Category: Books

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April 27, 2021

I haven’t had much quiet time lately. Reading, and writing about books – and writing in general – requires a great deal of quiet time. Gradually, however, I will settle down and have three book reviews coming up shortly: two memoirs (autobiographies if you prefer) and one is poetry and poetic prose. Here they are: … More Book reviews loading…

“I See My Land”: Jamaica’s Poet Laureate Olive Senior on World Poetry Day, 2021

March 26, 2021

Our recently installed Poet Laureate, Olive Senior, has pledged to help foster environmental awareness through her poetry. She was guest speaker at this year’s World Poetry Day celebration organised by the National Library of Jamaica in partnership with UNESCO – a virtual event, of course. I am hoping that next year we will all be … More “I See My Land”: Jamaica’s Poet Laureate Olive Senior on World Poetry Day, 2021

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