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Karen Elaine Austin (1963-2023) of Days Books, Barbados

ArtsEtc notes with sadness the passing of Karen Elaine Austin, former managing director of Days Books.

Karen, who was born in Manchester, England to Barbadian parents, died in June, aged 60, after a prolonged battle with cancer.

KAREN AUSTIN, KEITH AUSTIN, Days Books, Bridgetown, WORLD BOOK DAY

Illustration by Shakeel Clarke of Brian Franklin's "If You Plant Me," January 2023.

The 2023 IndyList

WELCOME to the 2023 ArtsEtc Independence Reading List. This is the twelfth edition (already!) of our annual list of Barbadian literature to acquaint yourself with over the next twelve months.

Barbadian Literature, Caribbean Literature, YA Literature

A Review of Shabine and Other Stories

HAZEL SIMMONS-MCDONALD is a Saint Lucian who has lived and worked in Barbados for over thirty years. She is Professor Emerita of Applied Linguistics at the University of the West Indies and has published textbooks on language learning as well as several articles on educational issues in Creole and Creole-influenced vernacular contexts. Although in retirement, she continues to do research in this field and also devotes time to creative writing.

Barbadian Literature, Caribbean Literature, Creole Magical Realism, Family, Folklore, Saint Lucian Literature, Speculative Fiction

In Golden Square: A Photo Essay

Barbadian poet and performer Winston Farrell has been hosting poetry pop-ups in Golden Square, Bridgetown, throughout 2022. Linda M. Deane, who took part in February, offers this alternate take on the popular literary event. Photos by S. Devonish. (Click the photos and scroll using the arrows.)

Golden Square, Bridgetown, Barbados, Winston Farrell, poetry, performance, Meet me in...

Ronald A. Williams, the author of The Fall of Autumn Leaves, top winner of the 2021 Frank Collymore Literary Award.

Ronald A. Williams 2021 Frank Collymore Literary Award Winner

2021 Frank Collymore Literary Award winner Ronald A. Williams. Photo Copyright © 2022 by Ronald A. Williams.

Reprinted from centralbank.org.bb. Ronald Williams is the Top Entrant in the 24th Frank Collymore Literary Endowment Competition > Central Bank of Barbados > News

RONALD A. WILLIAMS emerged as the top entrant in the 24th Frank Collymore Literary Endowment (FCLE) Competition. This was announced during a scaled-down in-person awards ceremony at Frank Collymore Hall.

Barbadian Literature, Caribbean Literature, Fiction, Frank Collymore Literary Award, Novel, poetry

21 Quick Facts about Bajan Lit

1. The Frank Collymore Literary Award, launched in 1998, is the most lucrative writing prize in Barbados, with the top “Colly” winner receiving BDS$10,000.00 (US$5,000.00).

2. The National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA) Literary Competition produced its first Winning Words anthology of medal-winning entries in 1999.

Art History, Barbadian Literature, Caribbean Literature

The ArtsEtc NIFCA Winning Words Anthology, 2019-2020, Cover.

Latest Winning Words Focuses on "Our Uncertain Times"

....Like the world, and its words, are on fire. This edition's cover is again by Kai Miller.

The following is from the back cover of The ArtsEtc NIFCA Winning Words Anthology 2019/2020.

THESE ARE NOT normal times we’re in. And they are changing fast.

ArtsEtc, Bajan, Barbadian Literature, Barbados, Essays, Fiction, National Cultural Foundation, NIFCA, poetry

The 2022 IndyList

NO, YOU HAVEN'T missed a thing. We've shifted the presentation of the ArtsEtc Independence Reading List to the top of the upcoming year instead of leaving it at the end of the previous one. So you're in the right place: this is the offering for 2021 moving into 2022. Or, more simply put, for the next twelve months.

To recap, the IndyList, as we like to call it, is a selection of 12 Barbadian books to make friends with over the coming year. This is its eleventh edition.

Barbadian Literature, Caribbean Literature, World Literature

Barbadian Poet Linda M. Deane, July 2021.

Linda M. Deane 2020 Frank Collymore Literary Award Winner

THE 23rd FRANK COLLYMORE LITERARY AWARDS were presented entirely virtually for the first time on February 14, 2021. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, the ceremony was aired via a live stream that used prerecorded readings by the winners in various locations across the island.

All of the winners were poets this year, with the Prime Minister’s Award going to a prose writer for a YA novel.

Barbadian Literature, Caribbean Literature, Fiction, Frank Collymore Literary Award, Novel, poetry

Cherie Jones, the author or How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House, published in February 2021.

The Beautiful and the Authentic: A Review of How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House

Barbadian Literature, Barbados, Caribbean Literature, Cherie Jones, Novel, Racial Politics

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