By Mel Cooke, Freelance WriterWESTERN BUREAU:
WITH ATIBA, Marsha Hall and Ishion wrapping up the monthly literature readings at Redbones The Blues Cafe in October, one 'last Wednesday' literary event remains on the calendar for 2003.
On the last Wednesday of this month, November 26, the third annual Redbones Literary Awards takes place at the Braemar Avenue, New Kingston, restaurant and cultural hub.
Redbones proprietor, Evon Williams, explained that the 12 poets who have read at the cafe's monthly Contemporary Literature series will be invited to present their material for 12 minutes each. They will be assessed on originality, context and performance and a Poet of the Year will be decided upon. In addition, a Poem of the Year will be chosen.
A panel of three judges, with playwright Trevor Rhone and poet Connie Bell already confirmed, will assess the presentations.
MUSIC FROM ATIBA
Special guest performer will be Atiba, storyteller and musician, who put on an enthralling performance at Redbones last week Wednesday. The guitar and piano pair of Gerd Beyerns and Jill Gibson will be providing music, as they do for the monthly readings.
Half the number of poets slated to congregate at Redbones on November 26 have already been confirmed. They are Marsha Hall, Afrikan, Kelvin Thomas, Duane Francis, Christine Neil-Wright and Anna Brown.
Up for grabs or 'writes' is a cash prize of $5,000 for the Poet of the Year, with the first and second runners-up earning dinner for two at Redbones and a bottle of wine respectively.
In addition, the Poem of the
Year title carries a $5,000 cash
prize as well.
In this the third year of the awards, Mr. Williams is upbeat about the progress which has been made. "It is growing. The first year we had a handful of people, the second year it was bigger, with 80 to 100 people," he said.
Naturally, he is expecting an even larger audience this year to an event which, as goes for the monthly Contemporary Literature series, there is no admission charge.
Explaining why he started the Contemporary Literature series five years ago, Mr. Williams said, "I thought we had become insular with our poetry and Jamaica is known for producing some of the best writers in the West Indies. I thought it should be exposed to the public in some informal way and it is entertainment."
"It is so refreshing to see how many places have come on board," Mr. Williams said, referring to the multitude of poetry readings which have sprung up over the Corporate Area. "It is an outlet," he said.
CULTURAL ICON
Expanding beyond the literature events, Mr. Williams said, "When people say that Redbones has become a cultural icon in the city, it is great. The things we do make it more than a bar or hangout spot."
These 'things we do' include celebrating Noel Coward's 100th birthday, dinner theatre presentations and marking Brazil's National Day, among other activities. "For me it has become a place not only to have dinner, but to expose regional cultures to Kingston," he said.
"Kingston is not all that bad."
Last year's Redbones Poet of the Year was Millicent 'Toni' Graham, with Andrew Miller and Connie Bell coming in second and third respectively. Ms. Graham also wrote the Poem of the Year, as adjudicated by William Lampart of the Edna Manley College for the Visual and Performing Arts, Amina Blackwood-Meeks and writer Michael Reckord.
The next season of Contemporary Literature at Redbones begins in January 2004 and runs to October, with the awards again taking place in November.
