art in all its forms

art in all its forms

9/5/12

'I want to write poetry that is alive'



LORETTA COLLINS KLOBAH SAYS:

I want to write poetry that is alive, fresh, vibrant, contemporary in feeling, readable, thought-provoking, playfully subversive, powerful, and yet still tender. I want it to be full of the energy, culture, history, music, natural beauty, spirituality, and social struggles of Puerto Rico, and other islands of the Caribbean where I have visited or lived. The Twelve-Foot Neon Woman pulses with salsa, Latin jazz, reggaeton, bomba, the music of the trovadores, the cuatro, bachata, Kweyol rap, R&B, mento and the quadrille, rocksteady, roots reggae, and Ricky Martin’s pop music.

I have been writing poetry since primary school, because that is my way of processing life and engaging with the world. I don’t write love poetry, and I don’t rhyme. I write because I want to communicate with readers in a way that matters, makes an impact, or makes some kind of beneficial difference in the reader’s thoughts and in the society. Can poetry do that? I still believe in the power of the word.

Loretta has been nominated for the Felix Dennis Prize for best first collection in the Forward Prize. READ her own account of her craft - as recounted to me - at Caribbean Beat here.

Richard Rawlins 'Primary Property' @ Bohemia til Fri

Richard sends this message: "Show closing on Friday. Trust me yuh want to pass thru. 33 Murray Street, Port-of-Spain."

SEE more here.

9/3/12

'Mine is the poetry of the unpoetic'


Poetry is something I do; poems, things I make. Perhaps what I most enjoy is when something is done
when I’ve gone as far as I can, as far as my technique is capable of or as far as the material mysteriously lets me... Mine is the poetry of the unpoetic: everyday interaction, science, history…  Ordinary and specialist terms fuse. The poet distils, but also detects misuses of, language’s power.

VAHNI CAPILDEO interviewed by Zannab Sheik at I Don't Call Myself A Poet.

5 TT poets at Zocalo Poets



As the country marked its 50th anniversary of Independence, the Zocalo Poets website featured the work of five poets including: Mervyn TaylorVahni CapildeoColin RobinsonDanielle Boodoo-Fortune and Nicholas Laughlin. All of the posts also feature the work of artist Rodell Warner. (The image in this post is called Untitled (Kaleidoscope 1).)