#Jamaican literature

[dreamermelanina]

Bone, Yrsa Daley-Ward

#literature #my edit #mine #typo #typography #spilled words #african writers #black writers #black poetry #* #lit #african literature #black literature #jamaican literature #african lit #faves #edit #yrsa daley ward #bone #yrsa daley-ward #f2 #t

[gennsoup]

A man will suffer misery to get to the bottom of truth, but he will not suffer boredom.

Marlon James, Black Leopard, Red Wolf

#Marlon James #Black Leopard Red Wolf #boredom #misery #truth #seek truth #Caribbean literature #Jamaican literature #fantasy literature #fantasy novel #fantasy #Dark Star Trilogy #quotes #quotes blog #literary quotes #literature quotes #literature #book quotes

[thebluesthour]

yet here in the cup of my word on the lip of my eyelid of light like a star in its syllable socket there is a cripple crack and hobble whorl of colour...

Kamau Brathwaite, from “Harbour”, Black + Blues

#lit #quotes #words #poetry #Kamau Brathwaite #Harbour #Black + Blues #jamaican literature #m #queued

[illustration-alcove]

Señor Salme’s illustration for Marlon James’s Moon Witch, Spider King.

#senor salme #marlon james #moon witch spider king #jamaican literature

[dradelcra]

Maybe if you read " Love Letter" by Louise Bennet Coverly then you'd calm down :/

#i love reading it #louise bennett coverly #big fan of miss lou #literature #jamaican literature #poetry #lil talks

[have-you-read-this-short-fiction]

#novella #novellas #harlem glory #harlem glory a fragment of aframerican life #claude mckay #black literature #jamaican american literature #jamaican literature #african american literature #american literature #20th century literature #english language literature #have you read this short fiction? #book polls #completed polls

[victorletras]

#redação #design #jamaican literature #Instagram

[waywordsstudio]

Expanded Review: "Skin Folk" by Nalo Hopkinson -

Not merely a collection of horror tales, Hopkinson expands the horror genre, never forgetting that stories are about character, only underscored by the supernatural. Offering breadth and depth, the only thing wanting in these tales is room to stretch for more still.

#bookworm #literature #book reviews #read read read #books #horror #nalo hopkinson #skin folk #riding the red #folk horror #caribbean literature #jamaican literature #Youtube

[shotbyshe]

Words of the Day

"Me likkle but me talawa" -- just want to put this here, 'cause I heard someone say it this week.

untoward:

Improper; unseemly.

Unfavorable or adverse.

Froward; perverse.

carceral:

Belonging to a prison.

Of or pertaining to prison.

A pergola is most commonly an outdoor garden feature forming a shaded walkway, passageway, or sitting area of vertical posts or pillars that usually support cross-beams and a sturdy open lattice, often upon which woody vines are trained.

~~~

Though similar, a pergola is different from a gazebo.

#me likkle but mi talawa #Words of the Day #words #dictionary #literature #patois #jamaican #jamaican patois #language #definition #untoward #carceral #pergola #american fiction #Me likkle but me talawa

[lilianeruyters]

Jonathan Escoffery || If I Survive You

Booker Prize Shortlist 2023 Mixed feelings about If I Survive You, mostly caused by the fact that it hinges between being a novel and a collection of short stories, which I am not a great fan of. Trelawny is the person who unites all the stories. To be honest: he is not exactly a likeable person. On the contrary, he is the type of main character you feel little sympathy for despite all the…

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#reading is fun #4th estate #American literature #Booker Prize #Booker Prize Shortlist 2023 #Great Novel #Great reading #Harper Collins #If I Survive You #Jamaican writer #Jonathan Escoffery #literature

[lasnevadaslaborunion]

It frightens and discourages me how pervasive "tribal" stereotypes and imagery are in the fantasy and adventure genres.

It's all over the place in classic literature. Crack open a Jules Verne novel and you're likely to find caricatures of brown people and cultures, even when the characters are sympathetic to the plight of the colonized peoples - incidentally, this is the biggest reason I can't recommend 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea to everyone, despite Captain Nemo being one of my favorite fictional characters of all time.

You can't escape it in modern cinema, either. You'll see white heroes venturing bravely into jungles and tombs to steal from natives who don't know how to use their resources "properly." You'll see them strung up in traps, riddled with sleeping darts, forced to flee and fight their way out. Hell, Pirates of the Caribbean, a remarkably inclusive franchise in many other ways, had an extended sequence of the white heroes escaping from a cannibal civilization in the second film.

And when fantasy RPGs want a humanoid enemy, the "bloodthirsty natives" are the first stock trope they jump to. World of Warcraft is one of the most egregious examples, with the trolls - blatant racist caricatures with faux-voodoo beliefs, cannibalistic diets, Jamaican accents, and a history of being killed in droves by (white) elves and humans - being raided and slaughtered in nearly every expansion.

It doesn't matter how vibrant and distinctive the real-world indigenous, Polynesian, Caribbean, and African cultures are. It doesn't matter how much potential these real civilizations offer for complex and sympathetic characterization. Anything that doesn't make sense to the white western mind is shoved under the same "savage" umbrella. They're different. They're strange. They're scary. They have to be escaped, subjugated, eliminated, ogled at from the safety of a museum.

Modern writers, directors, and developers don't even seem to realize how horrifying it is to present the indigenous inhabitants of a place as "obstacles" for non-native protagonists to overcome. "It's not racist," they say, "because these people aren't really people, you see." And if you dare to point out anything that hurts or offends you as a descendant of the bastardized culture, you're accused of being the real racist: "These aren't humans! They're monsters! Are you saying that these real societies are just like those disgusting monsters?"

No, they're not monsters. But you chose to design them as monsters, just as invaders have done for hundreds of years. Why would you do that? Why can you recognize any other caricature as evil and cruel, but not this?

This is how deep colonialism runs.

#tw racism #critical #this isn't even about any specific media anymore #it's a pattern #and it's a pattern that seems so obvious #but it's so omnipresent that even the most progressive folks can't seem to recognize how terrifying it is #these tropes were written in blood

[gennsoup]

Never take the story of any god or spirit or magical being to be all true. If the gods created everything, was truth not just another creation?

Marlon James, Black Leopard, Red Wolf

#Marlon James #Black Leopard Red Wolf #Dark Star Trilogy #truth #creation #stories #religion #paganism #Black History Month #Jamaican literature #fantasy novel #quotes #quotes blog #literary quotes #literature quotes #literature #book quotes

[denimbex1986]

'Writer and poet Benjamin Zephaniah has died aged 65, after being diagnosed with a brain tumour eight weeks ago.

A statement posted on his Instagram account confirmed he died in the early hours of Thursday.

The statement said Zephaniah's wife "was with him throughout and was by his side when he passed".

"We shared him with the world and we know many will be shocked and saddened by this news," it added.

Zephaniah was born and raised in Handsworth, Birmingham, the son of a Barbadian postman and a Jamaican nurse. He was dyslexic and left school aged 13, unable to read or write.

He moved to London aged 22 and published his first book, Pen Rhythm.

His early work used dub poetry, a Jamaican style of work that has evolved into the music genre of the same name, and he would also perform with the group The Benjamin Zephaniah Band.

As Zephaniah's profile grew, he became a familiar face on television and was credited with bringing Dub Poetry into British living rooms.

He also wrote five novels as well as poetry for children, and his first book for younger readers, Talking Turkeys, was a huge success upon its publication in 1994.

On top of his writing work, Zephaniah was an actor and appeared in the BBC drama series Peaky Blinders between 2013 and 2022.

He played Jeremiah "Jimmy" Jesus, appearing in 14 episodes across the six series.

Zephaniah famously rejected an OBE in 2003 due to the association of such an honour with the British Empire and its history of slavery.

"I've been fighting against empire all my life, fighting against slavery and colonialism all my life," he told The Big Narstie Show in 2020.

"I've been writing to connect with people, not to impress governments and monarchy. So I could I then accept an honour that puts the word Empire on to my name? That would be hypocritical.

He often spoke out about issues such as racial abuse and education.

When he was younger, Zephaniah served a prison sentence for burglary and received a criminal record.

In 1982, Zephaniah released an album called Rasta, which featured the Wailers' first recording since the death of Bob Marley.

It also included a tribute to the then-political prisoner Nelson Mandela, who would later become South African president.

In an interview in 2005, Zephaniah said growing up in a violent household led to him assuming that was the norm.

He recalled: "I once asked a friend of mine, 'What do you do when your dad beats your mum?' And he went: 'He doesn't.'

"I said, 'Ah, you come from one of those, like, feminist houses. So, what do you do when your mum beats your dad?'"

In 2012, he was chosen to guest edit an edition of BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Zephaniah was nominated for autobiography of the year at the National Book Awards for his work, The Life And Rhymes Of Benjamin Zephaniah, which was also shortlisted for the Costa Book Award in 2018.

During a Covid-19 lockdown, Zephaniah recited one of his poems in a video for the Hay Festival.

"Benjamin was a true pioneer and innovator. He gave the world so much," the statement announcing his death said.

"Through an amazing career including a huge body of poems, literature, music, television and radio, Benjamin leaves us with a joyful and fantastic legacy."

A statement from the Black Writers' guild, which Zephaniah helped establish, said: "Our family of writers is in mourning at the loss of a deeply valued friend and a titan of British literature. Benjamin was a man of integrity and an example of how to live your values."

Others paying tribute included author Michael Rosen, who said: "I'm devastated. I admired him, respected him, learnt from him, loved him. Love and condolences to the family and to all who loved him too."

Actress Adjoa Andoh posted: "We have lost a Titan today. Benjamin Zephaniah. Beautiful Poet, Professor, Advocate for love and humanity in all things. Heartbroken. Rest In Your Power - our brother."

Peaky Blinders actor Cillian Murphy said in a statement: "Benjamin was a truly gifted and beautiful human being.

"A generational poet, writer, musician and activist. A proud Brummie and a Peaky Blinder. I'm so saddened by this news."

Broadcaster Trevor Nelson said: "So sad to hear about the passing of Benjamin Zephaniah. Too young, too soon, he had a lot more to give. He was a unique talent."

Singer-songwriter and musician Billy Bragg added: "Very sorry to hear this news. Benjamin Zephaniah was our radical poet laureate. Rest in power, my friend."

Comedian, actor and writer Lenny Henry said: "I was saddened to learn of the passing of my friend Benjamin Zephaniah. His passion for poetry, his advocacy for education for all was tireless."

Writer Nels Abbey said: "To call this crushing news is a massive understatement. He was far too young, far too brilliant and still had so much to offer. A loss we'll never recover from."

The X/Twitter account for Premier League football club Aston Villa, whom Zephaniah supported said everyone at the club was "deeply saddened" by the news.

"Named as one of Britain's top 50 post-war writers in 2008, Benjamin was a lifelong Aston Villa fan and had served as an ambassador for the AVFCFoundation. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time."'

#Benjamin Zephaniah #The Benjamin Zephaniah Band #Peaky Blinders #Cillian Murphy #Adjoa Andoh #Michael Rosen #Black Writers Guild #Hay Festival #The Life And Rhymes Of Benjamin Zephaniah #Jeremiah “Jimmy” Jesus #Rasta #Pen Rhythm #Aston Villa #Nels Abbey #Lenny Henry #Billy Bragg #Trevor Nelson

[illustration-alcove]

Cover for James Berry’s A Thief in the Village and other stories, illustrated by aitch.

#james berry #a thief in the village #aitch #book covers #jamaican literature #british literature

[isablooo]

Hi, I'm Isablooo 🍓, I'm a Jamaican-British artist who loves Gothic literature, historical fashion, fantasy and mythology! I mostly draw my original characters and fanart of books I love, but I aspire to make webcomics!

Webcomic projects:

♥  I'm currently working on my debut comic, 'Dracula's Guest', which will be a short prequel to Dracula! It follows Jonathan Harker's adventures as he travels through Munich and is based on Stoker's working notes and the deleted second chapter. You can follow my side blog for this comic @draculasguestcomic

♥ My next project will be a webcomic adaptation of my favourite book, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley! To get a taste, please check out my #frankenstein tag or my #isabelledrawslit tag for my other book fanart!

My true pride and joy are my original story projects:

♥  My Gothic vampire story, Séverine's Perfumery is about a vampire perfumier as she goes about her daily life in the fashionable city of Verdeux.

♥  My longest and most ambitious project is my fantasy epic, Search for Quintessence, about a young hill-folk girl called Orolin who wishes to find out the secrets of the God's magic, known as 'the Quintessence.' It's been my passion project for years and I can't wait to make it into a fully fledged comic!

For more info about me, my original story projects and introductions to my OCs, please check out my carrd!

 Art tag    ♥    carrd    ♥   Instagram   ♥   DeviantArt  

#thought it was about time for a new intro <3 #artists on tumblr #isablooo #search for quintessence #long post #severine's perfumery #frankenstein

[have-you-read-this-short-fiction]

#novella #novellas #falling in love with hominids #nalo hopkinson #black literature #jamaican canadian literature #canadian literature #21st century literature #english language literature #have you read this short fiction? #book polls #completed polls