Dr. Timothy Hodge is the Winner of the inaugural Rev. Dr. Wycherley Gumbs Award for Creative Non-Fiction. Second place went to Mrs. Sharleen Gumbs, while Mr. Marcel Fahie captured third place. The Award Winners were announced at The UWI Open Campus Anguilla/Anguilla Country Conference 2023 annual Emancipation Lecture on July 27, 2023.
Creative Non-Fiction is a broad writing category that can include several genres, including essays, opinion pieces, memoirs, biographies and journalism. According to the Committee, the Judges who reviewed the anonymous entries were challenged, as the three finalists produced quite different genres of writing.
The winning piece “Between a Rock, in A Hard Place” by Dr. Timothy Hodge was an exceptional essay, with sustained metaphor, tight structure, sound argument and solid references. “De Good Ole Days Uh My Grandmudda” by Sharleen Gumbs presented the Anguillian dialect and its wide reach across several cultural and historical realities, incorporating them loosely around a specific person’s life. Marcel Fahie’s “What is There to Celebrate in Anguilla Nearly 200 Years after Emancipation from Slavery” pulled together different tools; song lyrics along with academic research, economic details and religious history. Each finalist was presented with a plaque, certificate and gift voucher.
The Award Competition was organised by the Malliouhana Poetry Committee as a tribute to the life and work of the late Rev. Dr. Wycherley Gumbs. In addition to his work in theology, his artistry in poetry and discipline in academic work, Rev. Dr. Gumbs was also an insightful socio-political analyst; whose prose was simultaneously poetic, political and pan African. Whether theological, academic or poetic, his work was largely directed to issues related to personal and national emancipation, self-hood, authenticity, culture and creativity.
The Malliouhana Poetry Committee is a collaborative initiative of The University of the West Indies Open Campus Anguilla, the Anguilla Library Service, the Department of Youth and Culture and the Anguilla Community College. Over the years the Committee has used the Malliouhana Poetry Competition and Awards to encourage literacy and artistic expression, as well as to promote an ethos of social, cultural, and political awareness, by celebrating and paying tribute to local Poets and Culture Bearers.
Given Rev. Dr. Gumbs’ role in the launching of the now annual Emancipation Lectures, the Malliouhana Poetry Organising Committee found it fitting to incorporate the Award into the programme for the Emancipation Lecture.
The Committee has extended its appreciation to Judges and all those who participated in and/or assisted with the execution of this inaugural award. Special thanks to the Anguilla Electricity Company (ANGLEC) National Commercial Bank of Anguilla (NCBA) and D-3 Enterprises for their sponsorship and the Ebenezer Methodist Chapel and The University of the West Indies Open Campus Anguilla/Anguilla Country Conference Committee for the facilitation of the award presentation during the 2023 Emancipation Lecture.
