By Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer
Channer: I made what could be called racist remarks... I took exception with Winkler's depiction of black Jamaicans, especially the black male. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
WESTERN BUREAU:
COLIN CHANNER, author of Satisfy My Soul and Waiting In Vain, chose a public occasion to apologise to fellow writers Wayne Brown and Anthony Winkler.
Wayne Brown is a poet while Winkler is the author of The Lunatic, Going Home To Teach and The Duppy, among other books.
The occasion of the slight was Carifesta 2000, where Channer spoke on 'The Problems of Writing in the Caribbean', presenting an address entitled 'I Am Not An Exile'; the apology came on Wednesday evening at the beginning of a public reading at the Undercroft, University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, St. Andrew.
DISRESPECT TO THE ELDERS
Speaking with The Gleaner after the reading, Mr. Channer said at Carifesta he had used Brown and Winkler as two examples of what is wrong with writing.
"The issue was with Wayne's teaching style, in a way that was disrespectful," Channer said. As for Winkler, "I made what could be called racist remarks... I took exception with Winkler's depiction of black Jamaicans, especially the black male.
"It was how I felt at the time. Although I felt that way, it would not have been good of me to create such divisiveness. It was disrespect to the elders," Channer said. "It is not good to show such disrespect (to Winkler and Brown) to writers coming up. Not that it is good to show blind allegiance either."
As to the choice of location for the apology, Channer said, "It is a good time. It is a good symbolic place."
"The disrespect was in a public forum and the reading is a public forum," Channer said.
In explaining the reasons for his apologies, Channer said his criticism of Wayne Brown's approach to teaching the craft of writing was unfair. "What made it unfair was that I had never been to one of his workshops. I had only heard consistently how they were," Channer said.
UNFAIR TO WINKLER
As for Winkler, Channer
said it is "not my place to take issue with another writer's point of view.
"It was an unfair attempt at centring the man," Colin Channer said.
The founder of the three-year-old Calabash International Literary Festival also made reference to the event, which takes place in Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth.
"As Calabash grows, it is important for every writer in Jamaica to be involved," Colin Channer said.
Wednesday evening's reading at the Undercroft was part of Channer's one-week stint as 'Writer in Residence' at the UWI, and included excerpts from Waiting In Vain, Satisfy My Soul and the short story 'Revolution' from an upcoming collection.
