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INSIDE THIS rS SUE: ae [T wy LJ 28 ine Wo rad g (hy bi Ht WUiU IS VU Ut avid Hall, UVI’s oth, a and relativ: ely ne Not only did Dr. Hall have to memorize poems when he was in school, he has attended poetry readings. Are you curious to know some of his favorite poets? Well perhaps you are fa- miliar with one of the most prolific poets of the 20" century, Langston Hughes. Maybe you have read a poem by Margaret Walker, or Nikki Giovani, or Haki Madhubuti, four of Dr. Hall's favorite poets. The Caribbean Writer knows one of Dr. Hall's goal is to increase the male student body at UVI, and to this end he has established a group “Brothers With A little haekoraund an Ir Born James Mercer Langston Hughes, (1902 -1967), Hughes dropped his first two names and became known just as Langston Hughes during the Harlem Renaissance; he was one of the earliest innovators of the new lit- erary art form jazz poetry. His most anthologized poem is, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” and one of his poems, still appropriate today is: I, too, sing America. | am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes, But | laugh, And eat well, And grow strong. wpr esident is a p: a Cause” to engage young men on campus about their needs and goals. With this in mind, The Car- ibbean Writer asked Dr. Hall, “What would you envision/want a Caribbean, male poet to write to inspire young men to pursue college education?” This is Dr. Hall’s response: “He would reveal the inner strengths and vulner- abilities of males in their transition to manhood; he would write from his soul about the culture and how it contains the seeds for the transforma- tion of our understanding of what it means to be a man; he would write about our love for Carib- bean women and our respect for God; he would reveal his pain in order to help others heal theirs; he would write in a manner that a boy 9 years old, and a man 90 years old, could both under- stand.” n Ten i ke Po ere asta tha aece Tomorrow, I'll be at the table When company comes. Nobody'll dare Say to me, "Eat in the kitchen,” Then. Besides, They'll see how beautiful | am And be ashamed-- |, too, am America. Margaret Abigail Walker Alexander (1915-1998), was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and wrote as Margaret Walker. Her best-known poemis “For My Peo- ple,” written in 1942, is a classic, narrative poem. The first 2 stanzas follows on next page: “When I Was” cont'd. .. oa. se ee eee ee ee ee ee to the newspaper, post on your Facebook page or some other internet site. Be proactive and keep poetry going until next April. | When | was a little girl, there were many more rays than clouds There was no concern, no obstacles | could not get around There was only she and me, only dreams no biting reality There were many more ups than downs more smiles than frowns When | was a little girl seems to be ages ago I When | was a little girl there was no sorrow | When | was a little girl the world was just I When | was a little girl is no longer, growing up is a must. ——_— oo oo ee ee es In this our last newsletter for National Poetry Month, The Caribbean Whiter invites you to look around at the beauty that is St. Croix, St. Thomas & St. John, and urge you to write a poem of Gratitude to this place you call home. Write about how you will preserve it by recycling, keeping it clean, protecting the natural fauna, birds and animal life, and by continuing to respect and care for one another as a community. The Caribbean Writer invites you to meditate on the included image, a scene of Fort Christiansvaern, then bring to mind your own favorite places and write a gratitude poem. After you have written the poem, place it on your office Bulletin Board, your fridge or some other public place so others can enjoy it. Continue to write a gratitude poem each week for the next month and share it. Send it | am grateful for the Fort's butter-yellow facade contrasted against the lizard-green grass, framed by the Alpine-blue ocean —history, respite all the tomorrows greeting today complex as the islands’ colonial past yet satisfying at salt-fish pate Opal Palmer Adisa UMI faculty comprise of working poets who teach and inspire their students through their own commitment to be productive, published writers. Below is one professor's advice to students on the craft of writing. “Try writing early in the morning when the blood flow is efficient. Choose a subject that you care about. Focus on using con- crete verbs and nouns. Chisel away at your words like a sculptor. Try to make them fit together tightly. Try to make connec- tions between situations usually assumed to be different. Try to create images that flow with deceptive simplicity.” Vincent O. Cooper, Ph.D. The Caribbean Writer invites you to Win a Prize. Tell us: Who is the Caribbean Poet who won the International Griffin Poetry Prize? Provide Name, Year and Title of Winning collection. The first person to email us (qmars@uvi.edu) the correct answers will receive a complimentary copy of The Caribbean Writer—Volume 24 to be published in June 2010. Congratulations to Ms. Shirley Lake-King, Associate Vice President for Budget & Financial Reporting Analysis (St. Thomas Campus) for winning last week’s prize question. Question: YVho was the first Caribbean Woman Poet to win the Commonwealth Poetry Prize? Answers: Grace Nichols, Guyana, ! is a Long-Memoried Woman, (1983) We recognize that the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences faculty know the answers to these questions, so please note that they are ineligible to enter contest. Become a friend of The Caribbean Writer. Subscribe today at www. TheCaribbeanWriter.org SS Ea www.thecaribbeanwriter.org = = eee eee eee emmys rd