Bookish Things: The Lignum Vitae Writing Awards Are Up and Running

I am trying to catch up on all the happenings of the past few weeks. Most importantly, as I backtrack furiously, was the launch last month of the Lignum Vitae Writing Awards. In the comfortable surroundings of the Jamaica Library Service headquarters in Kingston, President of the Jamaica Writers Society (JaWS) Tanya Batson-Savage proudly introduced the Awards. The awards come with a very decent financial incentive – substantial support from the Jamaican Copyright Licensing Agency’s (JAMCOPY) Cultural Fund – to the tune of J$1 million.

Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Sharon Ffolkes Abrahams (right), talks to General Manager of the Jamaican Copyright Licensing Agency (JAMCOPY), Carol Newman (centre); and Director of Cultural Policy in the Ministry of Youth and Culture, Marisa Benain (left) at the launch of the Lignum Vitae Writing Awards on February 10. (Photo: Min of Industry Invesment & Commerce)

The lignum vitae tree is an interesting symbol. It is both strength and beauty combined. The tree is tough and slow-growing; the Tainos used its hard wood to make pestle and mortars, which never wore out.  The flower (the national flower of Jamaica) is lilac-colored, delicate and attracts clouds of small white butterflies. This strength of spirit and beauty of form combined epitomize what Jamaican writing is all about.

So what are the newly reconstituted biennial awards? They are the Una Marson Award for adult fiction or adult creative non-fiction (J$500,000); the Vic Reid Award for young adult fiction (J$250,000); and the Jean D’Costa Award for children’s fiction (J$250,000). The first two originated with the National Book Development Council, now dormant. “We’re not doing something new here,” Batson-Savage noted. But in a sense, it’s a renewal.

Una Marson.

Una Marson was a feminist and political activist from St. Elizabeth, who lived in both London and Jamaica for periods of time, writing poetry and producing plays for the BBC. She became Jamaica’s first female editor in 1928, with her own magazine, The Cosmopolitan. She worked hard to promote native Jamaican literature. Her poetry had social messages: “Kinky Hair Blues,” sounds amazingly modern. She loves her black skin and kinky hair, dislikes “dat ironed hair, dat bleaching skin,” but that is what is admired. Not much has changed, perhaps? Julene Robinson entertained us with a reading of this poem.

Vic Reid (his son attended the launch) was born in 1913 in Kingston. He wrote nine novels, including “New Day,” about the Morant Bay Rebellion of 1865, which was written largely in patois. Several of his books are written for young people, including “The Young Warriors,” about the Maroons. His work reflected the struggles, the hope and the pride of the Jamaican people.

Yashika Graham read beautifully from “Escape to Last Man Peak,” with energetic assistance from Akeem Bignott. (My photo)

Jean D’Costa also used a combination of patois and standard English in her novels for the early teens age group. Two of them are still widely read in Caribbean schools. I remember our son’s copies of “Sprat Morrison” and “Escape to Last Man Peak.” At the launch, young poet Yashika Graham gave a dramatic reading from the latter novel.

Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry Investment and Commerce Sharon Ffolkes Abrahams, in her delightful greetings, conceded, “We have not paid much attention to writing.” She stressed the Jamaican Government’s commitment to the creative industries and its determination to “monetize talent.” She did also point out that amendments to the Copyright Act will allow copyright protection for 95 years after the author’s death. “A well-read society,” added the Minister, can make us all into a stronger society. Books are still popular, she said, despite everything. Surveys in the U.S. and UK have shown that young people still love print books. Well, I am not so young – but I do love the feel of a good solid hardcover novel in my hand, and to turn the pages.

Poet Laureate Professor Mervyn Morris, while conversing with his good friend Velma Pollard, looked at me with a wary eye and said, “Oh, you’re not going to blog me are you, Emma?” Yes, Professor Morris. Consider yourself blogged!

Guest speaker Dr. Velma Pollard was eloquent, explaining the clear observation – “to hold a mirror up to nature,” as Hamlet said – that a good writer brings to his/her work. Seeing clearly is what a writer does. She gave the example of a Kei Miller short story, “The White Gyal with the Camera,” set in August Town, “a place considered unbeautiful” by its residents. The girl’s camera found beauty. Well-written words, added Dr. Pollard, create “perfection we want to keep, or wounds we want to heal…Thoughts that break into our quiet spaces.”

Congratulations to Tanya Batson-Savage and JaWS for their commitment and determination to re-install these wonderful awards in Jamaica’s literary and cultural calendar. Batson-Savage wants us to regard them as “pre-eminent awards with national significance.” The support of JAMCOPY, too, makes them worthwhile. Their value, said Batson-Savage, “can buy a writer a little time and space to write.”

The award is open to all Jamaican writers, at home or abroad as well as writers of other nationalities who are permanent residents in Jamaica. The award accepts manuscripts only and will be adjudicated by a panel comprising writers, academics and literary critics selected from respected members of the Jamaican and Caribbean literary landscape. THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS is June 30, 2015 and the awards will take place in October 2015. Entry forms, rules and guidelines can be found at https://jamaicanwriterssociety.wordpress.com/the-lignum-vitae-writing-awards/ 

The sharkish logo for the Jamaica Writers’ Society, better known as JaWS!