It’s poetry season again, as the First Citizen’s National Poetry Slam begins its auditions on for the upcoming event on May 5. This year, there will be five auditions led at venues in Trinidad and Tobago, beginning on January 20. The Slam closes the week-long Bocas Literary Festival, being held this year from May 1 … Continue reading
“We are Girl Be Heard!” was the rallying cry at the Central Bank Auditorium as the first cycle of Girl Be Heard TT came to an end with the final production, UnMasked. The production told the story of Maia, who grew up in a single parent household being abused by her mother after her father … Continue reading
In recent times, T&T audiences have been accustomed to seeing and hearing male voices dominate the Spoken Word arena, despite a long history of women-led Spoken Word spaces and initiatives. This year, five of the 12 confirmed finalists of the 2017 First Citizens National Poetry Slam Finals are women and the hope is that one … Continue reading
Girl Be Heard Unplugged at the Little Carib Theatre on March 14 showcased the results of the Girl Be Heard project, a women-led empowerment program which uses socially conscious theatre-making to develop, amplify and celebrate the voices of young women, currently being carried out at Bishops Centenary High School in Port of Spain. Fifteen students, … Continue reading
The International Women’s Week event, Her Stories, saw an capacity crowd turn out to hear readings by a panel of authors on March 9 at the Alliance Francaise. The panel, consisting of writers Elizabeth Walcott-Hackshaw, Danielle Boodoo-Fortune, Dr. Angelique Nixon and Aaliyah Eniath, was chaired by poet and author Shivanee Ramlochan. In introducing the panel, … Continue reading
Spoken word poetry is becoming increasingly popular in allowing young people to express the challenges they face. The latest initiative in T&T is the international pilot program of Girl Be Heard (GBH), a women-led empowerment program which uses socially conscious theatre-making to develop, amplify and celebrate the voices of young women. Director of Global Partnerships, … Continue reading
Three T&T arts practitioners – Patrice Briggs of Arts-in-Action, Damien Whiskey, who portrays the Midnight Robber, and Mtima Solwazi of the Oral Tradition ROOTS Foundation, represented T&T at the 2016 Edinburgh Arts Festival. The opportunity was part of a program by the Division of Culture in association with international organizations ACPCultures+, World Cultures Connect and … Continue reading
T&T born, UK based poet Vahni Capildeo said she was stunned at the announcement that she had won the £15,000 2016 Forward Prize for Best Collection for her book Measures of Expatriation. She said she was mentally prepared to show the students she had invited how to “lose with grace,” as she was certain she … Continue reading
“A Breath of Fresh Air: Poems of Encouragement and Inspiration” is the work of Bernard Bharat, who began writing the poems after recovering from total memory loss in 2013. The book contains almost 200 poems, which draw on the author’s life experiences and those of his family. The poems speak directly to the reader, covering … Continue reading
Canadian-born Trinbagonian poet and self-taught artist Nneka Edwards says the variety of experiences she has had has influenced the diversity of her poetry. She has self-published at least 25 books of poetry for both adults and children, with more set to be published in the near future. Originally published in the T&T Guardian July 17, … Continue reading
Writer. Teacher. Adventurer.
Books With Bite
Learn to write characters very different from you sensitively and convincingly
Where the world meets Caribbean Literature #OurStoriesMatter #OwnVoices
Caribbean Sexual and Reproductive Health Blog
