Overview
In this compilation, more than 50 contemporary Jamaican poets reflect in outspoken, meditative, humorous, and outrageous ways upon the historical and existential moment of Jamaican independence. Ranging from the lyric and the pastoral to the declarative and the celebratory, these poems employ language registers across the full spectrum of Jamaican English and patois. Often surprising and sometimes alarming, this book affirms the contributors’ recognition of what it means to be Jamaican.Reviews
"Kwame Dawes is one of the most important writers of his generation who has built a mighty and lasting body of work." —Elizabeth Alexander, Emmy-winning Jamaican poet and writerAuthor Biography
Kwame Dawes is a poet, an editor, and the author of 17 books, including Bob Marley and Red. He is the founder and director of the University of South Carolina Poetry Initiative and the programmer for the Calabash International Literary Festival in Jamaica. He received an Emmy Award for his contribution to LiveHopeLove.com, a multimedia website on the human face of HIV/AIDS in Jamaica. He lives in Lincoln, Nebraska.