Women to take focus at poetry fest
THIS year’s Poetry in Motion Festival, which takes place Sunday at the Mandeville Golf Club in Manchester, is dedicated to the Jamaican woman.
Organiser Yasus Afari told the Jamaica Observer that the work of Jamaican literary pioneer, journalist and activist Una Marson will be recognised.
Born in St Elizabeth in 1905, Marson produced Caribbean Voices on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) during the 1940s.
Many of the Caribbean’s great literary figures appeared on the show including Jamaican Vic Reid, Trinidadian VS Naipaul and Derek Walcott of St Lucia.
Some of Marson’s poems are compiled in the 1945 book, Towards The Stars. She died in 1965.
Afari, Professor Verene Shepherd of the University of the West Indies, Dr Michael Abrahams, Francois St Juste, Kellie Magnus, Dufton Shepherd, Annmarie Wilmot, Ashley Little and Charmaine Gooden-Monteith, are among the confirmed performers for the show which is again being held under the theme, ‘Providing Clean Intelligent Fun For The Entire Family’.
Rock steady great, Leroy Sibbles, is the special guest.