Mutabaruka will be one of next week's performers. BURGEONING TALENT will cede its place to already established voices at the next Poetry Society of Jamaica fellowship.
Next Tuesday when the fellowship gathers in the amphitheatre at the Edna Manley College for the Visual and Performing Arts the talents of Cherry Natural, Jean 'Binta' Breeze, Mutabaruka, Andrew Stone, Mbala and Richard 'Dingo' Dingwall will take control of the microphone.
The monthly fellowship, which takes place at the Edna Manley College generally features a guest poet preceded by an open mic segment. The open microphone segment allows regular attendees and newcomers to read their works and hopefully get some feedback from their fellow poets. However, next Tuesday the open microphone
segment will be suspended.
The change in programme is due to a taping session for the creation of a History of Jamaican Poetry multimedia CD which the fellowship is currently creating.
The Poetry Society received a $1 million grant from the Culture, Health Arts Sports and Education (CHASE) fund for the project.
President of the fellowship, Tommy Ricketts explained that the CD will capture a wide spectrum of poets ranging from the pre-Independence era to the contemporary. He explained that the completed work will feature an encyclopedia of poets, photos, live performances and essays on poetry.
Despite the multimedia nature of the work, and the use of live performances, Ricketts explained that care needs to be taken not to misconstrue the works of poets who are not performance artists. He noted that while most contemporary poets are also performers of their works, many older poets created their works solely for reading, not staging.
Along with their own footage, the CD will also feature readings by poets such as Claude McKay and Kamau Brathwaite taken from the Library of the Spoken Word at the University of the West Indies, Mona.
Ricketts explained that so far approximately 100 poets have been selected for inclusion. The selection process is steered by Professor Edward Baugh, Wayne Brown, Professor Mervyn Morris and Dr. Velma Pollard who make up a guidance and resource panel for the project.
"We have to make it expansive," Ricketts said, "because we are hoping to make this a major source of funding." Ricketts explained that the CD should retail somewhere between $1,000 and $1,500.00. The major target market he said, is foreign universities.
Ricketts noted that the project is still largely in the research stage though most of the biographical information on the varying poets has been collected. The project should feature information on persons such as Kamau Brathwaite, Dennis Scott, Tom Redcam, Nellie Woolson, Claude McKay and Lorna Goodison, as well as those who will be performing on Tuesday night.
Despite the hope that the CD will bring the fellowship further funding, 2,000 copies will be donated to local schools and libraries.
According to the fellowship's public relations officer, Sheena Johnson, the project should be ended in May and will act as its 15th anniversary present to itself.
