www.jamaicaobserver.com twitter.com/jamaicaobserver The Sunday Observer March 4, 2018

#InConVerSation: The Muse of Memory Is The Muse of Poetry: Bookends presents the first of a series Mandeville. Because I love how we talk, of conversations #InConVerSation I try to write in a mixture of Standard between the writer Jacqueline Bishop An Interview With Poet English and Jamaican speech so that it and phenomenal women writers who call resonates perfectly to Jamaican ears but home. Today’s featured writer is it is still accessible to non-Jamaicans. Poet Laureate of Jamaica Lorna Goodison. Somebody once wrote that I seem to be Laureate Lorna Goodison trying to inscribe Jamaican culture onto the and Poetry Summer Workshop. This was business for quite some time. My first consciousness of the world. I think that is a orna, I start by saying thank you so a workshop designed to teach young girls collection of poetry was published in good thing! much for granting this interview. I basic self-defence and poetry writing. It 1980, by the Press, must say I was moved to tears when was taught by the well-known Jamaican and individual poems of mine had been One of your initiatives as the new poet it was announced that you would be poet and martial arts expert Cherry appearing in various magazines and in laureate of Jamaica is the Helen Zell prize L Natural, and the poet Yashika Graham. Jamaican Sunday newspapers for at for young poets. Can you expand on this and the new Poet Laureate of Jamaica. Is there any significance for you, personally, in The logo was designed by the British least 12 years before that. From the very why you thought it important to initiate this being the first female Poet Laureate of y/our Jamaican artist Ruel Hudson, and it went beginning, I was always writing poems prize in Jamaica? beloved homeland? What do you hope to so well that the current director of the NLJ inspired by aspects of Jamaican culture; I was fortunate enough to have taught initiate or achieve with this new platform? Beverly Lashley is working with Abigail even some of my most intimate for many years at the University of Henry, who does a wonderful job and personal poems somehow Michigan in their Helen Zell MFA writing Thank you so much. I am honoured to be of running the Poet Laureate manage to reference programme that is consistently rated the subject of one of your interviews. programme, and me to expand Jamaica. One of my in the top two such programmes in the I too was very moved when Justine it this year. poems, which appears on world. As part of the job I had to read Henzell, Professor and As I see it, poets laureate the London Underground, and evaluate countless applications from Winsome Hudson, former director of the are national praise singers is called “Bam Chi Chi La highly gifted young writers who are very National Library of Jamaica (NLJ), and and advocates of poetry, and La”, and it is about a serious about developing their craft. As the Minister Olivia “Babsy” Grange asked me I believe I have been doing Jamaican teacher current Poet Laureate of Jamaica, I thought on behalf of the Government of Jamaica something like that in my working as a that I would like to encourage our young to become the Poet Laureate of Jamaica. own work, in an unofficial char woman writers to perform at the highest level, and Being made poet laureate at the same capacity, for many years. so that she I am grateful to Douglas Trevor and Linda time that my Collected Poems — which is I am particularly grateful can build her Gregerson, at the over 600 pages long — was published by that I’ve had the great retirement for agreeing to establish this prize. The Carcanet Press (UK) seems like a double good fortune to have home in details can be read online, but basically it blessing. As you yourself said to me, “If been able to read is open to Jamaican poets between the anybody asks you what you have done with my praise poems ages of 17 and 25. Applicants are asked to your life, you can point to that book.” to Jamaica to wide submit a portfolio of between three to six As the first woman to be given this audiences here at pieces of original work to be appraised by honour, I am of course well pleased, and home and in many University of Michigan MFA students and I have hopes, dreams and plans for what different parts of Lorna Goodison (Photo: The faculty, and the winner will receive a prize I’ll do while I am Poet Laureate, and one of the world. of US$1,000. the first initiatives I’ve been involved with I have also Scottish is the “All Flowers are Roses” Self-Defence been at this National Library) Turn to LORNA on Page 2 twitter.com/jamaicaobserver www.jamaicaobserver.com THE SUNDAY OBSERVER March 4, 2018 Bookends 2 1994, isapoemthatIstillgetrequeststo reading toherinpersonhereJamaica Mandela andthatIhadthehonourof “Bedspread”, whichwaswrittenforWinnie people ofSouthernAfrica;andmypoem I alwaysfeltaprofoundconnectiontothe Anyone whoknowsmyworkthat Rhodes MandelaTrust inCapeTown. to agatheringofthenewlyestablished my husband,whowasaRhodesScholar, in Durban,andoncewhenIaccompanied readings attheInternationalPoetry Festival Africa threetimesbefore,twicetogive had beenblessedtotravelSouthern call it,wasanextraordinaryexperience.I Johannesburg, orJo’burgasSouthAfricans Conferencein International Writer’s Lecture atthe5thAfricanWomen and voicesinwriting? necessary isittohearfemaleperspectives stories thatyoureadaboutAfrica.How add anecessarycounterpointtothemale lecture thatIread,women’sstories As well,youseemedtobesaying,inthe what thatexperiencewaslikeforyou? Can youtakeamomentheretotalkabout Symposium. Hugecongratulationsonthat. 5th AfricanWomenInternationalWriters’ Nadine GordimerMemorialLecturetothe your goingtoSouthAfricadeliverthe function onWorld Poetry Day, March21. The winnerwillbeannouncedataspecial new generationofyoungJamaicanpoets. best toencouragethedevelopmentofa By establishingthisprize,Iamdoingmy people whoarereallyseriousaboutpoetry. schools andlibrariesI’vemetyoung given anumberoftalksandreadingsin LORNA from Page1 An InterviewWith Poet Laureate LornaGoodison Delivering theNadineGordimerMemorial I hadthechancetoreadrecentlyof Since becomingPoet LaureateIhave [email protected] E-mail: Kgn5 1/2 BeechwoodAve, Ltd,40-42 Bookends c/oTheJamaicaObserver Mail: Contact Information Janice JohnsonRichards Layout Rorie Atkinson Art Director Jacqueline Bishop Writer Sharon Leach Co-ordinator Bookends Credits nurturing andhealing. might receivea badlyneededmeasureof is handledright, thentheworldjust to mattersofgender, andifthismovement something ofaseismicshiftwhen itcomes is agoodthing. Theworldisexperiencing side ofthathalfforover50years, Isaythis someone whohasbeentrying totellmy told isnowloudlydemanding to betold.As perspective. Thehalfthathasneverbeen to examinethingsfromthefemale experience inmytalk. I wasabletospeakfirst-handaboutthat the companyofNadineGordimer, andso of CarcanetPress, Imetandspenttime in Conference organisedbyMichaelSchmidt perspective. In2000,ataCommonwealth they writefromtheirownveryunique writers whoseworkIgreatlyvaluebecause platforms withanumberofAfricanwomen read. Ihaveovertheyearsmetandshared Road of the Dread Rastaman Dread the of Road photograph ofpaintingbyHughWright Now, morethanever, itisimportant byLornaGoodison—fromthecollectionofDanKelly, and ifthis isso,theyare inforthelong because thatiswhathe orshehasto do; the thing:areal writerusuallywrites fellowships, etc forourwriters.Hereis more opportunitiesforpublishing, prizes, am pleasedthattherearenow somany gain frombeingaCaribbeanwriter, I writing whentherewasverylittle to as awriterfromJamaica? their wayoutintotheworldofpublishing, would yougivetosomeonetryingmake voices nowvyingforattention?Whatadvice time, makesenseofallthenewCaribbean as someonewhohasbeenaroundforsome in themarketplace.Iwonderhowdoyou, voicesandliterature more thereseemstobeanexplosionof experimenting inyourwork.Butmoreand up thewaysinwhichIseeyoucontinually A littlelateronintheinterview,Iwilltake being newtothis,buttruethis”. Speaking assomeonewhostarted I amsureyouarefamiliarwith“not #InConVerSation have happened? guessed thatsomethinglike thatwould joy fromRumi’swords.Whocouldhave people todaydrawdeepconsolationand in Afghanistan800yearsago.Allkindsof Balkhi knowntousasRumi,whowasborn the worldtodayisMowlanaJalalad-Din poetin Caribbean poet.Thebest-selling poets andwriterssingpraisestoourgreat filled withpeoplewhohadcometohear cold night,butthehugeauditoriumwas held atthe92ndStreetY. Itwasafreezing life andworkofDerekWalcott thatwas taking partinacelebrationhonourofthe never know. IwasjustinNewYork City for poetryinourpartoftheworld.Butyou never goingtobereallyhugeaudiences we needtoacceptthatthereisprobably Jamaica? incrisislikeourbeloved to aplaceoften the roleandfunctionusesofpoetry doforyou?Whatis the writingofpoetry Whatintheworldcan why writepoetry? Recently, someoneIquitelikeaskedme, poets inparticularfacegettingpublished. that because Icanattesttothestruggle distance runners. the Shelly-Ann!)andsomewillbelong- sprinters (butonlyonewillbetheUsainor let everyoneproduceandsomewillbe marketplace. So,leteveryonewriteand produce isnotgoingtobedictatedbyany you writeit,andifthatisso,what writing businesswritesyoumorethan form ofmy“Heartease”poems. poetry cameoutinthatnewwaythe takes time.Whenitwasgoodandready, different way, andthatculturingprocess was justbeingculturedinanewand what washappeningthatmyvoice own ill-adviseddevices.Asitturnsout, writing hadgoneawayandleftmetomy into otherthings,yearswhenIassumed were yearswhenIwasputtingmyenergy destroy them,buttheykept coming. There avoid writingpoemsandstories.Iusedto but nomatterhowhardItried,couldnot being awriterfornumberofreasons, haul. Personally, Iresistedtheideaof that happens youdonot feelsoalone inthe That isexactly whatIwas thinking is, Thatisexactlywhat Iwasfeeling read orhearsomething andyourreaction describes thatfeelingyouget whenyou talking toanotherperson’s inside”.This is, asonepoetsaid,“oneperson’s inside and kindnessarecreativeforces. Poetry created byactsofloveandkindness; love little coupletissayingtheuniverse is Think aboutthatforaminute,what the mightyoceanandstarsabove”. of Kindness,littlewordsLove,make knew memorygems—“Littledeeds been madetomemorisethem.People school knewpoemsbecausethey’d Jamaica whohadpassedthroughprimary this. WhenIwasgrowingupeverybodyin lives easier, andpeopleusedtoknow beings havebeengiventohelpmake our Poetry isoneofthegiftswehuman Why writepoetry?Well, foronething But maybe I needtotemperthatquestion, AllI’msayingisthatsometimesthis . When , or writers to leaveforthe metropole? are making itlessand less necessary for see developments intheCaribbeanthat represent theCaribbean? Then:Doyou in howtheychoosetowriteabout and Caribbean haveanyspecialresponsibilities believe writerswhowriteoutside ofthe A two-partquestionhere:Firstly, doyou outside theCaribbean.Youhave doneboth. who writewithinandthose writefrom at conferencesandsuch,isthatofwriters writer? should Inotprivilegethenamepoetabove copy of“Heartease”nexttohisbible.Why once wrotetomesaythathekeeps a poems atweddingsandfunerals.Someone of lossandtrials,thattheyreadmy my poemshavehelpedthemthroughtimes turmoil. People havetoldmethatsomeof have helpedtogiveshapemyinner chaos inmyouterlife.Poems Ihavewritten inner lifeattimeswhenIwasexperiencing writing poetry. Poetry gavemeastructured always abletopraythroughreadingand times whenIfoundithardtopray, butIam the bestpartsofmyself. Therehave been more thanoneoccasion;ithasledmeto Seriously. Poetry hassavedmylifeon Poetry ismydarling?Loveit like cookfood? position isstillpoet.HowdoIexplainthis? non-fiction andfiction,butmydefault by VSNaipaul.Andyes,Ihavewritten found intheshortstory, BWordsworth, as such.Thebestexampleofthisistobe some acknowledgedpoetidentifiesyou just decidethatyouareapoet;usually I alsothinkthatoftenyouyourselfcannot as apoet.Ifeltthathadtoearnright. “writer”. Whyisthisso? the titleyouseemtoprefer,moresothan as awriterisquitediverse.Yet“poet” non-fiction, andcriticism.Youroeuvre that frontforwritersintheregion. have totrymake muchmorehappenon your work.ButIdefinitelyagreethatwe a greatwaytobegingetreadershipfor out. Andthereisonlinepublishingwhich presses, thantherewerewhenIstarted both bymainstreamandsmaller Caribbean writersbeingpublishedtoday, get, sotillyugetweywant”. always movingforward:“Lorna,tekweyyu stages ofmylifewhencareerwasnot what MissLouusedtosaymeatvarious experienced. To aspiringpoetsI’lljustquote that theythemselveshavenotactually into otherpeople’slivesandsituations have tobeableimaginethemselves capability thatJohnKeats spoke of, they imagination, theyhavetothenegative Real poetshavetoasympathetic especially intimesandplacescrisis. voice issomethingthatpoetsmustdo, Writing onbehalfofpeoplewhohaveno help speakforpeoplewhohavenovoice. to expresspeople’sinnermostthoughts, feeling humanbeingswewillneedpoets world. So,foraslongwearethinking, One oftheissuesthatinvariablycomeup It tookmealongtimetorefermyself You havebynowpublishedfiction, About publishing, therearemore going to happenandthis willcreatemore to turnacorner, that goodthingsare but Isomehow believethatwearegoing There ismuchevidence tothecontrary, about theCaribbean,Icannot explainwhy. write aboutus.Iamstrangely optimistic should docarefulresearchbefore they writers whodonotreallyknow thearea at leastbefairtotheirsubject, andthat that maybewritershaveresponsibility to grow up.Thathurtmetomiheart!I’dsay worst placeintheworldforachildto the region,Caribbeanmustbe that, judgingbythebookshe’dreadfrom had astudentintheUnitedStatessay of thosethings.Moneyandfame?Ionce would motivatesomeonetowritesome and weirdthatyouhavetowonderwhat life intheCaribbeanthataresosensational depictionsof some dispiritingone-sided I havebeenknowntogetreallyupsetat them havebigegos.Buthavingsaidthat, opinions highly. Thatistosay, someof are iconoclasts,andtheyvaluetheirown what andnottodo.Mostwriters God ame. the flow. back into pull me until thetidesofmercy but stillbreathethough On landIbreatheuneasy God ame. My nameitselfaprayer: God ame. Slightly amphibian God ame. Fish liveonland God ame. Fish outofwater where fishflourishandgrow. outside ofthewaterculture who canliveso, They sayIamtheonlyone but stillbreathing. Now hereIambeached rivers ofthisgreenisland. of thebigrivers,onehundred so withthelivecurrents I wasswimminginsync sweep meupontothebank. Tide washmeoutoftheriver I amnotsurethatwecantellwriters By LornaGoodison God AMe writing poems thatare inspiredbyhistorical as wesay, “do Also, myendeavour best”. them bywriting aboutthem,Iamgoingto, up sothatIcan behere.IfIcanhonour suffered andstruggledrefused togive undying gratitudetoallmyancestors who redemptive history. Ifeeldeep loveand our heartbreakinglytragicyet strangely writing, Iwillbedrawinginspiration from I suspectthatforaslong keep History andmemoryarefellowtravellers. muse ofmemoryisthepoetry. is engagedatsomelevelwithhistory. The that arenotfoundinbooks.Allmywork Jamaican lifewhohaveversionsofhistory up interviewingpeoplefromallwalksof required metodo‘field’work,soI’veended Ihavedonejobswhich from below”. and todowhatsomescholarscall“history at UWIbutIdecidedtostudyartinstead, in 1976.I’dthoughtaboutreadinghistory was publishedintheCarifestaanthology is oneofmyveryearlypoems.Ibelieveit and whatwouldyousayisyourmuse? and again.Whythefascinationwithhistory become atropethatyouwillreturntoagain in yourworktothefactthathistorywill Family”, whichseemstobetheintroduction poem entitled“ABriefHistoryofaJamaican very firstcollectionofpoemsthereisa Carcanet intheUnitedKingdom.Inyour collected poemsrecentlypublishedby respected. something thatishardwon.Itshouldbe that cridecoeur, orcryfromtheheart,is are writtenfromplacesofterriblepain,and been broken insomeway, manypoems people cometopoetryasaresultofhaving Something elsetoconsideristhatmany way.be maskinginyourownone-of-a-kind when youareassumingamask,will will havelivedyourlifebutyou,soeven make yourvoicedistinctive.Nobodyelse circumstances ofyourlifearewhatwill cultivating yourownvoice,andtheunique personally thinkthatitisbesttospendtime to copyoverotherpeople’swords.I or somebodywhousestracingpaper you willendupbeingisagoodimitator you havetofindyourownvoiceorall writers theyadmire.Butasyoudevelop, you havetoofferonthisissue? creative works?Whatwordsofwisdomdo When doesinfluencebecomeplagiarismin author’s imageryandstyletechniques. by awriter,andjustmakingoffwithan draw thelinebetweenbeinginfluenced a readerofCaribbeanliteratureishowto of thequestionsthatIamfacedwithas Bolt?! crushonUsain because Ihaveanold-girl using somanysportsanalogies?Maybe could happenwithourwriters.WhyamI the wholeworldiscomingtohim!This should coachourathletesathome.Now a visionarylike Glen Millsdecidedthatwe and tothrive.Lookatwhathappenedwhen opportunities forwriterstoremainathome “A BriefHistoryofaJamaicanFamily” Now turningtoyourquitesubstantial Many writersbeginbyimitatingother As ourwritingtraditionmatures,one #InConVerSation a fairamountof knowledgeaboutalmost you havetobe interested in,andtohave order towriteandteachcreative writing another now. Ihavecometobelievethatin cantos, andImightbereadyto tackle Since thenIhaverewrittenthree other Brunetto Latini,andsettingitinJamaica. weeks! Iendeduprewriting multiple translationsof written andIspenttimein‘hell’reading every EnglishtranslationoftheInfernoever publication ofDante’sInferno,Ted gotme to commemoratetheanniversaryof Center totake partinaspecialcelebration example, Iwasasked bytheSouthBank is alsomygreatencourager, sowhenfor brilliant literarycriticandsocialactivist.He got marriedtoTed Chamberlin,whoisa read moreaboutthesubject.In2000,I talks orlecturesengaging, I’dgooffand time inAnnArbor, andifIfoundthose of greatlecturesandreadingsduringmy subject Ifindinteresting. Iwenttoalot never readbeforeorsomebookabouta every day, somepoetryorfictionI’d habit ofreading, foratleasttwohours the UniversityofMichigan,Igotinto behind thisfascination? stars, themoonandwithlight.Whatis fascination withtheconstellation, reading yourcollectedpoemsis Mountains. Butonehugerevelationin fruits andflowersofcoursetheBlue out inyourpoetry,particularlyJamaican internal life. a regularbasis,andbyheartImeanour is veryimportanttosearchone’shearton or fluttering. Ihavecometobelievethatit supposed tobegoodforheartpalpitations plant, atypeofbushusedtomake tea.Itis along thewayarewhatkeep usgoing. that isimportant.Theglimpsesofitweget the journeytoreachthatHearteasestate very faraway. Still,Iknownowthatitis days Ifeelclosetoit,someitseems of Peace, HopeandPossibility, andsome though, Hearteaseisinternal,itasite one HearteasedistrictinJamaica.Forme light. Ibelievethereisactuallymorethan as thismythicalplaceofgoodnessand that yearslaterIbegantowriteaboutit of thisplacewithsuchablessedname, Manchester. Iwassomovedby thesight big bookmobileasweweredrivingthrough for “Heartease”throughthewindowof and Westmoreland andIsawthesignpost sent toworkinManchester, StElizabeth real jobafterIleftschool—whenwas the JamaicaLibraryService—myfirst indelibly linkedtoyourwork. your guineawomangreatgrandmother,are that name?Tome,thosetwothings,along you realflowers?Howdidcomeupwith about search-mi-heartflowers?Arethosefor in Jamaica?Similarly,whatcanyoutellme is Heartease?IsHearteaseanactualplace always wantedtoaskyouis,wherefor about ourhistory. events isanotherwaytoteachothers You know, whenIstartedtoteachat The actualJamaicanlandscapestands As forthesearch-mi-heart,itisareal I wasatraineebookmobilelibrarianat You know,Lorna,onequestionthatIhave Turn toLORNAon Page4 Dante’s Infernofor

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Bookends 3 March 4, 2018 4, March THE SUNDAY OBSERVER SUNDAY THE twitter.com/jamaicaobserver www.jamaicaobserver.com twitter.com/jamaicaobserver twitter.com/jamaicaobserver www.jamaicaobserver.com THE SUNDAY OBSERVER March 4, 2018 Bookends 4 of mylife, hascomeas agreatsurprise tome,because living inseveral differentplacesduringthesecond half doing agreatdeal ofmovingupanddown,working and work, especially thelaterwork.Thefactthat Ihavebeen transience, restlessness,and constant movementinmy particularly inthelaterpoems ofthecollectedworks? the restlessnessandconstant movementandtravel, and howdoyouasthepoetof thesepoemsunderstand from Jamaica.Howisexiledifferentmakinglife is notinexilefromJamaica,simply“makinglife”away of exilebythenarratorthesepoems,whoinsistsshe and theAmericas.Yet,thereisaresistancetonotion in thetriangulartraderoutetravellingamongAfrica,Europe as thenaturaloutcomeofpartakingperhapsunconsciously restlessness andmovement.Ontheonehand,Ireadthese made formetoHurricaneGilbert. in thepagesof that shemadeformysisterBarbara.Itcouldhavebeen skirt thatmusthavehadatleastfiveyardsofclothinit remember oneoff-whitedamasklinendresswithacircular My motherusedtosewthemostgorgeousdresses.I the eldestsoshemayhavetaughtheryoungersisters. who hadahighlydevelopedaestheticsense.Shewas seamstress, because shewasactuallyaworld-class an Englishwomanandmaybeshelearnedsewingthere, but myauntCleodinehadgonetoaspecialschoolrunby I writepoems.I’mnotsurewheretheylearnedtosew, things like that.Ithinktrytodo somethinglike thatwhen inside wasfinishedasneatlytheoutside,allkindsof to justcuttingitstraight,andtheymadesurethatthe to howitwouldfallifyoucutonthebiasasopposed everything fromhowthefabriclooked indifferentlights, (only AuntRoseneversewed)theypaidcloseattentionto Albertha —alsocalledJoandAnnseweddresses write apoem.WhenmymotherandhersistersCleodine, the ideathatyouareactuallymakingsomethingwhen Ilike my favouritedefinitionsofapoetisthat“maker”. at anothertime,shewouldhavebecomeawriter. sister tobecomeajournalist,andIbelieveifshehadlived references. Sheisthepersonwhoencouragedmyeldest and herspeechwasrichwithallsortsofhighlow familiar withthelanguageofBookCommonPrayer the Harveys,werebig-timeAnglicans,soshewasvery and allsortsofstoriesfrommymotherDorice.Herfamily, about music.Anyway, Ilearnedmanysweetlittle poems his loveofmusic;everybodyinmyfamilyispassionate a killersenseofhumourwhichweallinheritedalongwith important peopleinJamaicansocietyconfided,andhehad a greatworkethic,hewastrustedfriendinwhommany Vaughan, KingsleyandKarl, Keith, LornaandNigel.Hehad and lovingofallhischildren,Barbara,Howard,Carmen, word formyfatherhere,hewasoneclassyguy, caring got marriedtomyfatherMarcus—Iwantputina was highlyintelligent.Shehadbeenateacherbeforeshe with her, butshewasamazinglykind-heartedand powerful andbeautiful.Very strong, youdidnotmess some ofthethingsthatshecreated? of hernotablecreationsthatyouremember?Dostillhave mother Dorice.Howdidshelearntosew?Whatweresome in yourlaterwritings.So,tellus,Lorna,alittleabout arises forcefullyasatropeinyourworks,particularlyso form oranotherinallofyourcollections,todate.Sewing moon andthestars. — referstoas“thegreatlights”,thatisthesunand King JamesBible—Iamabigfanofthe every subject,includingtheconstellationsandwhat LORNA from Page3 An InterviewWithPoet Laureate LornaGoodison Other peoplehavedrawnattention tothethemesof In thelaterpoems,thereisalotoftransience, I learnedmuchfromwatchingmymothersew. Oneof My motherwasagreatandgeneroussoul.She Your motherwasaseamstress,andshereturnsinone Vogue! Ilostallthebeautifuldressesshe King JamesBible think and writeagreat dealaboutpainting, about allthe myself to beapainter, butIgoto museumsalot, andI I becameapoet inNewYork. Today Inolongerconsider first bookTamarindSeason I wasstudying to beapainter. Manyofthepoemsinmy do thework. endeavours. Ihavealwayskept thattomyself. Ijusttryto too manydiscussionswithanybody aboutmycreative live bythosewords.Ihavenever beeninclinedtogetinto things. He’dalwaystellme,“Just goanddothework.”I Mr Lawrencenottospendtoomuchtimeover-thinking me manyimportantlessons.Forexample,Ilearnedfrom African-American painterJacobLawrence,whotaught with RobertBrachmanandItookaclassthegreat Students LeagueinNewYork, Istudiedportraitpainting Patrick, andGenePearson. AttheSchoolofArt Norma Harrackinthosedays—Vernal Rueben,Winston Kofi Kiyiga,FitzHarrack—whowascourtingthebrilliant of ArtwhereIwastaughtbypeoplelike ColinGarland, Valerie BloomfieldbeforegoingtotheJamaicaSchool taken privatelessonswithartistslike MoiraSmalland had done.I’ddoneartandhistoryfor“A” levelsand So Iguesswasjustdoingwhatsomeothersbeforeme what IbelievemightbetheoldestartschoolinUSA. Cooper, Vernal Ruebenandothershadalsostudiedat recommended thatIgothere.Jamaicanpainterslike Cecil sister BarbaraandherhusbandAncileGloudon,who and SeyaParboosingh, whoweregoodfriendswithmy School oftheArtStudentsLeague.IbelieveitwasKarl once? Doyoustillpainttoday? as painting?Ifyes,howdidyoujuggledoingbothartformsat did youproduce?Werewritingpoemsatthistimeaswell League like?Whodidyoustudywithandwhatkindofwork What wasyourtimeinNewYorkCityandattheArtStudents choose tostudyinNewYorkCityasopposedEngland? for theirtraining.Butyouthatwasdifferent.Whydid perhaps mostlikelywenttoEurope,specificallyEngland, to methatmostartistsgoingabroadstudywhenyoudid consciousness writingthesepoems.Butitsuddenlyoccurred understanding ofwhatNewYorkCitymeanstothe because hehaslivedwithmeinsomanydifferentplaces. in nohurrytogotravellinganywhere.Ithinkthismaybe who movedbacktoJamaicaafewyearsago,saysheis have foralltherestlessness,etc.MydearsonMiles, you, Godcan’t useyou”.ThatistheonlyexplanationI Institute inCambridgeMassachusetts,“IfGodcan’t move she cametovisitmewhenIspentayearattheBunting as mybelovedcousinJoanMoranoncesaidtomewhen I neverthoughtthatI’deverliveoutsideofJamaica.But Strangely enough,Iwrotealot ofmyearlypoetrywhen I wenttoNewYork becauseIwantedtogothe Continuing onthethemeoftravel,thereisadeepening So WhoWas TheMother hard rockstones.Shedidnotsignherwork. they purged.Shelearnedherartbybreaking bored intotheirbellies,shewarmedcastoroil; of herskinburnished.Whenthewoodworms Her spitcleanedfaceandlimbs,thepitchoil were herfirsttools,latershewieldedabluntblade. She carvedthemofheartwood,teethandnails to sealedlips;alwaysurgedthemsipwater. touched bitsofpoundedyamandplantains round herneck,beforesheatefedthem, She suspendedthosewoodbabiesfromarope images ofherchildrensoldawayfromher. She wasthefirstnamelesswomanwhocreated of JamaicanArt? By LornaGoodison camefromthat time.Inaway, #InConVerSation something allgoodpoetsaremustandboundtodo. It ismeetandrighttopraise;writingpraisepoems Royal Primer,whichweusedtoreadinprimaryschool. little boywholivedintheCongo,astorytaken fromThe and smartreadingoftheloinclothwornbyBombo came aboutbecauseIonceheardhergiveaveryfunny Pollard beingabossofdread talkwouldagree)toher, dedicated or‘livicated’(asRastafariwouldsay, andVelma by thebushelforallhehasdonepoetry. Mypoem that morethandeserves praise poems who warrantsapoemfromme.Itgoeswithoutsaying intended. SosincethenIhavebecomeverycarefulabout dedication, andtheyusuallyreadwaymorethanIactually there isakindofreaderand/orcriticwhoreadslotinto to, butwhomImaybejustliked. Idiscoveredafterthat,that casual acquaintances,peopleIwasnotparticularlyclose people whowerejustfriendsand,insomeinstances,almost of you feeltheneedtodothis? should “turnthanks”tootherpoetsinherwork.Whydid Derek Walcott.Itisindeedbreathtakingthatonepoet dedicated toyourcontemporarypoetsVelmaPollardand in yourcollectedworks,buttwothatreallystandoutare right, Idoneedtoengagemorewithartmadebywomen. Petrona Morrison,andI’ve credited Kara Walker, youare and yes,althoughIhavewrittenapoemformydearfriend and HilaryBecklesfortheinfluencetheirworkhashadme; Rupert Lewis,MaureenWarner-Lewis, Verene Shepherd Sherlock, LucilleMair, SwithinWilmot,Patrick Bryan, Slave Trade? Iamgratefultohistorianslike thegreatPhilip world becauseoftheabominationthatwasAtlantic Can youimaginehowmanygiftedpeoplewerelosttothe have beenunsigned.Iwonderaboutthingslike thatalot. out ofunspeakable circumstancesandwhoseworkwould have beenanenslavedAfricanwomanwhoseartwasborn she’d agreethatthefirstmotherofJamaicanartwould Edna Manleyquitewellduringthe1970s,andI’msure by Tekla Mekfet,andthepoemcameoutofthat.Iknew the childrentheyhadsoldawayfromthem,inanarticle women makingcarvingsofhumanfiguresrepresenting about whereartcomesfrom.Ireadenslaved was inspiredbysomeofthethinkingI’vebeendoing Jamaican art? poemquestioningthematrilinealprovenanceof powerful and ifyoucanunpackforusthereasonwrotethatquite I amwonderingwhatyourthoughtsareonthisobservation, and thepoem“SoWhoWas TheMotherOfJamaicanArt?” of aquitemovingpoemabouttheworkPetrona Morrison visual artistsyouwriteaboutaremale,withtheexception the about visualartistsandtheirwork,butoverwhelmingly, that isawholeotherinterview! monuments, andtheeffecttheycanhaveonasociety. But arts. Ihave,forexample,beenthinkingalotaboutpublic UNESCO/Fulbright Fellow. Morocco, andthe2009-2010 a 2008-2009Fulbright Fellow to Three Jamaican Artists.Shewas Who Paint/PaintersWrite: Women inNewYorkandWriters Is Me:LifeStoriesfromJamaican also theauthorofMyMotherWho professor atNewYork University, is Non-Fiction. Bishop,anassociate the 2016OCMBocasAward in recent book,whichwasawarded is JacquelineBishop’s most I learned a very important lesson after the publication I learnedaveryimportantlessonafterthepublication Finally, therearepraisesongsinmanyofthepoems WasMy poem“Who TheMotherofJamaicanArt” Another thingInoticedisthatyouwritemanypoems . In that book, I dedicated poems to Tamarind Season.Inthatbook,Idedicatedpoemsto The Gymnast&OtherPositions