On Saturday, May 23, 2015, the Talking Trees Literary Fiesta
was held at Treasure Beach. It was a fantastic festival of creative energy and
poetic voices. The line-up of writers was outstanding. Once one names names,
one can get into a lot of trouble. However,
I must mention our cultural icons. Mervyn Morris, Poet Laureate, Eddie Baugh and Lorna
Goodison, in the same place on the same
day. Unbelievable! What good fortune!
Readings from Ray Chen's
The Shopkeepers (Gloria Lyn's
Memories from a Jamaican Village, as well as Easton Lee and Victor Chang, reminded us about old time Chinese Jamaica, which reminded me of my childhood. There were many other talented writers, both mature and young, both known and up and coming, to make the day a super one.
I am a
children’s writer writing a blog which relates to children’s literature. So
what did this festival bring to the field of children’s literature? Most
importantly, it featured a children’s writer, Gwyneth Harold Davidson, who is
also one of the organizers for the event. Gwyneth read from her book, Young Heroes of
the Caribbean, Common Destiny, (portions of which have been developed as radio drama in partnership with the Jamaica Information Service). The section she read imagined the life of the young Paul Bogle, one of our National
Heroes. The subject matter and treatment were excellent, and I appreciated it
even more so because I know that much
research had to be done to make it sound as authentic as it did. Gwyneth is one of
our fine young writers and has the ability to write for both the under twelve's
and the young adult audience. She makes the future look bright.
There were
two young boys, self taught drummers. A splendid performance! Children also
performed a short play in one of the intermissions. It is wonderful
to see this festival including children from the surrounding areas. What better
way to indicate the significance of literature to our young.
And though I
had decided that I would not go into great detail about writers by name, especially as many are known
to me personally, I will break that rule
and mention Lorna Goodison. She is one of my favourite writers and performers.
She read both poetry and prose, the prose being from From Harvey River, one of
my favourite books. If you haven’t read it, get hold of it and do so. What a
fascinating social history of a period of time in Jamaica! Also delightful
was that there were some St Hughs old girls (alumni) there, her old school, and
she shared events at school which had led to one poem in particular. A feeling
of family and camaraderie.
What has all of this to do with children’s literature, then? For me, with the great energy, the great joy from
Talking Trees, the 'I'm full up to the brim' feeling, I wrote a story in one afternoon.
The idea had been gelling for some time, ages, as you might imagine, but I
couldn't get it onto paper/computer. However, it just reeled itself out. It's for a picture
book. Now, a lot of it is still missing, as you would expect (a story is not
written in a day), but I know the characters, I can see them. I have the
beginning more or less, the ending more or less, the refrain more or less.
(More or less, meaning subject to change, but it's basically there). I don't have the middle yet. I have various
versions, but not too keen on them. And I know that I will have to wait until
my little protagonist, or one of the other characters, tells me what it is,
what really matters, and that could take some time, but still . . . The
creative energy of all the other writers at Talking Trees . . . Each
of us lights the way for the rest of us.
And though I have felt this before, I tend to forget -
submerging oneself in a creative atmosphere can lead to a burst of creativity.
I just have to harness that story and complete it. Now, the hard work begins, eh.
Photos: from top to bottom, left to right: Mervyn Morris, Eddie Baugh, Easton Lee, Gwyneth Harold Davidson, Lorna Goodison
