AUTHORS

CABA 2008

Paul mom josephine-sm.jpg (122011 bytes)Jeanine Agnant is a former teacher. She was born in Haiti and moved to the United States in the 1950s. She lived in Chicago and New York with her husband who was a Cardiologist. She studied cosmetology at C. J. Walker's School in Chicago and moved back to Haiti with her husband.

 

Jeanine wrote the book,  Mommy, Tell Me About Haiti  to share her memories about Haiti, the land, the culture with her grand-daughter, Josephine and to connect the Generations. The book answers questions Josephine asks about  how her mother grew up in Haiti. The book is great a source of information for children curious about Haiti.

Joan Cartwright was born in Queens, New York, where her Cherokee mother and Bahamian father raised her and a younger brother, Carlton. Joan holds a B.A. in Music and Communications from LaSalle University and a M.A. in Communications from Florida Atlantic University. In a 30-year span, this notable jazz vocalist and composer has toured in 15 countries on five continents and has written over 60 songs. Joan is the CEO of FYI Communications, Inc. She produced both of her recordings, Feelin' Good (1995) and In Pursuit Of A Melody (2005).

An entrepreneur, Joan has been a newspaper columnist, radio DJ, festival producer and founder of Women in Jazz South Florida, and a website designer for an array of musicians, fine artists and entrepreneurs. She is the only composer in the Freddie Hubbard Song Book, which includes her composition, Sweet Return. Joan has rubbed shoulders with the greatest jazz artists in the world, including Quincy Jones, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Gloria Lynne, Betty Carter and McCoy Tyner. Her book, In Pursuit Of A Melody is a memoir of U.S. performances, tours in Europe and music she's written over the years. Also, it includes dozens of photographs, poetry and two lectures, Amazing Women in Jazz and Blues and So, You Want To Be A Singer? A Manual for Up and Coming Divas, which highlights the challenges faced in the music business.

June 24, 2008

Dearest Carole,

I had a wonderful time at the book fair. I learned a lot and loved meeting all the wonderful authors. It was such a pleasure to share with all of you my passion, Women in Jazz. Jean Willy Gerdes sent me this picture, which I believe says it all. I really look forward to participating next year.
Love and music,
Joan Cartwright

Carole Boyce Davies was born in Trinidad. She was recruited to build the African-New World Studies Program at FIU, she served as its director for three successful three-year appointments, which moved the program to international recognition. Boyce-Davies has degrees from the University of Maryland (BA, 1972); Howard University (M.A., 1974) and (University of Ibadan, Nigeria (Ph.D., 1978). In September 2008, she will join the staff at Cornell University. Dr. Davies is Director of Florida Africana Studies Consortium (FLASC).

Left of Karl Marx is a brand new book on the Essence Bestsellers List for July 2008, which assesses the activism, writing, and legacy of Claudia Jones (1915-1964). Jones is buried in London's Highgate Cemetery, to the left of Karl Marx. Importantly, Jones was the only black woman political prisoner among the communists tried during the McCarthy era. A pioneering radical intellectual, dedicated communist, and feminist Claudia Jones's location in death gives the book its title. Boyce Davies also sees Claudia's politics, which accounted for race and gender, as also Left of Karl Marx. More. . .

Marcia Douglas was born in the United Kingdom and grew up in Kingston, Jamaica, in a culture of storytelling. She loved language, words and storytelling and has taken the Caribbean culture of oral storytelling and put it on paper. Douglas teaches Creative Writing at Colorado University and writes fiction and poetry. She says she brings "somewhat of a full story when I read. I'm in love with language and what you can do with it. It's that physical reaction that's almost a shiver you get when you read something that sparks your imagination and you enjoy immensely."

Her advice for aspiring writers is to be persistent and keep writing, until they find their voice. "Writers will always struggle with rejection and doubt. It's important to write just because you love to write," she said. Her favorite writers are Patrick Chamoiseau and Olive Senior, although she says she is influenced by everything that she reads, good or bad. She identifies herself as Jamaican or Caribbean American and many of her stories are based in Jamaica or on Caribbean migrants. She has received fellowship awards and her poetry was recognized by the Poetry Society. Douglas has an master's degree in Creative Writing and a doctorate in English.

Her works include Madam Fate, Electricity Comes to Cocoa Bottom and Notes from a Writer's Book of Cures and Spells.

 

Jeff Henry - Under the Mas

Resistance and Rebellion in the Trinidad Masquerade

Jeff Henry’s thesis is that the modern Trinidad Carnival has lost its bearings. Originally structured and developed during the years of enslavement and immediately thereafter to deal with the social, political and economic circumstances of daily life, the dominant modern version now follows a European model, has no root in indigenous forms and has lost its authenticity.

 

Under the Mas is Jeff Henry’s bold attempt to reclaim that authenticity. In a captivating mix of personal recollection, interviews, scholarly research and empirical argument, he has woven an intriguing tapestry that re-emphasizes the roots of Trinidad Masquerade in protest, overt as well as covert, particularly by the formerly enslaved African population in Trinidad, part performance arts analysis and part Carnival manifesto. Under the Mas is a passionate and fascinating look at the subversive elements, now almost forgotten, embedded in traditional Masquerade characters, themselves in decline.

 

Jeff Henry has been active in Canadian and Trinidadian theatre as actor, dancer, director, choreographer, teacher and producer. He was senior Professor and past Chair at York University’s Faculty of Fine Arts in Toronto, retiring as Professor Emeritus and Senior Scholar. He has researched, written extensively and given lecture-demonstrations on the history, dance, movement chants and theatrical forms of the traditional masquerade characters of Trinidad.

 

Source: Heritage Library

Shakur Manraj was born in Guyana. He was educated in Guyana, U.S., England, France and Canada. He became a member of the English bar in 1954, and many other bars in other jurisdictions. He is a brilliant criminal attorney with 330 murder trials to his credit. He was appointed "Queen's Attorney" in 1969 for outstanding performance at the bar. He co-authored the acclaimed work, "Law on Speeding and Radar". Manraj lives in Pembroke Pines, Florida.

In Pursuit of Justice is not a textbook on law, but records Manraj's memoirs, his constant vigil to protect the rights and liberties of all, recounting his 50 years of experiences in the courtroom. 

Max Manigat
Margaret Papillion La Marginale

Philip Peters was born in Grenada. His book Caribbean WOW 2.0  is shifting American’s perception about the Caribbean’s contribution to America as well as impacting how West Indians think about themselves. In June 2007, the U.S House of Representative unanimously passed the Caribbean – American Heritage Bill to make the month of June, “Caribbean American Heritage Month.” The bill is now ratified. The book profiles leading Caribbean minds such as Malcolm X born of a Grenadian mother, Stokley Carmichael (Trinidad), Colin Powell (Jamaica), Shirley Chisholm (Barbados/Guyana) and many others who have shaped and defined American Society. Caribbean Zen another book by the author argues, through the form of a novel, that Caribbean success is not incidental but is based on a practical operating philosophy defining our Caribbean civilization. 

Geoffrey Philp is the author of the children's book, Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories, a novel, Benjamin, My Son, and a short story collection, Uncle Obadiah and the Alien. He has also written Twelve Poems and A Story for Christmas, and four poetry collections, including Exodus and Other Poems, Florida Bound, hurricane center, and xango music. His poems and short stories have been published in the Oxford Book of Caribbean Verse and the Oxford Book of Caribbean Short Stories. He lives in Miami, Florida.

Anthony "Wendell" DeRiggs was born in St. George’s Grenada. He was educated at the St. George’s Catholic Boys’ School and the St. John’s Christian Secondary School,  known locally as Palmer and Schaper, respectively. After completing his education, he taught at Schaper until he left for the United States in 1978. He holds a BA in History from Brooklyn College (CUNY).

DeRiggs is a renowned author, poet and story teller and Reflections and Ole Talk is his third book.  His first two books, Recollections of an Island Man and Island Reminiscences and Other Selections have been well received in the USA, Canada and the Caribbean where he has toured widely and wowed audiences.

Author of two celebrated books, Recollections of an Island Man and Island Reminiscences and Other Selections, De Riggs presents his most enigmatic work yet in a series of eclectic short stories and poems - Reflections and Ole Talk, taking his readers on a journey of everyday Caribbean life using dialogue which mixes standard English, American English and Creolism, and a vivid use of imagery and the portrayal of characters, to convey a richness of culture.  He evokes in his readers symbolisms that make them laugh and cry at once.  Moreover, he provides a rich volume of literature which will inform future generations of a way of life swiftly in decline.

Recollections of An Island Man

Thanks a million for looking out for me. This is the type of occasion that I always yearn for. It comes at an unfortunate time however. I work with the American Red Cross and we are all on call now for the floods in the mid-west and we can be deployed with little notice. Please keep me updated with any further happenings. I will link up with the contact you provided.

Blessings, my friend

Wendell

Phillip St. Hill, Barbados

 POET
Malachi Smith is a Jamaican dub poet. The son of a preacher, Malachi began performing at a young age, and recorded his first poem Kimbo to Kimbo in 1979. His other CDs are Blacker the Berry -The Sweeter The Cherry and Throw Two Punch. A retired member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force at the rank of detective corporal, Malachi is based in Miami.

Dub Poetry: The Life and Work of Malachi Smith looks at the poetry genre that started on the streets of Kingston , Jamaica through the story of Smith, a poet, playwright, actor and Miami-Dade County police officer. His biography is a captivating look at a life emerging from a broken home, poverty, and personal and societal prejudices to discover and transform himself. A series of interviews punctuated with Smith's poetry carries the "dub-u-mentary" which was produced and directed by L. Michael Bryan.

Donna Weir-Soley Donna Weir-Soley was born and grew up in Jamaica. She currently teaches at Florida International University. She is a poet and critic and has been widely published in journals such as Macomère, Caribbean Writer, Sage, The Carrier-Pidgin, Frontiers and in the anthology, Moving Beyond Boundaries. She was recently awarded a Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship for career enhancement.

First Rain is part memoir through poetry, part mythological journey. Through vivid and haunting narratives, Weir-Soley alters the expected scheme of things, changing how her readers see the world. She gives us a creation fable through Criolla, the origin of the Creole language. She confronts Mawu, the supreme creator of the Ga. In addition, Weir-Soley’s storytelling includes family legends, those of home, emigration, and displacement. First Rain is an amazing and passionate book, with poems of nuanced meditation and engaging thought-provoking anecdote.

First Rain

Eunice Tate is a Jamaican-born, award-winning writer, poet and novelist who currently resides in Florida. In addition to her latest novel, Scraping My Heart, Tate is also the author of the poetry collection, Background Noises, published in 1998. 

             

Winner of The Lyric Award for achievements and contributions to the cultural heritage of the African Diaspora in the New World. Her creative writings have been published locally and internationally in magazines, journals, anthologies and newspapers. Tate will be reading from her new book, When God Wasn't Looking.

www.cabafair.com   |   info@cabafair.com