‘Penpowering’ Young Jamaicans

The expression, ‘the pen is mightier than the sword’, aptly describes Danijah Taylor’s resolve to engage young Jamaicans in literacy and the written word, so as to chart a path for their upward mobility.

The St. Catherine native has coined the term ‘penpowerment’ (empowerment through the pen) and has, so far, touched the lives of dozens of students through his series of Afrocentric and Jamaican books, eight of which have been published with the National Library of Jamaica.

He uses his ‘Studio Dan’ production company to create this kind of authentic reading material as well as hosts live ‘edutainment’ events.

But, for the multi-awarded storyteller, his first stint with writing was a mere chance encounter.

Mr. Taylor tells JIS News that in 2016, he decided to enter a Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) photography contest, but was too late, as the deadline had passed.

“But the writing competition was still open and I remembered I always used to write stories, even in school, so I said I’m going to enter the writing competition,” he explains.

The odds were not in his favour, as “I didn’t have a laptop at the time and I had to use a burner phone. I submitted one document without any paragraphs and it had [some] errors”.

Still, his ‘Orlando Jack’ won a merit award; his first ever entry and his first ever win.

Recognising his talent and motivated by this win, the young Jamaican used this moment as a catalyst for greater things, and he has not stopped since.

Through ‘Penpowerment’, he has developed a creative writing workshop that tailors to different age groups of audiences. He also won a 2021 calendar competition staged by the Office of the

Prime Minister (OPM), which led to meeting Prime Minister, the Most Honorable Andrew Holness.

Additionally, Mr. Taylor is a recipient of a creative grant from the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, for which he is grateful.

Among his most recent endeavours is a ‘Read Write Now’ programme at the National Baptist Basic School in Trench Town. The programme targets students who are around five years old.

“When we get them at that age, we’re basically introducing them to reading and writing and making it all seem like fun and not necessarily a task,” he explains.

An all-rounder, Mr. Taylor created animated videos and built puppets to creatively engage his young audience and encourage their interest in the material.

So impactful is the work he continues to do, that numerous individuals and groups have collaborated with him on different projects.

Former Miss St. Thomas Festival Queen, Drulissa Grant, is one such collaborator.

She describes her experience with Mr. Taylor as ‘phenomenal’, noting that “the children love him so much… . He was very patient and entertaining”.

“I supported by reading the stories and assisted with the activity at the end of the story. It is a genuine pleasure to know that someone still cares about improving literacy and building cultural awareness,” Miss Grant says.

Mr. Taylor’s books currently cost $1,000 each, a price he intends to keep because “reading shouldn’t be expensive”.

“It shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg, so I strive to keep the production at a level in which it doesn’t get too expensive, and you can get the gist of the story just the same,” he says.

His company also collaborates with local illustrators to bring the stories to life and help to create a local, creative ecosystem.

His vision for Jamaica’s creative writing industry is to have more of the local content marketed to global audiences and to see an international platform provided for local authors.

His personal goal for his books is to include technology and augmented reality, “so you could use your phone and scan them and the images then come to life”.
Persons can connect with him on Instagram, @writinggod.