Short Story Reading at Local Library

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7:25pm

Hello friends,

I have exciting news! In a few days time I’ll be reading my award-winning Anancy story at the Saint James Parish Library during a Literary exhibition organised by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC). You might recall last summer when I mentioned that I’d won a prize for a children’s story I entered in Jamaica’s annual creative writing competition. Well, that’s the story I’ll be reading. I’ll be sharing pics and a general recap of the event next week so please keep posted :).

A Writer’s Manifesto: Overcoming Fear with Commitments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7:30pm (Mon)

What do writers fear? For me, it’s the blank page. The longer I stare at its white expressionless face, the more intimidating it seems. I sometimes try to ease my anxiety by succumbing to the lure of distractions — Facebook, Korean YouTube videos, Amazon’s endless catalogue of YA books.  But these distractions create room for even more self-doubt.  What should I write about? Will it be as good as this book or that story?

Each day I tackle moments of indecision by beginning with one word. It’s amazing how one word opens up a world of infinite possibilities. I hope I’ll be even more brave this week by daring to revisit a manuscript that’s been fermenting in the recesses of my mind — the manuscript I’ve merely glanced at in the past few months.

Writing Woes

4:00 pm (Fri)

It’s been a long week — a week of writing woes, knots and bolts, a few headaches and small triumphs. But I won’t tell you the half of it. I’ll sum it up neatly and hope I do it justice. For the past week I’ve been working on meeting deadlines — those dreaded deadlines. I had one writing competition and an e-zine submission. Only one worked out. Perhaps it’s all for the better.

Stalking Writers and Other Conversations

5:30 pm (Fri)

I’m a stalker of writers, especially black female writers. One such writer is Chimamanda Adichie — a Nigerian with such power and depth I fell in love with her work.

The first time I met her was in 2009 during my first semester at the University of the West Indies. My lecturer, Professor Carolyn Cooper shared a TED talk by Chimamanda Adichie called “The Danger of a Single Story”.