30 poets to participate in islandwide school tour promoting literacy

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Approximately 30 poets will visit schools across Jamaica from November 2 to 13 as part of the ninth annual Jamaica Poets Nomadic College and School Tour, which will be officially launched on Monday at the Dennis Scott Studio Theatre at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts. The initiative, being held under the theme “Reaching Out with Resilience”, will use poetry and storytelling to engage students, promote creative expression and support literacy development. This year’s staging follows a series of poetry readings and literary workshops in the United Kingdom by the organisation’s founder, Malachi Smith, and fellow Jamaican author and poet Judith Falloon-Reid, who engaged British students during Black History Month in October. The two writers began their UK engagements with a joint reading at the Jamaica National main office in Brixton, where they also promoted their latest publications, The Silent Stone by Falloon-Reid and When Mali Went to School by Smith. Falloon-Reid subsequently visited Immanuel & St Andrew Primary School in Lambeth, where she engaged year six students in discussions about creative writing and storytelling. She also shared experiences from her journey as the first Jamaican woman to visit Antarctica, documented in her publications The Antarctica – Adventures with a Jamaican on Ice and Aaah – Inspiring Antarctica. During the visit, the school’s Acting Assistant Administrator, Rebecca Florence, highlighted Falloon-Reid’s achievement as an example of courage, which was the focus of the school’s Black History Month observance. Students were also shown a 10-minute film documenting the author’s literary journey. Meanwhile, Smith conducted a motivational poetry workshop at Sedgehill Academy in Lewisham, southeast London, where he encouraged students facing various challenges to pursue their goals. He also held three sessions involving six classes at Torridon Primary School, sharing Anancy stories, poetry and readings from his children’s book, When Mali Went to School. The publication, dedicated to his late mother, Mildred Wilson, draws on his childhood experiences in Westmoreland and explores the uncertainty children may experience when starting school. Back in Jamaica, Smith will lead the islandwide tour, which will feature several established and emerging poets. Among the participants are 2023 Commonwealth Short Story Prize global winner Kwame McPherson; Christena A V Williams, who performs as Antonia Valaire and received the 2013 Prime Minister’s National Youth Award; Poets in Unity co-founder Tomlin Ellis; Charlie Bobus; Amaziyah The Great; Garfield Goulbourne, also known as Sir G; Christine Neil-Wright; Darwitt; and Wise Wurdz. Monday’s launch, scheduled to begin at 6:00 pm, will feature author and law lecturer Dr Natalie Corthesy as guest speaker. Educator and storyteller Dr Amina Blackwood-Meeks will host the event, which will include performances by participating poets and students of Edith Dalton James High School. Organisers said this year’s focus on resilience builds on previous outreach efforts in schools affected by Hurricane Melissa, as well as the organisation’s involvement in a Ministry of Education online workshop for guidance counsellors addressing trauma among students and families. In addition to promoting poetry as a means of self-expression, the initiative seeks to strengthen students’ writing skills and support the teaching of Literatures in English. As part of the programme, the University of the West Indies, Mona, Department of Literatures in English will host a creative writing workshop on Thursday, November 12. The session, to be led by Professor Opal Palmer-Adisa, will take place from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm in Room 04 of the Humanities and Education Old Arts Block. The Jamaica Poets Nomadic College and School Tour has, over its nine stagings, sought to bring Jamaican poetry directly into classrooms while encouraging students to develop their literary abilities and engage with issues affecting their lives.