Black Ink

New York-based novelist Colin Channer is heating up the literary scene again with his annual Calabash International Literary Festival, which will take place in Jamaica from May 26-28.  Actor Delroy Lindo is expected to be one of highlights of the fest, in addition to Marlon James, Sonia Sanchez, Diana Evans, M.G. Vassanji, and dancehall singer Tanya Stephens:

Among the new features of the three-day event, which will be held from May 26 to May 28 in Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth, is an onstage conversation with British author, Geoff Dyer, while on opening night, actor Delroy Lindo, will read from Calabash's anthology 'Iron Balloons: Hit Fiction From Jamaica's Calabash Writer's Workshop.'
"There is nothing like hearing an actor read a story because all the nuances of voice and subtleties of body language come into play. He is one of the most respected actors in Hollywood, on the Broadway stage and London's West End, so it is going to be one of those small changes that make a big difference," Mr. Channer said.

Read more about the festival here.

So I’m not unemployed just yet, but I’m still quite busy working on my book, which explains why this entry wasn’t posted sooner. In addition, this past weekend my good friend Cimminnee and I decided to attend the “Black and White” seminar that took place at Blue Met. You may remember that in a previous entry I suggested a modification of the title and theme “Black and White: Black writers in a white world, black writers in a black world…” I haven’t changed my opinion about this.

The panel consisted of Kenyan publisher Binyavanga Wainaina, American professor and poet Ed Pavlic, Quebec author Nalini Warriar, and St. Lucian poet and playwright Derek Walcott (the only Nobel Prize-winning author at the festival this year). The animator of the event was Canadian literary critic Donna Bailey Nurse.

There was talk of early literary influences, and whether or not one can still appreciate the literature of Ernest Hemingway, Joseph Conrad and the like, despite the fact that their work contains traces of bigotry. One of the more popular questions posed to the writers was whether or not there is still a need for a Black genre in literature? This provoked a serious debate. Mr. Walcott was certainly adamant and controversial in his opinion about a place for Black literature. He believed that with the exception of African-Americans and Native Americans, the idea of having a genre based on race or gender is dangerous and narrows a writer in the literary field. He even deemed this a “silly question.”

There were others on the panel that partly agreed, but there were many more members of the audience who disagreed with Walcott’s position on this question. My friend Cimminnee aptly pointed out that if this is a “silly question” then Walcott is “silly” for sitting on such a panel. After all, wasn’t the Black genre the focus of the “Black and White” event?

This is an ongoing debate that I don’t think will end anytime soon. It’s very much like when a black writer is asked if he/she sees himself or herself as a black writer, or male/female writer, or a black male/female writer.

I too have to agree that narrowing oneself is a dangerous act, but in Canada there hasn’t always been equal opportunity for the voices of Black Canadian artists. Like the aboriginals and the older generations of Asian immigrants in British Columbia, Black Canadians haven’t been fairly represented in the Canadian history books. People still don’t know that slavery existed in this country. I don’t see an overwhelming emphasis on Black Canadian writing within academic institutions in Canada. When I took a Canadian lit class while earning my bachelors degree we dissected Canadian literature from the likes of Susanna Moodie, Hugh MacLennan, Ralph Connor and Lucy Maud Montgomery. The professor of this course didn’t add one Black Canadian author to the list. Those lectures left me wondering, “Where are the George Elliot Clarkes, the Austin Clarkes and the Dany Laferrieres?”

So is there still room for a Black genre? Of course there is, but it should not be the be all and end all of literature for Black writers.

See the Black Ink Album menu to the right for my amateur photos I took at the festival.

I’m a Jesus freak.  Yes, it’s true.
In the wake of Christian Conservatism in America, there are finally people standing up and showing more compassion in “Jesus’ name.”  Following in the footsteps of religious writers like Anne Lamott, Donald Miller is fast becoming an example of the new breed and less-repugnant face of Christianity in America.  Though I don’t agree with every philosophical detail of these new voices of the contemporary church, I do think that writers like Miller finally bring some equilibrium to the Christian movement in America:

Christian. For some, the word can conjure images of happy, balanced people. People with unshakable faith and an answer for everything.

For others, it can be synonymous with conservatism.

Donald Miller doesn’t quite fit in either category.

He’s hated his life, doubted his faith and admitted to losing his Bible under a pile of dirty clothes.

He voted for John Kerry in the last presidential election and has said his most spiritual experiences have come from spending time with non-Christians.

He writes his books in Portland’s haunts over strong coffee or local beer, thinks activist folk singer Ani DiFranco is sexy, was raised in a Baptist home but later doubted his faith and religion. He grew up without a father and now serves as a mentor to other fatherless boys. He doesn’t claim to know the answers but uses examples from his own life to explore what it means to be Christian.

(via The News Tribune)