Category: Books

ICYMI in Jamaica, January 26, 2021: The Mystery Plane Edition

January 27, 2021

This year is going to be warming up, according to my friends who do weather. It seems to be warming up in more ways than one. Our yard is turning into a dust bowl. We have had no rain since Christmas in Kingston. Other things are warming up too – the gently rising COVID-19 cases … More ICYMI in Jamaica, January 26, 2021: The Mystery Plane Edition

Watching People Die

January 23, 2021

All year, everyday, I have been watching people die. Die from coronaDie from gunshotDie from heartbreak….poor health, lack of health care, health complications, comorbidities and so called “old age” All year people have been gone too soon.Sun is shining but life is filled with so much doom All year I have been watching people die.…

Martin Luther King Day in Jamaica: The Dark Cloud of Violence

January 19, 2021

Today was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the United States. Jamaica: On New Year’s Eve (I was just reminded just this evening) I heard an eruption of fireworks, from people’s yards. There was a curfew, so there was no public display downtown. What I also heard was the insistent pumping, the flat thump of … More Martin Luther King Day in Jamaica: The Dark Cloud of Violence

The Morning After “The Weeping Time”: a Post from April, 2020

January 12, 2021

Writer and historian Dr. Anne C. Bailey, looking back, just decided to repost this moving article, which she first published in April, 2020 – just when the pain and loss of the COVID-19 pandemic was being felt deeply in the United States – and in particular in the state of New York, where Dr. Bailey … More The Morning After “The Weeping Time”: a Post from April, 2020

ICYMI in Jamaica, January 5, 2021: The Back to School Edition

January 6, 2021

What a week. After the relative peace and quiet of the holidays (apart from an intrusively loud motorbike rider – we need to do something about the “enhanced” mufflers they put on their bikes) we were thrown straight into 2021 with a great deal of agonizing over “back to school” (a dilemma shared by other … More ICYMI in Jamaica, January 5, 2021: The Back to School Edition

Hope for the Future: The Inspiring Green Team International Scholars

January 4, 2021

“How do you live in a place like Jamaica, which is all about green – and blue – and not be leaders in environmental consciousness? For us to have been leaders we would have to have had a different education. We needed to say: ‘Take a look around us, this is what we’ve got, we’ve … More Hope for the Future: The Inspiring Green Team International Scholars

“Off Track”: My Review of a Novel by Tamika Gibson

January 2, 2021

This novel for young adults, set in Trinidad, opens with a homely scene – immediately interrupted by a jarring, somehow banal incident of domestic violence. This takes place while seventeen-year-old Kayla is doing the washing up before her mother comes home, while keeping an eye on her two younger sisters. Life for a young woman … More “Off Track”: My Review of a Novel by Tamika Gibson

“A Million Aunties”: My Review of a Novel by Alecia McKenzie

December 23, 2020

An “Auntie” occupies a unique space in Jamaican society. I have a few “nieces” and “nephews” myself, although they are not related to me in any way. I love them all. In general, Jamaican Aunties are middle-aged or older women. They usually embody certain qualities (at least, in the eyes of the young people who … More “A Million Aunties”: My Review of a Novel by Alecia McKenzie

ICYMI in Jamaica, December 21, 2020: The “Does It Feel Like Christmas” Edition

December 22, 2020

I get the feeling that Jamaicans are anxious to get to the Christmas holidays, so that we can clear our heads and try to get over this horrible year. The past week has been filled with dramas, sadness, and some sweetness and light. The weather continues to be quite deliciously soothing. I am looking forward … More ICYMI in Jamaica, December 21, 2020: The “Does It Feel Like Christmas” Edition