon Ave. Coral Gables

Reception prior to launch at 6:00 p.m.

Shoot the Sheriff: How to Overcome Writer’s Block

noreply@blogger.com (http://geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com/) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 06:00:00 +0000

So, there I was in front of the students at Zelda Glazer Middle when an aspiring writer asked the dreaded question: "How do you overcome writer's block?"

Ah, youth! She probably didn't know that her innocent query was the equivalent of asking an actor about the Scottish play in a theatre. It is verboten.

Still, I was kind and answered from my own experience.

Whenever I have suffered from writer's block, it's because I have smalled-up myself. Usually it's a reaction to post-publication depression, anemic royalties, and/or unfair/devastating reviews. If all three happen at the same time, watch out!

But even in the midst of disaster, I've noticed a pattern of expectations versus results. It takes an enormous amount of energy to conceive and finish a poem or short story. Imagine what it takes to complete a book of poems, short stories or a novel and then, to encounter critical and/or commercial failure?

Don't get me wrong, I love writing. It's the most fun you can have without taking your clothes off. And writing, like making love, which requires tenderness and attention, should be approached with anticipation and joy. If it feels like a chore, then you're in the wrong business.

Whenever I've gone through a period of writer's block, it feels as if I've dried up. It's no longer pleasurable. Then, insidious questions begin to flood my mind: What makes you think that your writing is any good? Is this rejection and public humiliation worth the effort?

Writers from every culture face these kinds of questions and life is hard enough just being human. But when you add racism and historical/cultural influences--some people are entitled to speech and some are not--then, the questions take on an added dimension. We doubt our right to speak or to promote our own work.

And given the reticence in Jamaican/Caribbean culture, which is a direct result of 400 years of colonial propaganda designed for convince us that our lives are inferior to those in the "mother country," other questions bubble up: Who the hell do you think you are?

I've heard it in my head whenever I picked up a pen. I've felt it when I've read in front of an audience, especially in Jamaica. We are notoriously hard on each other and it's a symptom of tendency nurtured by either fear or envy, "Sammy plant piece a corn down a gully," that fears success and will kill anyone who does not conform or dares to let her light shine.

On the Plantation, we have proverbs that caution against success, "The higher monkey climb," and names for the ones that drag others down, "Crabs in a barrel." Or the really nasty one, "Neyga cyaan see neyga prosper." But more, anon.

To make the choice "to stay eager," I've had to figure out ways to bring myself back to writing without the thought of publishing because writing and publishing are two different processes.

Whenever I am writing verse, I am only thinking about finding the right word, metaphor, and rhythm that best express the ideas and emotions in the poem. I like to think that I am writing from the Spirit.

Publishing is another matter. Publishing plunges me into the world of samara where measuring, competition, and ego rule. Any writer who says she is not competitive is a boldfaced liar. We all have bills to pay and would sell our mothers for a lucrative publishing contract.

So, as with everything else in life, it's a balance between the Spirit and Ego--your life's passion and material desires. Both should be acknowledged. We drive ourselves crazy when we step over into the chaos of ego/samsara and forget to create out of who we are. Writer's block is an affliction not only of the mind, but also of the spirit.

In those dark moments when envy and anger cloud my mind and I feel as if I am drowning in self-pity, the self-defeating voices creep in: "Look at X, she is getting all of that fame, attention, and money, and all I have is my cat. And on some days, not even he likes my company."

We crave validation from others because writing is a form of communication, which implies exchange/ transfer with at least one other person. Sometimes it's hard to find that ONE person. Your mother doesn't count.

How do I climb out of the hellhole of thoughts that I've created in my own mind? How do I big-up myself, even when the world seems so huge and I am so small?

Here are some starters:

Breathe deeply and reorient myself. Just as there is a time to reap, there is a time to sow. Seventy-five percent of the living, reading, and researching never makes it into a finished piece of writing, so every now and then, it's necessary to step back from the writing, change my routine, and dig deeper into listening, reading, resting, and living. In those times, I remind myself with the wisdom of my mother who would say to me with her Rock of Ages voice, “This, too, shall pass, my son. This, too, shall pass. Be kind to yourself.”

Spend time with my friends and family. Writing is a solitary vocation that takes up much of my daily life. There have been occasions when I've viewed writer's block as a blessing. It gave me time to reconnect with my friends and family who reassured me that I was not alone--even if the cat wouldn't come near me.

I count my blessings. I am grateful for all the opportunities I've had over many years of writing and publishing. I am proud of every book that I've published. I've never published a book merely to say that I'm a published author.

Remember my heroes. In particular, I think about what Bob Marley said at the "Smile Jamaica" concert: "The people, who were trying to make this world worse... are not taking a day off. How can I? Light up the darkness." Occasionally, this increases my anxiety about writing, but it has proven, at least on one occasion, to be an inspiration with Bob Marley and Bradford's iPod.

Shoot the Sheriff.

Sheriff John Brown always hated me

For what I don't know.

Every time I try to plant a seed.

He say 'Kill it before it grow'

Fear is a natural part of human life. It has kept the species alive for millennia. But, then, there's irrational fear that paralyzes healthy living. "We're all weird." But some of us are still stuck in the zeitgeist of the Plantation. We fear if one cog goes loose, the culture will fall apart. It won't.

Enter the Deputy or anyone from your past/present who says you are not good enough or you'll never make it. I don't have to go on. You know your own daemon better than I do. It's not their fault. They merely provide the triggering event. You can take it from there.

Freedom came my way one day

And I started out of town, yeah!

All of a sudden I saw Sheriff John Brown

Aiming to shoot me down,

So I shot - I shot - I shot him down and I say:

If I am guilty I will pay.

The problem is the Sheriff and for your survival, you have to shoot the Sheriff or the inner critic--whatever you want to name her. Or

Trick the Sheriff. Sooner or later, if you are passionate about writing (as opposed to the idea of being a writer), you will feel the urge to write again, but your heart won't be in it. You'll have to fall in love with the process of creating (again).

If the part of my mind that generates creative work through poetry by using rhythm and metaphor has shut down, I turn to non-fiction by writing articles and blogging. It gets the juices flowing because I'm going through the creative process of researching, distilling, and combining information about something that I am passionate about while at the same time being of service.

Then, follow the advice of Mary Heaton Vorse: "The art of writing is the art of applying the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair."

If you don't believe me, how do you think I've continued writing for so many years?

Here are a few other sites that may help you to overcome writer's block:

Writers on Writing: Overcoming Writer's Block

Writers Block? Try this Quick Tip

Hack your way out of writer's block

How to Overcome Writer's Block

Twelve Things You Were Not Taught in School About Creative Thinking

3 Simple Steps for Staring Down Writer’s Block

Writing Tips: Overcoming Writer’s Block

5 Timeless Books of Insight on Fear and the Creative Process

Symptoms and Cures for Writer's Block

How to Get Over Writer's Block

I mean, who wants to end up living here?

Writer's Block

New E-Book:Bob Marley: Memories of Jah People By Emmanuel Parata

noreply@blogger.com (http://geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com/) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 06:00:00 +0000

Bob Marley: Memories of Jah People
By Emmanuel Parata

Emmanuel Parata is a French reggae lover. Since his childhood, he was lulled by the music of Peter Tosh, Jacob Miller, Third World and many other reggae legends...

But one artist in particular stood out: Bob Marley

The music of Bob and his universal message permeates Emmanuel life and that is why he decided to become a collector of memorabilia.

Ten years ago, Emmanuel launched his investigative work. Motivated by his passion for reggae, he began extensive research for rare videos, concerts audios, interviews, unpublished photographs and newspaper clippings of Bob Marley & the Wailers.

Wanting to share his passion with fans around the world, he decided to create his website in 2010 BobMarleyArchive.com, and to open its archives of audio clips, interviews, rare photos, and a section called "Memories." These have now been assembled into an eBook, Bob Marley: Memories of Jah People.

"I thought there were many fans of Bob Marley, but many of these fans have never met or even seen Bob in concert, so I created Memories Of Jah People so that they can live the moment as if they were there," said Emmanuel. "About a year ago, I collected unpublished stories, real stories of people who met Bob Marley in professional settings, in person, or just at a concert. I have assembled these stories in an interactive book, and the reaction of the fans and feedback have been mostly positive."

"My new project is to write a book with a lot of stories, illustrated with original photos from my personal collection. It may take a long time, but I want the best for the fans. And I hope my dream will come true..."

It is still a work in progress. Stay tuned...Emmanuel

Site: http://bobmarleyarchive.com/

Memories of Jah People: http://bobmarleyarchive.com/Memoriesofjahpeople.html

PS: I am always looking for even more stories...

Happy Birthday, Dr. King !

noreply@blogger.com (http://geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com/) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 06:00:00 +0000

To say that Dr. King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" haunted me for most of my adult life would be an understatement. So, when I sat down to write Marcus and the Amazons, I knew I had to find a way to include a few of the lessons that I had learned from reading and teaching Dr. King's letter to my undergraduate students at Miami Dade College:

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial "outside agitator" idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds."

You may well ask: "Why direct action? Why sit-ins, marches and so forth? Isn't negotiation a better path?" You are quite right in calling, for negotiation. Indeed, this is the very purpose of direct action. Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks to so dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. My citing the creation of tension as part of the work of the nonviolent-resister may sound rather shocking. But I must confess that I am not afraid of the word "tension." I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth. Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, we must we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood.

We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. Frankly, I have yet to engage in a direct-action campaign that was "well timed" in the view of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant "Never." We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that "justice too long delayed is justice denied."

"Letter from Birmingham Jail," one of the great moral texts of the twentieth century, should be required reading in the training of young minds.

Happy Birthday, Dr. King!

Related Article:

Martin Luther King in the Era of Occupy

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. visits Jamaica
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/pages/history/story003.html

Bad Friday Florida Premier

noreply@blogger.com (http://geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com/) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:22:00 +0000

Friday the 13^th

Of January will be "Bad Friday" in South Florida

With the premier full length screening

Of the brand new cutting edge documentary film

Bad Friday: Rastafari After Coral Gardens

With special guests

Film producer/director Deborah Thomas

& Coral Gardens committee chairman Ras Iyah-V

Screening and discussion at

Academic Building #1, Room 194, FIU North Campus,

3000 NE 151^st Street, North Miami Beach, Florida

Starting at 7:00 pm

Entry: Free

DVDs & Rastafari Memorabilia on Sale

Presented by

The Rootz Foundation, Inc,

In association with

The Global and Socio-cultural Students Club of FIU

Geoffrey Philp’s Blog: Finalist @ Jamaica Blog Awards

noreply@blogger.com (http://geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com/) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 06:00:00 +0000

We've made it to the finals, so once more I will need your vote & support:

http://www.jablogawards.com/best-overseas-jamaica-blog-0

Vote early, vote often & tell your friends on Twitter & FB.

Happy Independence Day, Haiti!

noreply@blogger.com (http://geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com/) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (http://geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com/) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:30:00 +0000

Test Drive Your Kindle, Nook, or iPad!

noreply@blogger.com (http://geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com/) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 14:45:00 +0000

Now that you've unwrapped your brand new Kindle, Nook, or iPad, why not treat yourself or your young one to one of my eBooks?

Or if you know someone who has received an e-reader, you can also give one of these e-books as a gift!

Smashwords

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/Philp

Barnes and Noble

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/geoffrey-philp?keyword=geoffrey+philp&store=allproducts

Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Geoffrey-Philp/e/B001K819L0/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

iTunes

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/marcus-and-the-amazons/id446058494?mt=11

Merry Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (http://geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com/) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 06:00:00 +0000

Joseph’s Journey (For Randi Gray Kristensen)

noreply@blogger.com (http://geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com/) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 13:14:00 +0000

Joseph had grown old enough not to believe
The occupiers of the holy places in Jerusalem

Whose lies, curled like shavings of cedar
From his blade, surrounded him on the floor,

Sweat for the few shekels that he earned,
Taxed by Romans whose peace defiled rivers

With blood, mountains with their standards.
Yet as far east as the roads crowded with caravans

Could travel, spears sprouted from the sand.
The coin from Mary's uncle burned in his palm,

And Joseph turned it once more, perhaps, for an omen
That would ease his heart from the gossip in his town.

But when she greeted his eyes and blessed his hands,
He lowered his head and surrendered to her love.

Image: http://homileticdiakonia.blogspot.com/2008/12/christmas-mass-at-midnight.html

***

Give thanks to Randi, who has made me restart my practice of writing a poem or story for Christmas. I've collected some of the best in Twelve Poems and A Story for Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

Vote For Geoffrey Philp’s Blog @ Jamaica Blog Awards

noreply@blogger.com (http://geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com/) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 17:20:00 +0000

For the second year in a row, my blog has been nominated in the Best Overseas Blog category of the Jamaica Blog Awards. Give thanks!

Since I began using Google Analytics on Monday, October 26, 2006, this site has had over 500,000 visitors from 217 locations:

The white areas represent locations where I've recorded only one visitor. Not to worry, Pinky. Tomorrow the world!

Readers have come from as far away as Tajikstan and as near as Hialeah, yet the top ten locations have remained stable:

1. United States: 141,604
2. Jamaica: 23,034
3. United Kingdom: 17,856
4. Canada: 15,880
5. Trinidad and Tobago: 11,142
6. India: 10,552
7. Philippines: 8,206
8. France: 8,042
9. China: 7,512
10. Germany: 5,132

Many of the readers are students seeking information about writers such as Mervyn Morris, Dennis Scott, Derek Walcott, Kamau Brathwaite, Vic Reid, and Olive Senior.

Others are looking for posts about Bob Marley, Marcus Garvey, and Rastafari. And still others search for information about writing, contests, and conferences.

For 2011, the top twenty posts followed the usual pattern with a two big surprises: "Have a Marcus Christmas and New Year" with 1366 hits and "Jamaica is One Love": with 513 hits.

Here, then, is the roundup of my top twenty posts for 2011:

1. "Meanings of Bob Marley's Songs": 4744 hits
2. "'Epitaph' by Dennis Scott: An Appreciation": 3401 hits
3. "'Colonial Girls' School' by Olive Senior: An Appreciation": 2696 hits
4. "Little Boy Crying" by Mervyn Morris: An Appreciation": 1726 hits
5. "Have a Marcus Christmas and New Year": 1366 hits
6. "'I Shot the Sheriff': A Fable of Freedom" : 1278 hits
7. "Happy Birthday, Marcus Garvey": 1179 hits
8. "Top Ten Things Every Writer Should Know": 1170 hits
9. "What Can Bob Marley Teach Bloggers?": 938 hits
10. "About Geoffrey Philp's Blog": 921 hits
11. "In My Own Words: Andrea Elizabeth Shaw": 749 hits
12. "A Rubric for Poetry?" :730 hits
13. "Bob Marley: Making of a Legend": 722 hits
14. "Happy Birthday, VS Reid": 547 hits
15. "Jamaica is One Love": 513 hits
16. "Obama Rejects Plea for Marcus Garvey": 511 hits
17. "Polyglot Writers": 425 hits
18. "'Marrysong' by Dennis Scott": 409 hits
19. "'Mass Man' by Derek Walcott: An Appreciation": 381
20. "Broward Coronation Film Festival": 380 hits

If you have enjoyed reading any of these posts, please follow this link to vote for my blog in the category: Best Overseas Jamaica Blog:

http://www.jablogawards.com/vote

The voting ends on January 2, 2012, so as we say in Miami: "Vote early and Vote Often."

Have a Marcus Christmas & New Year

noreply@blogger.com (http://geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com/) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 06:00:00 +0000

As the holiday season approaches, I want to give thanks to the readers of this blog on the RSS feed, web site or following on Twitter or Facebook. I also want to give thanks for those who have supported my work by buying my books and "Liking" on Amazon.

A few of you have also sent direct PayPal donations through the Donate buttons, which I have posted at the end of popular blog posts, and for this I also give thanks.

Inshallah, I will begin some projects for the New Year, so I'm going on a blog vacation to work on the first drafts. If I receive any new information about contests or calls for papers, I'll post on Twitter: @geoffreyphilp

In the meantime, why not visit my author page @ amazon.com and buy a few books? They make great Christmas presents!

Have a great holiday and I promise that in 2012 that I'll continue posting about writers and events that you care about.

One Love,

Geoffrey

Marcus and the Amazons (Kindle)

Marcus and the Amazons (Print)

“Christmas Flash Mob” by Cynthia James

noreply@blogger.com (http://geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com/) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 06:24:00 +0000

so they lit the third candle, the rose among the mauve,

a half-split caimito really, on the evergreen, the plum,

gradating to a fuschia, vulva-centred, fleshy white,

a moist black star buried in every quadrant whorl

but no witness to this story to fill its many gaps:

how a girl hearing voices that she pregnant

(second hand), just ups and take a journey

to a distant land to visit an old cousin by herself,

that a baby leaping in a womb confirm; they say

she end up staying with the cousin six months

and the cousin husband, old Mahal, you know Mahal,

revving car and turning corner, with lip and foot and hand;

he doubt; they light a candle on his head; strike him dumb;

and Shadrack, too, for years we live with Shadrack,

walking up and down with rope, brown gown and jesus-

sandals clanging bell, a dead ringer for the same John

so I’m telling Bev about this flash mob, livening the humdrum,

this Sunday stir up, twelve-eleven; people in their dan dan!

Everybody singing: Exultez de joie, acclamez votre roi!

led by a doe-eyed angry man playing an organ

and I say: We just practising to maim and kill tomorrow

the only way we know how. See those stalks clawing

the promised fire at the centre of the ash coal dawn?

See how right now we longing for the white stuff?

All this, One cycle, One répétition. Near Easter, we

cursing the same white stuff: White Stuff, Begone!

and my daughter ups and say: You know you! You’d better

keep your mouth shut! Your great grandmother shut her mouth

so you could born. You always jeopardizing things, opening

up your big mouth. But I tell her: No worries, this poem not

getting print no how. Is just you know how sometimes when

you’re breathing and you notice that you’re breathing, just so

you start to gasp because you cannot find your rhythm? Well

the half-split caimito’s just a figment of that Carib woman

far from home, dreaming a slice-a black cake, and a slice-a

Scrunter pork and a drink a ponche à crème! Ah! to top it off

About Cynthia James

Marcus Garvey’s Christmas Message, 1921

noreply@blogger.com (http://geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com/) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Despite the attempts of many black intellectuals to link Marcus Garvey with failure, Garvey's message was never confined to a "Back to Africa movement." Anyone who has read The Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey will recognize the smear, which began with the "Garvey Must Go" movement and has been repeated most recently by Eugene Robinson in Disintegration and Charles Johnson, writers for whom I have enormous admiration and respect.

Garvey was Afrocentric and he was a product of his times. Garvey's call of "Africa for Africans" was similar to the other separatist nationalist agendas throughout Europe and the Americas. Garvey's readings of history led him to the conclusion that the white power structures would never willing relinquish power and that peoples of African descent would never secure their human and political rights without a solid economic base. To this end, he built on the foundations of Booker T. Washington with economic self-empowerment while expanding on the intellectual development that W.E. Dubois sought without the divisive idea of a "talented tenth" being the salvation of the race.

The crisis of the "Abandoned" that Robinson delineates in Disintegration is the logical conclusion of the integrationist movement of DuBois and the NAACP, which has secured the political rights of African Americans, but has failed in delivering any method of economic empowerment to the other 90% (or is that 99%?) of the populace. In other words, we have rights, but we have failed to recognize our economic power.

Garvey wanted dignity and freedom for all the "sons and daughters of Africa." It was a message of hope, which he eloquently delivered in December 1921.

Christmas Message to the Negro Peoples of the World.
December 1921

Fellow men of the Negro Race,

Greeting:— To us is born this day the Child Jesus—the Christ. The Shepherds and wise men are now wending their way toward Bethlehem, there to behold the Wonder of God. Because, there, in a manger, is to be found the Baby Christ who is to be the Redeemer of the world.

And so our thoughts go back for more than nineteen hundred years. We hear the shout "Hosanna in the Highest, blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord."

With all the preparation the human race has made to welcome into the world the Christ who is to redeem us, we find ourselves still in confusion, still fighting, still exploiting, still merciless in our onslaught one upon the other. But on this Christmas morn may we not all members and brothers of the great human family, forget our differences, and in one glorious chorus sing put to the world "Peace, perfect peace?".

Christ died to free Mankind.

When we come to consider the Brotherhood of Man and the Fatherhood of God, and that this Child of our own flesh, yet spirit of the Great Creator has been sent to link us nearer to our common Father, will we not admit of the reason that there should be but very little differences between us, What will we gain fighting the battle of man against man? Absolutely nothing but death; and was not this Child Jesus sent into this world to teach us the new life, the life of Love, of Charity, the Life of Mercy? What greater example do we desire than that which He gave in His own Life? He suffered, He died that others might be free. Yet even with the great object of the Cross before us, even though He died on Mount Calvary to make us free; even though He overcame death, the grave and hell to demonstrate to us the new life possible to each and everyone, we have not yet turned from the path of sin to enter into the glory of His Eternal Kingdom.

The Spirit of Christmas.

Instead of planning a career of sin on this Christmas Morn, may we not lift our thoughts to that grand and noble Father who save to us on this day His Royal Son, whom He has made our brother, and ask Him to bless each and everyone of us that our hearts may be touched with the true spirit of the first Christmas morn? That first day in the stable at Bethlehem was a beacon of a new born hope, for with the birth of the Prince of Peace there came to us an age of spiritual grace, which in its course sought to link man nearer to his God, and coming down the ages for more than nineteen hundred years, we have tried to preach Him as He appeared to us in His innocence, His Love and in His Charity.

Christ labored for thirty three years to teach us the way to glory, but in His career man, his brother sought the life that he could not give; he persecuted Him, he derided Him, he jeered Him and at last he crucified Him. But when that which was physical in the Christ died, the spiritual continued, and from earth betook its flight to heaven, there, probably, for all eternity, to look down upon the sinful, wicked world, and still to shower upon us blessings that we really need.

We shall never succeed in taking the Spirit of Christ out of the world, because in some of us, still, there is that spark of love, charity, and mercy that links us to our God. But may we not ask the Great Omnipotent, the Great Creator, our Eternal Father to send once more into the world, just at this time and oh, how we pray that it be on this Christmas morn, our brother Christ, so that He may calm the raging storm and in truth pour out His benediction upon a corrupt world, a soulless human race, and make us subjects fit for Eternal Life?

Hail! the New born King

As with the angels let us sing, "Hail the New Born King, the Prince of Peace, Hail to the Son of Righteousness, for with Thee there is life, without Thee there is death". For as thou died upon Calvary's mount to make us better, to redeem us from our sins, may we not hope for a continuance of that love even for today? and knowing Thee in Thy bountiful love for all mankind, may we not further ask that Thy Spirit lighten up our hearts and bring to us by the touch of Thy grace, the knowledge of the Everlasting Brotherhood of Man, and the Eternal Fatherhood of God?

As the angels now rejoice in heaven over this new birth, so we rejoice on earth, four hundred millions of us, who are members of this Negro race, feeling that Thou art our King, that Thou art our Savior, that thou shalt be our Emanuel. We love Thee because Thou art the Son of God. We praise, worship and adore Thee because Thou art the Prince of Peace.

The Prince of Peace Our Guide to-day.

Let others in their sin, in their wickedness seek after the infant Life that Thou gavest to all mankind. We in our simplicity shall find refuge for Thee even in the land of Egypt. Yes, the world of sinful, wicked men cried out "Crucify Him! Crucify Him! But Lord because Thou art our Master, because Thou art our Prince of peace, because Thou art our Redeemer, we shall render unto Thee all help possible, even in bearing the Cross up the heights of Calvary, for in life Thou hast been our friend; in death we know Thou shalt remember us, and now that Thou art sitting at the right hand of God, the Father, now that Thou hast conquered death, the grave and hell, surely in Thy mercy Thou shalt remember us. So today even though hundreds of years have rolled by since Thy crucifixion, we know that there is in Thine heart, there is in Thy soul a warm spot for the Sons and Daughters of Africa whose forebears bore the cross for Thee up the heights of Calvary to Thy crucifixion.

We sing and shout with the angels; we ring our joy bells; we blow our horns in praise because Thou art indeed the Jesus, the Christ, the Emanuel to us, the Son of Righteousness, the Prince of Peace.

As sons and daughters of Africa, may not four hundred millions of us the world over on this Christmas morn pray for the redemption of that Motherland which sheltered our Blessed Redeemer when the wild, wicked men of the world sought His life; in the same manner wild, wicked men seek the lives of Negroes today, and burn, lynch and kill them because they have not the strength that makes man mighty. But with the Almighty Power of God and with the guidance and mercy of our Blessed Lord we feel that one day Ethiopia shall stretch forth her hand, and whether it be at the second coming or before, we shall all sing our Hosannas, shout our praises to God for freedom, for liberty, for life.

"For Christ is born of Mary,

And gathered all above

While mortals sleep, the angels keep

Their watch of wondering love.

O morning stars, together

Proclaim the holy birth,

And praises sing to God our King,

And peace to men on earth."

From The Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey

***

We are petitioning President Barack Obama to clear the name of Marcus Mosiah Garvey, a national hero of Jamaica.

http://signon.org/sign/clear-marcus-garveys

Broward Coronation Film Festival

noreply@blogger.com (http://geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com/) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 11:21:00 +0000

Two brand-new, must-see documentaries filmed in Jamaica recently, “The First Rasta” and “Bad Friday,” will be premiered at the Broward Coronation Film Festival’s “Tribute to the Patriarchs” on Friday, December 9, 2011.

The double-bill at the Joseph C. Carter Park, 1450 W. Sunrise Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, starts at 7:00 pm with “First Rasta,” a documentary that gives an authentic and comprehensive account of the little known historical origins of the Rastafari Movement.

Produced by award-winning French music journalist Hélène Lee, First Rasta, traces the exceptional journey of Leonard Percival Howell, a Jamaican revolutionary/religious figure who has virtually disappeared from the history books. Also known as the “Gong”, Howell established a Rasta community of 4,500 members at Pinnacle in the hills of St. Catherine, Jamaica, where the Rastafari philosophy and Way of Life was formalized, along the first agro-industrial enterprise devoted to producing marijuana among other produce.

The second documentary film on the double bill, Bad Friday: Rastafari After Coral Gardens, starts at 9:00 pm. Bad Friday chronicles the history of state violence against Rastafari in Jamaica during the infamous “Coral Gardens Incident” of Easter 1963. The “Coral Gardens Incident" was a brutal moment in the history of Jamaica just after independence from Britain, when the Jamaican police shot and killed a number of Rastafarians and rounded up, jailed and tortured hundreds more all over the island.

Bad Friday: Rastafari After Coral Gardens is directed by Deborah A. Thomas and John L. Jackson, Jr., who both have production credits along with Rasta musician Junior “Gabu” Wedderburn, and the late Rasta activist Junior “Ista J” Manning. The documentary was shot on location in Jamaica, and the original score features modern renderings of the traditional musical forms that comprise the roots of Reggae music.

Admission to the Broward Coronation Film Festival is $10.00 at the door and Under-12s are free. Food and refreshments will be on sale. Part proceeds from the event will be in aid of the Anthony White Scholarship Fund.

The “Tribute to the Patriarchs” will be the climax of a month-long celebration of the 81^st Anniversary of the Royal Coronation of H.I.M. Emperor Haile Selassie I and Empress Waizero Menen of Ethiopia. The Film Festival Tribute is presented by the Rootz Foundation Inc. in association with the City of Fort Lauderdale Parks & Recreation Department.

For more information at the Broward Coronation Film Festival call Rootz Foundation at 954-981-1176 or Carter Park at 954-828-5411.

Jamaica is One Love

noreply@blogger.com (http://geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com/) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 06:00:00 +0000

Today is World AIDS Day

noreply@blogger.com (http://geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com/) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:03:00 +0000

Image: https://apps.facebook.com/theguardian/teacher-network/2011/dec/01/world-aids-day-teaching-resources

The Jamaica-born Grandmaster of Chess: Maurice Ashley

noreply@blogger.com (http://geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com/) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 10:30:00 +0000

By Opal Palmer Adisa

“Chess is an intellectual discipline masking as a game,” says Maurice Ashley, who is touted as the first African-American International Chess Grandmaster in the history of the game. But Ashley is actually Jamaican, born in Kingston, where he attended Seaward Elementary School. His formative years were spent in Tower Hill, where his grandmother raised him and where he came to know himself. At the impressionable age of nine, his older brother taught him how to play chess, but Ashley remarks, “Back then, it was just a game. I liked it, but I didn’t know at that time that the game was going to be my destiny.” He later attended Wolmer’s High School for Boys before immigrating to the USA, at the age of twelve, to join his mother.

Excitement about living with his mother for the first time with his two siblings was partially tempered by his new environment that belied the American dream. “Coming out of poverty in Jamaica, the mere fact that you are standing on American soil, is an advantage, but the reality was a lot of day-to-day violence --the level was worse in Brownsville, Brooklyn. There were drug-dealers and prostitutes,” Ashley recalls. However, he learned to navigate and steer clear of the numerous traps that were everywhere in his new community.

School gave Ashley direction, and because of the friendships he formed, his keen interest in chess grew. “I started to take it seriously in high school in Brooklyn. I thought I was smart, until I lost to a friend. Then I saw a book in the library and I started reading. I didn’t know there was a strategy to chess. My friend had also read all of these books. He had been reading and playing, and that’s when I knew knowledge is power.” So Ashley became an avid student of chess and was determined to be at the top of his game. He studied and taught himself.

Still, Maurice Ashley did not recognize his talent until he was a student at City College, New York. His passion and love for the game spews from his mouth as he recounts his journey. “I was so in love with chess, I was doing it all the time. It was like a force. I would beat people and I loved the feeling of beating people, and I just wanted to keep doing it. I never thought of chess as a profession.”

Chess became not only a profession for Ashley, but also the very foundation of his life. In 1993 when he was only 20 years-old, Maurice Ashley, as a result of coaching the National Champions from Harlem to victory, became the first ever African American Master in US History. In 1999 Ashley was honored as the first Black person in history to become an International Grandmaster.

Maurice Ashley’s love for chess and his international recognition, has led him to his mission: to share chess with young people around the world. The release of his book, Chess for Success: Using an Old Game to Build New Strengths in Children and Teens, serves as a cornerstone of his advocacy.

Ashley’s success begs the questions: How does a Jamaican boy from an impoverished neighborhood, without a father present, become a chess master? Is it simply destiny or are there other forces at work? Ashley contributes his success to his mother, who left him as an infant, and labored hard in the USA for ten long years so that he and his two siblings could eventually join her and be united as a family.

And despite the vices in their immediate surroundings that could have mitigated their success, Ashley states categorically: “My mother made sure that I understood coming from Jamaica that you hold on to your opportunities. She kept us focused. You had to go to college; all of us were going to college.” And indeed Maurice Ashley and his two siblings all went to college and are at the top of their respective fields.

Perhaps an additional secret to his success is connected to dogged determination. In chess, Ashley found his passion, and a drive to beat his opponents, which led him to study and practice continuously. His assiduousness paid off when in 2002, he became the first African-American in history to qualify for the US Chess Championship. The crowning event came in 2003, when United States Chess Federation awarded him the title of Grandmaster of the Year.

But Ashley still identifies as a Jamaican, and his bond to this island and its culture is deeply embedded in the food, especially ackee and salt-fish with roast breadfruit, and of course jerk chicken that he loves. However, his Jamaican-ness goes deeper, and he stays committed to his culture and the development of the island.

In an interview on October 13, 2011, I asked the following questions:

OPA: What do you love about Jamaica or being Jamaican?

MA: The fact that we are some of the hardest working people on the planet. Give us an opportunity and we will run with it. Just try to catch us and you won’t.

OPA: What are you hopes for Jamaica?

MA: That our people become well-educated and using initiatives like chess to bolster that effort, we can show the world the advanced skills of which we are capable. I think a polished and comprehensive educational system has to be developed in Jamaica, where we can use our talents as a means of helping bigger countries to carry out some service that they may needed. That means we have to create an extremely comprehensive educational base, so those countries do not automatically link Jamaica with tourism --that Jamaica becomes known for technology as well. I hope that Jamaica goes the way of some of those countries in Asia --finding our niche in technology.

I don’t think more advanced techniques are available to the general population, like what I do with chess: deep thinking. When you start with a platform with young people, it will magnify in a few years.

OPA: Why should children learn to play chess?

MA: All the skills we want our children to have, problem solving, analytical reasoning, focus and concentration, are embedded in the game itself, in the playing of the game itself, so kids have fun and learn at the same time and they don’t even know it.

Chess strategy doesn’t begin until you realize that there is another mind playing against you. Most people are about themselves, but the competition is about someone trying to beat you, so you have to take that into consideration.

The great thing about chess is that you are punished for bad thinking; you are punished for impatience. You have to stop and plan ahead before you move, or else you are going to lose the game. Kids don’t want to lose, so if they have a good coach they begin to play and play well, and those are skills they can use in life to be successful.

OPA: What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome to succeed?

MA: I believe that life is a series of challenges that we are consistently overcoming. I am challenged even now in my life. I embrace challenges--that is the way you become successful by embracing the challenges of life.

With every challenge one gains experience that has to be harnessed in order to move to the next level. Ashley uses these stepping-stones, and that has helped him to navigate his life. These are the lessons that he has honed as a man, and that he wants to impart to young people. The proud father of two children, a seventeen-year-old daughter who is an "A" student and a nine-year-old son, Ashley models his practice on his children. “I started teaching my children chess when they were three years-old. I made sure they both had a foundation for chess. My daughter didn’t pursue it, but she is good. Now my son and I do chess puzzles every day.”

Until very recently, Ashley had stopped playing chess to be a full time, stay-at-home father, so that his wife, who had put her career on hold to allow him to travel, had the opportunity to pursue some of her dreams, including being principal of a school. But Ashley is excited to be playing chess again. Back on the chess trail, Ashley is embarking on a six-island tour to promote chess in the Caribbean for young people, and visited Jamaica from November 10-12, 2011.

Ashley says, “I am bringing chess technology, much of which is donated, to assist the chess efforts in these countries, to lend the voice to the idea that chess is great for kids and it should be supported.”

In addition to being a Grandmaster, an author, and an inventor, Maurice Ashley is also the designer of a smart phone application: “Maurice Ashley Teaches Chess,” which was launched in 2010 and has sold in more than 25 countries. Still he remains close to his cause, which is to promote chess as a viable mode of education for young people. To this end, he has traveled widely to speak to, and encourage youth in indigent neighborhoods throughout the USA, South Africa, and Central America.

Ironically, Maurice Ashley says he isn’t sure in what concrete ways he contributes to Jamaican society, but acknowledges that when people know that he is Jamaican it engenders a sense of pride. Reflecting more he adds, “I support chess initiatives in Jamaica, and what they are trying to do to build up chess on the island. I do what I can to support the Jamaica Chess Federation.”

Whenever someone does something, great or small, it reflects on his family, as well as his country. Maurice Ashley’s achievements are but more evidence of the global contributions of Jamaicans. Perhaps it is the yams as sports fanatics have been attributing to Usain Bolt’s phenomenal achievements; maybe it’s in our water, in the very air, or maybe it is in the foundation and dreams that have been instilled in us by parents and others who made endless sacrificed to keep us focused, and made us dream beyond what could even be imagined.

Regardless of the source of our greatness, Jamaicans such as Maurice Ashley are helping to create a more diversified and accomplished profile of who Jamaicans are and the new frontiers we are traversing.

As Maurice Ashley says, “Knowing that chess is a blessing for kids helps me to keep spreading that message.” So I invite you to introduce a child in your life to chess as well as other endeavors that could guide them towards success.

Learn more about Maurice Ashley and all that he is doing to promote chess and keep the Jamaican flag waving high by visiting his website: www.mauriceashley.com

Please contact Opal Palmer Adisa at 50jamaicans@gmail.com if you have a story to share. She plans to do a profile of 50 Jamaican women and men, living in the greater Jamaica Diaspora who have had exceptional accomplishments. Also, Adisa’s novel, Painting Away Regrets, is set to release this November 2011.

Images from the Miami Book Fair International

noreply@blogger.com (http://geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com/) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Caribbean Lit. Luminaries (L. to R.):Heather Russell. Donna Aza Weir-Soley,

Gordon Rohlehr, Opal Palmer Adisa, Ramabai Espinet

Wimpy Kid Creator: Jeff Kinney

Book Monster Invades Miami

For more, please follow this link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/geoffreyphilp/sets/72157628094592643/show/

Independence and After Conference @ Black Atlantic Resource Debate

noreply@blogger.com (http://geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com/) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:19:00 +0000

Dr. Eric Williams

LC-USZ62-125505 (b&w film copy neg.) Publication may be restricted. For information see "New York World-Telegram ...,"

To mark the centenary of the birth of Dr Eric Williams and in anticipation of the 50th anniversary of independence in Trinidad and Tobago, a one-day conference INDEPENDENCE AND AFTER: DR ERIC WILLIAMS & THE MAKING OF TRINIDAD & TOBAGO was held at the Institute for the Study of the Americas on the 27 September 2011. This conference explored the shaping of Trinidadian politics and society under the Williams’ administration and the legacies of this period today. The conference was filmed and all panels are now available to view on:

http://americas.sas.ac.uk/events/videos-podcasts-and-papers/independence-and-after-dr-eric-williams-the-making-of-trinidad-tobago.html

For more information, please follow this link:
http://blackatlanticresource.wordpress.com/2011/11/29/independence-and-after-conference-podcasts-online/

Links for 2008-04-18 [del.icio.us]

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:00:00 PDT

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Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:00:00 PDT

Geoffrey Philp's Blog Spot:
One of the most vibrant Caribbean/South Florida poets, Adrian Castro's work scintillates with tonality, bilingualism, clarity of image and spirit.

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Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:00:00 PDT

Geoffrey Philp's Blog Spot: An Evening With Geoffrey Philp
In celebration of Jamaica Awareness Week at the University of Miami, award winning author, Geoffrey Philp, will reading from his most recently completed manuscript, Nearing Fifty. The program which begins at 7:30 pm will be held at the Storm Surge Café,

Links for 2008-04-12 [del.icio.us]

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 00:00:00 PDT

Geoffrey Philp's Blog Spot: Jamaican Memory Joggers
Yet, even as I write this, I realize that this is not merely nostalgia. These memories shaped what I have called the Reggae/Rastafari Generation (Benjamin) or the Caribbean Boomers, many of whom are now part of the Jamaican Diaspora.

One of a writer's

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Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PDT

Geoffrey Philp's Blog Spot: Hope: Living and Loving with HIV
Behind the images of hedonism in Jamaica, the specter of AIDS has overshadowed the glitter and garish of the Tourist Board commercials. During the last four months of 2007, Kwame Dawes traveled to Jamaica and met with people who are living with the diseas
Geoffrey Philp's Blog Spot: MiPOesias Magazine: The American Cuban Issue
MiPOesias Magazine's newly released issue showcases the work of poets of Cuban descent who live in the U.S. The results are stories spun from highways and oceans, lyric meditations on love's rough edges and potent homages to deities and to the departed. N

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Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PDT

Geoffrey Philp's Blog Spot: Commonwealth Writers’ Prize 2008 Africa Winner: The Hangman's Game
Karen King-Aribisala has written a densely layered, challengingly ambitious work of fiction. There is the actual historical novel, the thoughts of the fictive writer about it, the drama of the narrator’s life in Nigeria and the seepage between the diffe

Links for 2008-03-24 [del.icio.us]

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PDT

Geoffrey Philp's Blog Spot: A Jamaican in Las Vegas (Part One)
The minute I landed in Las Vegas--a city ripe for the destruction by the God of wrath from my fundamentalist childhood--I knew my ideas about sex, sin, and scarcity would be challenged. But here I was in the middle of "Sin City" celebrating my fiftieth bi