Monday, 20th May 2013 (North Side, Anguilla)—Today, on this Whit Monday holiday, I have remembrances of the past year when on Friday, the 25th of May 2012, I participated in the first Anguilla Lit Fest. It was the inaugural celebration of our Caribbean island’s literary jollification. Many people attended from the local community, as well as from throughout the region and from abroad. On that day, nearly a year ago, I recall listening to Mr Randall Robinson of the USA/St Kitts who was one of the featured presenters who read an excerpt from his novel,Makeda. Now I am reminded of this story as we prepare for our second annual festival celebrating the literary works of writers from the Caribbean and North America.
This year’s literary jollification will be held from Thursday evening, 23rd May, to Saturday afternoon, 26th May 2013, at Paradise Cove Resort on the Cove Road, West End. A discounted registration fee of US$100.00 for a Lit Fest two-day pass is offered to local residents. All are invited to participate. If you have not already registered, and made payment in advance, you can register and pay on site the day of the event. Each of us has our own stories to tell, so I encourage everyone from young to old to attend the Anguilla Lit Fest 2013. You will be certain to gain tips from seasoned writers on how to write your story, be it fiction, non-fiction, poetry or prose.
There will also be an additional, separately organised, event to attendthatsame weekend, whichemphasisesthe spoken and written word.Itis a gathering of artistic writers and word creators for a scheduled performance entitledThe Underground “We refuse to be silenced”. The Underground will take place atDarvin’s Place on Back Street in South Hill on Sunday evening, 27th May. Doors open at 6:00 pm and the programme will begin at 7:01 pm sharp. A reasonable admission fee of US$5.00 will permitentrance to thisanticipated very lively event.
As a writer, I am excited to see the line up of authors for this year’s literary festival. I certainly hope that I will be inspired to continue writing my own stories, as well as the true stories of other persons in the community. Mr Robinson’sreading last year, at the first Anguilla Lit Fest, reminded me of a story that has been bouncing around in my collective memory for quite some time. The novel he wroteis about a blindAmerican woman, living in the 1950s, who remembers her reincarnated life as a young girl in Africa and narrates the story to her grandson.It highlights the subject of reincarnation which I have read about in other fictional stories. After hearing Randall Robinson speak, I purchased a copy of his book, read it immediately without stoppingand felt encouraged to begin writing my own novel.
Of course, I had the best of intentions to write this story and started composing the words to tell it shortly after attending last year’s Lit Fest. However, I have not gotten very far with putting the words into “black and white”. I initiallybegan writinga storyabout something that I had envisioned many years ago on Anguilla.The story is basedon visions that I had whilst I stood on the sea rocks overlooking the site where the Viceroy Anguilla Resort is built. Without having any prior knowledge of the customs of the Arawaks who resided on Anguilla in the early days, my soul recognised this site as a sacred ceremonial place used by the Amerindians. Thus, I had the strangest daydream that one could ever imagine standing with a view looking out to seaon top ofa cliff above a blowhole.
I am not certain whether the vision I had was of a real event that occurred centuries ago. Perchance, I was rememberingsomething that had actually happened during the period of time when the Arawak people inhabited Anguilla, or maybe it was merely my own vivid imagination thinking of things that could have been. Whatever the case may be, I recalledthe memory of a young Arawak girl, approximately 14 years of age, who tragically ended her life by committing suicide in the very same spot where she lost her first baby, a girl childwho had been placed in the blowhole during a ritual ceremony performed by elders of the tribe. In the vision, I clearly captured the events that happened in a mere flash of seconds. Yet the story has stayed with me for more than 15 years. Perhaps, it was the sadness I felt for this youth’s life being curtailed at a young age or the loss of an infant child. May be it was the love story of young lovers that stuck in my mind’s memories.
Imagine yourself standing on the sea rocks near Meads Bay and envisioning a teenage girl with handmade ropes tied around her wrists and ankles, which were then anchored or weighed down with several fist sized rocks.She then jumped off into the water and drowned. You too would probably wonder, like I did, “Where did this vision come from?” Then suddenly you see a scene of several Arawak adults standing around the edge of the blow hole and an elder member of the tribe who placed an infant into the water. Next, you see the child washed out to sea by the action of the waves and current. The baby disappears never to be seen again. Some how you know that if the girl child had returned, or was washed back into the blowhole, the young woman would have been able to keep her baby. In a split second, you know the entire story was a strong love bond between two souls – a young Arawak female and a youthful Arawak male. They were deeply in love with each other yet, for some unknown reason, their families would not allow them to be together. The young lovers consummated their love through the conception of a baby, but lost their one and only beloved child.
Now these are the visions that I had many years ago, standing on the sea rocks of Anguilla’s western coastline. I have been unable to release these memories or erase them from my mind. Even after all these years, I still clearly recall the story of this vision. It is a story very few people have heard me tell because most people whom I know do not believe in reincarnation.As a youth growing up in the Methodist Church – even if a person believed in past lives, we never discussed such matters,neither in our familiesnor in the general society populace.There are, however, as I have learned from my studies of other cultures or religions, many persons who believe souls are reincarnated for several life times.It is believed that the soul is housed in different physical bodies in order to work out karma from the past experiences. However, for those of us raised in Christian households, we were taught to believe that each soul has only one life to be lived. Reincarnation is normally not a subject that I think most people in our island culturewould probably discuss openly.
Nevertheless,last year, after hearing Mr Robinson read from his book about the African girl, Makeda, I had the courage to speak publicly about my own story to this elder gentleman whom I admire greatly and respect deeply. I told him of the vision I had had years ago. I even spoke with him whilst talking in front of a few other individuals. Some of the people were persons whom I knowpersonally and so I felt comfortable speaking with them. Other individuals who were present, and listening, I had just become acquainted with at the Lit Fest. Yet I did not hesitate to speak in their ear range. Mr Robinson’s words greatly inspired me,so much so,that I told myself, perhaps, I would one day write about this vision since it continues to haunt the memory of my mind.
Sometimes the images in our minds can be real and are part of our intuitive knowledge (or gut feelings). At other times, they are merely dreams that we imagine in our heads. However, who are we to say what is real and what is not to be believed in the grand scheme of things of this universe and of the world in which we exist. I have heard that the Aboriginal people of Australia say that dreamtime is more real than awake-time. I might be apt to believe this saying because of the vivid dreams I often have when I fall asleep. Sometimes I awake from these dreams feeling as though my soul left its body and travelledthrough the night whilst I slept. Strange as this seems, it could be a reality or it maybe it isjust my inquisitive, active mind thinking outlandish thoughts. I dare say that these visions and dreams of mine would certainly make for some good stories to write about. Conceivably, you too have an active imagination. If you do, Iencourage you to give serious consideration to writing your own storiesregarding what you think, feel, see, hear, observe and witness.
Many of us are writers and we just don’t know it yet.We have not uncovered our hidden writing talents to share with others or are not encouraged to write. It could be that we’re a bit shy and afraid our writing is poor. The Anguilla Lit Fest is an excellent avenue to encourage you to write. It is an event where you will meet people who are both published and unpublished writers. Mingling with such persons will encourage individuals to hone the craft of writing. So I urgeeach of you who reads this article to come to this year’s Anguilla Lit Fest and to tell as many people as you possibly can about it.
Our literary jollification brings a wealth of writers from many countries, some of whom we might not encounter otherwise in our personal lives. I know that I’m really looking forward to meeting or getting to know, better, not only our very own local writers, but also reconnecting with writers I met at last year’s Lit Fest. This year we look forward to hearing the legendary poet Nikki Giovanni (USA)speak and we will join her in celebrating her 70th birthday on Anguilla.There will also be another of my favourite Caribbean writers attending, the best selling novelist Edwidge Danticat (Haiti/USA). Both of these authors‘books – like Ms Giovanni’s poetry,Those Who Ride the Night Winds as well as Ms Danicat’s first novel Breath, Eyes, Memory and her collection of ten short stories,Krik? Krak! – are in my private library. I have certainly enjoyed reading their stories and poems, and look forward to being at the Lit Fest to hear what they have to say about the art of writing.
A number of our Caribbean/American writers are acknowledged internationally and others are not so famous. If you are an avid reader, such as myself, I suggest you look for books by Caribbean writers at the local bookstores, libraries, online via the Internet and in shops wherever you travel. This has been the way that I have expanded my book collection.One of the books that I highly recommend reading and adding to your collection of books is The Oxford Book of Caribbean Short Stories edited by Stewart Brown and John Wickham. This anthology gives a fairly comprehensive overview of the Caribbean region’s writers from the late 1800s to the present day.
Besides the world renowned authors on best seller lists, we also have a wealth of our own home grown writerswho reside locally on island and whom we need to read too.Our own Anguillian wordsmiths are some of the best kept secrets that we ought to learn about and bring to the forefront of public recognition. Perhaps, in the future, we can compilea list of all of the poets, novelists and creative writers on Anguilla and neighbouring Saint Martin/Sint Maarten and distribute this document to the public. Next year, maybe we can invite more of our local writers to participate and allow them to sell their self-published or small press published books at the literary festival along with the books sold by theevent’s official bookseller, Coral Reef Bookstore. Maybe the Anguilla Lit Fest Planning Committee might even consider giving local writers (who might not have the finances to afford paying the full registration fee) a complimentary one or two day pass to attend the literary jollification in 2014.
Several individualswith whom I have spoken have already registered to attend this year’s excitingAnguilla Lit Fest 2013 programme. In spite of the downturn in the globaleconomy, we always seem to manage to find the resources to not only put on a distinguished showcase of our island’s literary artists, but alsoto introduce us to distinguished writers from other countries. A fellow writer evensuggested that next year’s Anguilla Lit Fest 2014be centred around or closer to the date for Anguilla Day. In that way, visitors could get a taste of our literary talents, as well asourlocal culture and national sport of boat racing.The mix of literature, culture and sports might well entice first-time tourists to return to visit the island for a longer stay or to come back on an annual basis.Combining the Lit Fest with this significant national holiday mighteven benefitthe Anguilla Tourist Board’s goal ofTourism is Keyand could be an enhancement toour island’s tourism marketing.
We hope you will join us and contribute to writing our stories for the island’s community and telling our stories to future generations of readers. Formore informationregarding the Anguilla Lit Fest, please visit the websites www.IVisitAnguilla.com andwww.lit-fest.com. You may also contact the Anguilla Tourist Board on 264 497 2759 or in the USA, call 786 235 1310.
Kay M. Ferguson started her career as a young writer at the age of four or five years old when sheattended Dr Tripplett’s (Church of England) Primary School in Hayes Middlesex, England. She was in grade 1 when shewrote her first story, which was a Nativity story.Her teacher, Mrs Florence E. Alp asked the students to compose a story from the first sentence that she had written on the blackboard. Kay composed her story in a language that she created from the letters of the English alphabet. That just shows a child’s imagination and how we are born to be creative from a very young age. Strangely enough, today, Kay cannot translate those words she first wrote. She has forgotten what they meant in her young mind. Kay’s talents for the written word, and passion for the art of writing, have given her many opportunities to share her gifts as acreative professional writer. If you wish to contact her, please email anguillawriter@gmail.com.
