As screams of excitement echoed from the international cricket match at the nearby Kensington Oval on Sunday evening, poetry enthusiasts gathered for a relaxed evening of prose.
Lit Limez: The NIFCA Edition took place at Cricket Legends on Fontabelle, marking the official launch of Kaleidoscope and Other Writings, the first audio anthology featuring the 2022 NIFCA award winners.
The crème de la crème shared their pieces, showcasing distinctive styles and themes. The evening opened with the title piece Kaleidoscope. The highest-ranked entrant in the 2022 NIFCA Literary Arts competition was written by Kelsia Kellman and performed by Yvonne Weekes.
Akeem Chandler-Prescod shared Plantautopsy, while Daniel Boxill surprised the audience with How to Make Scrambled Eggs, creatively paralleling a simple recipe with the disintegration of a relationship.
Esteemed poets Winston Farrell and Kenneth Jack Lewis captivated listeners with their presentations. Farrell’s contributions were A Minute Silence, which he dedicated to the late activist Robert Bobby Clarke, followed by The Village. Lewis held the audience’s attention with his vivid imagery in My Calypso and Boys Eating.
Addressing the recent upsurge in violence, Teri Blades read an excerpt from her award-winning short story, Boys. Among the other poets who performed were Reah Alleyne with My Mother Plaits My Hair, Akeem Rowe with Complexion and Chamomile and Denise Charles with her contributions I Saw an Old Man and St John.
NCF Cultural Officer, Literary Arts, Karra Price.
The open mic segment welcomed eight brave poets, including Robert Gibson, Cher Antoinette Corbin, and Jeremiah Toussaint, who each shared original work. Though among the featured acts in the programme, Carlson Pascal-Spooner seized this opportunity to perform some of his other material. He dedicated It Too Soon Bout Here for Christmas, a piece that cleverly wove in elements of Barbadian folklore, to Senator Dr Shantal Munro-Knight, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office with responsibility for Culture, who was in attendance.
Encouraged by the supportive crowd, first-time performer Joelle Prescod debuted The Death of Inequality.
Cultural Officer for Literary Arts at the National Cultural Foundation (NCF), Karra Price praised the artists for pouring their hearts and souls into their performances, adding, “We are extremely proud of the finished product that showcases a wide range of themes and topics.”
Robert Gibson performed in the open mic segment.
She also extended thanks to key stakeholders, including graphic designer Clarence Clarke, DJ Simmons, who assisted with editing, and Andre Black Man Chants Clarke, who provided the musical accompaniment and sound effects that brought the production to life.
“We want to thank Yvonne Weekes. Her tireless work, unyielding support and crystal-clear vision were the key factors that made the audiobook a success,” Price said.
The entire anthology is available on the NCF’s social media pages. (STT)
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