The Malliouhana Poetry Committee will pay tribute to local authors Ms. Lottis Hodge, Mrs. Patricia Adams and Mr. David Carty at the 2019 Malliouhana Poetry Awards slated for Wednesday, 8th May at the Public Library. The three local artistes will receive the Malliouhana Culture Bearer Award for their contributions to the literary and cultural development of Anguilla.
The theme for the 2019 Competition is “A Climate of Courage” and according to the Committee, the three Awardees are excellent personifications of the theme.
Ms. Lottis Hodge seemed destined for a life of difficulty, having lost her mother at the age of two and suffered a stroke at age thirteen. Her book, “Ning Troubles” chronicles her life and since the 1980s she has been sharing her story, providing inspiration for others, including those suffering from domestic abuse.
Teacher, Author, Songwriter and Poet, Mrs. Patricia J. Adams has been blazing trails on the Anguillian literary landscape for decades, in her quest to document and share Anguilla’s cultural heritage. A regular performer at and contributor to a variety of national and cultural events, she has written three short anthologies, dozens of songs as well as a dictionary of Anguillian words and proverbs. Her latest book entitled “Yellow Dad” is written in Anguilla’s nation language and is a sequel to “Blue Beans” which was published in 2017.
Boat builder, story teller and author, Mr. David Carty is a believer in the importance of the written and spoken word as a means to deepen a sense of identity and purpose in the development of culture. Aware that a people’s past must be known in order to influence their future in a positive way, he has weaved the stories and personalities of yester year into books, speeches, talks and film to help all Anguillians better appreciate our humble but heroic story. An avid environmentalist, he is presently working on a book of short stories related to Anguilla’s seafaring past and a series of illustrated historical talks.
Hodge, Adams and Carty are the latest artistes to be honoured by the Malliouhana Poetry Committee since 2015. Other Awardees include the late Educator, Poet and Cultural Activist, Ms. Linda T. Lake, poet and revolutionary heroine, Mrs. Daisy “Wong” Richardson, Mrs. Verna Bryan, Mrs. Iona Hodge, Mrs. Olive Hodge, Ms. Carmencita Woods, Mr. Winston Harrigan, Mr. Felix Fleming, Mrs. Bernice Fahie-Richardson and Ms. Lena Gumbs.
The Malliouhana Poetry Competition is organised by the University of the West Indies Open Campus Anguilla in collaboration with the Anguilla Library Service, the Department of Youth and Culture and the Anguilla Community College.
The Awards Ceremony on 8th May is free and open to the public and the Committee is inviting everyone to join in the celebration of the local Culture Bearers and the 2019 Malliouhana Poetry Awardees.
– Press Release
