Jamaica Looking to Select Youth Poet Laureate
By: , August 8, 2023
Photo: Dave Reid
Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange (fourth left) attends the ‘World Poetry Day: Jamaica 60’ celebration held on Tuesday (March 2, 2023) at the Little Theatre, 4 Tom Redcam Drive in Kingston. She is joined by (from left) Advisor, Communications and Information, United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Caribbean Office, Dr. Paul Hector; National Librarian, National Library of Jamaica (NLJ), Beverley Lashley; Organization of American States (OAS) Representative to Jamaica, Jeanelle Van Glaanen Weygel; Chairman, Board of Management, NLJ, Joy Douglas; and Executive Director of the Institute of Jamaica (IOJ), Leslie Harrow.The Full Story
Young creative writers will soon have the opportunity to become Youth Poet Laureate of Jamaica, according to Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange.
She said many talented writers have been doing good creative work, and the Poet Laureate of Jamaica programme, which is administered by the National Library of Jamaica (NLJ) in partnership with the Ministry enables and enhances the promotion of Jamaican poetry.
“It is a programme that we are expanding. We have a lot of writers; they are good at writing poetry and stories, and they have a lot of stories to tell,” Ms. Grange said while speaking on the virtual platform Let’s Connect with Ambassador Marks, on Thursday (August 3).
The duties of the Poet Laureate of Jamaica throughout the three-year tenure include presenting public poetry-related seminars/readings/promotions within the island, and possibly overseas, and enhancing reading and Jamaican literature, especially in poetry.
Other duties include undertaking commitments such as writing poetry for national events, participating in at least two national events in each calendar year, and creating a publication promoting Jamaican poetry.
A new Poet Laureate for Jamaica is scheduled to be selected in 2024. Since Independence in 1962, there have been three officially appointed poet laureates –Professor Mervyn Morris, Lorna Goodison and Olive Senior.
Meanwhile, Minister Grange called on Jamaicans at home and in the diaspora to support the national festival songs by purchasing and downloading them from the various digital platforms.
She notes that this enables “more royalties for the producers, performers and the song writers” and affords them greater chances for Grammy nominations and getting to the top of iTunes charts.
The Jamaica Festival Song Competition, which began in 1966, provides a platform for aspiring artistes, songwriters, and producers to showcase their talents.
It aims to identify a new and original song that reflects the spirit of the Jamaican people.
The competition is organised by Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC).