By Tanya Batson-Savage, Staff Reporter
Bell
THE DIRECTIONS were clear. We were looking for the fifth house after the Methodist church. Okay, maybe they did seem fraught with room for error. Nonetheless, despite our trepidation, The Gleaner decided to take poet, singer and teacher Connie Bell at her word, that her abode was easy to find.
She was right, the house was easy to find... four doors away from the Methodist church. Upon giving the instructions, Bell had attempted to assert that she did not live in the 'country'. However, with directions such as that, how could she live anywhere else? Because in this quaint little town in the foothills of the Blue Mountains, any other description of the address is not really possible.
Bell is probably most known for her efforts at keeping the 'poetry and live music vibe' going at Weekenz Bar and Bistro, Constant Spring Road, St. Andrew, every Tuesday night. The poetry and live music night is Bell's brainchild. However, that is not the only time she hits the stage as her poetry has brought her there many times.
ART AND NATURE LOVER
Her abode screams art and nature lover. We are seated in her living area, ensconced in pillows while the scent of eucalyptus incense is wafting through the air. The sound of the rushing river below, and the profusion of wild greenery belies the fact that Kingston is only just a short ride away.
Bell explains that she moved to the country to get away. "I can't deal with the flat (Kingston)," she says. "At the end of the day, after socialising with people, I have to get back to nature." She explains that when surrounded by nature she is grounded.
When asked what her goals are, her answer is simple. "I seriously want to become an established artiste," she says. Her career so far suggests that she may well be on her way.
She reluctantly admits that she began seriously writing poetry because of depression from an encounter with personal tragedy. Bell explains that she began writing at age 17, a year after her father's death.
"I desperately needed an outlet to express myself and the pen and paper were always available," she says. "Wherever I'd be I'd just grab a pen or grab a paper and just use it."
The result is that most of these poems will not be available for her memoirs, should she happen to write one later on in life. As is the wont of loose paper, most of these poems have disappeared.
Now any deep emotion is her muse. "If I feel too much of anything, I write it down. If I feel elation, if I feel my heart has been dragged out of my gut, I write it down," she says.
The weekly event at Weekenz grew out of a much smaller and less ambitious wish. "It was just supposed to be a one-month vibe, celebrating nature with people," she says. The full-moon events soon started changing shape, however. "After a while it wasn't just about having a grand time. I started to meet people who had a story to tell and longed to have somewhere to tell this story."
Bell also lends her bluesy vocals (often incorporated in her poetry) to the Roots Underground Movement as a back-up singer. The band's name is an apt description. Their music is largely an alternative twist to 'roots' reggae, and since not that many people know about them, they are essentially 'underground'. Bell explains that the band is currently working on an album, and trying to arrange a tour of Europe next year.
Asked why she joined Roots Underground, her response is quickly followed by the explanation that though the answer sounds shallow, she is not a shallow person. "I joined because my boyfriend asked me," she says, before adding that she has always wanted to sing.
Interestingly, Bell explains that her true introduction to the world of art came through The Little People. "I really started to put my efforts and fruits in the basket when I joined Little People," she says. "Artistically it has set the base for who I am today."
PASSIONATE
She gets passionate when she begins to discuss the current state of poetry in Jamaica. Bell points out that she could not depend on poetry for her bread and butter, and that her work simply results from a dedication to the cause. "I am yet to see the true financial fruits of my labour," she says. The Tuesday night events generally attract a $150 cover charge, though the cost goes up on nights which focus on music.
"To me poetry right now is like an old ancestor who has come back with stories to tell but she is yet to see her existence justified," she said.
