Morphological Confetti

The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L'Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution (1938), by Afro-Trinidadian writer C. L. R. James (4 January 1901–19 May 1989), is a history of the 1791-1804 Haitian Revolution . Sources:   Blackfacts.org and Wikipedia.

I am reading Geoffrey Philp's book, Marcus and the Amazons ; so far, it's a great story.   I hope to finish it this weekend.   I had to cut my pleasure reading short to run errands and prepare for my weekend.  I'll tell you all about the weekend when all is said and done.  Overall, I'm not proud of my days work.  It was a lackluster beginning, but I'm hopeful.  Enjoy your weekend.  Peace~

As some of you may know, June is Caribbean Heritage month. Now, when many of us (Americans) think of Caribbean heritage or culture, we think of the festive carnivals, Reggae music, the phrase “Yah Mon,” a “Booze Cruise,” and let’s not forget Jerk chicken. This is especially true when it comes to Jamaican culture. How many times have we heard someone do a terrible imitation of a Jamaican accent? This is ususally followed with a stereotypical persona sometimes accompanied with locks/dreads, a Bob Marley or tie-die t-shirt, and lots of Marijuana. I like to call these types, “Fakin’Jamaicans.” Good or bad, this is a testament of Jamaica’s influence on the world. People love Jamaicans! However, there is more to Jamaican and Caribbean culture than curried goat or tasty fruit drinks mixed with rum. Let us not forget the people of Jamaica who love, laugh, and cry just like everyone else. This leads me to the main subject of this post: Geoffrey Philp’s new collection of short stories, Who’s You...

I have just finished another book in my summer reading series. Unburnable , is the debut novel for Antiguan writer, Marie-Elena John. The story takes place between Washington, D.C. and Dominica. I was initially attracted to the book because of the DC connection. Instead, I took this wonderful journey to the Caribbean island of Dominica through the words and imagination of Marie-Elena John [ Note: not to be confused with The Dominican Republic, but Dominica ] . She may have single handedly increased tourism on the island through the writing of this novel. I mean, I want to go to Dominica! Unburnable focuses on the lives of three women who are connected by blood, heritage, and pain. Matilda is the grandmother, who is also known in her mountain top community of "Noah" as the Obeah woman or traditional healer. She is feared by many because of her powers as an Obeah woman and is seen as evil by many. Iris is the daughter of Matilda, who is stigmatized from birth because of ...

In celebration of Caribbean-American Heritage Month and in coordination with Akashic Books and Jamaicans.com , Geoffrey Philp’s Blog Spot will be hosting a book giveaway contest on the theme, “Caribbean-Americans and the 'American Dream." If you're like me, the thought of free books makes you very happy. Go!! Check it out for more details about how to win. Enjoy your weekend. Peace~

Yesterday, I attended a book signing for Jamaican author, Colin Channer. The event was held at the Charles E. Sumner School Museum And Archives located on 17th and M streets in NW Washington. Channer was promoting the recently published, Iron Balloons: Hit Fiction From Jamaica’s Calabash Writer’s Workshop (Note: The workshop is designed to mentor and guide young Caribbean writers who are interested in a career in writing). The event was sponsored by Vertigo Books and scheduled for 6:30pm. I arrived a little after 6pm and found only one person sitting in the auditorium. I suspected a “cp time”(colored people time) event, but it’s understandable because people were coming from work. I found a front row seat until the program started. I have never met or heard of Colin Channer prior to Monday, but I recognized him right away when he entered the auditorium. I was on my cell phone at the time, so I gave him a smile and nod. He acknowledged my greeting with a smile and went to the back to ...