ESTHER PHILLIPS became the first ever Poet Laureate of Barbados in March 2018. The well-known poet and teacher became in 2007 the editor of the world-famous literary magazine Bim, renamed Bim—Arts for the 21st Century. She has also published three well-received collections of poetry: When Ground Doves Fly, Ian Randle, 2003; The Stone Gatherer, Peepal Tree, 2009; Leaving Atlantis, Peepal Tree, 2015. She initiated in 2012 along with the collective she had formed, Writers Ink, the Bim Literary Festival & Book Fair. The event was presented in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports; the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill; the National Cultural Foundation; the National Library Service; and ArtsEtc. It attracted Caribbean writers from several places, at home and abroad.
Saint Lucian writer John Robert Lee speaks with Phillips about her work and her hopes for the poet laureateship of Barbados.
John Robert Lee: Rereading your poetry, I was struck by the quiet, personal, interior-observant tone of much of the work. How aware are you, as a writer, of the turbulence in our Caribbean and wider world, and is the function of poetry for you to create, like Robert Frost, a “momentary stay against confusion”? Are you tempted to believe, like Auden, that “poetry makes nothing happen”? Does poetry have a public, engaged role in our societies? I ask these since your view of poetry and the arts will throw a light on how you tackle the challenges of the laureateship and how you meet the various expectations.
Esther Phillips: While it is true that my work has been described in the ways that you mention, the question causes me to reflect on the distinctions we’re inclined to make between the private/personal and the public. For example, does “interior” necessarily mean small or contained, or are there in fact vast interiors shared by many of us? And is it possible that the external challenges and turmoils of the world, politically and otherwise, will only be managed effectively when we have paid due attention to the interior thoughts, impulses, emotions, desires…which is where it all begins?
By way of illustration, I’m always struck by the responses of audiences when I read what might be considered as some of my most personal poems. It turns out that I, alone, do not own those experiences, and that I have, in fact, entered the emotional domain of several people in the audience. I have, through the poetry, created a space for them to share deep feelings that they may have been unable or unwilling to express in the open, and in so doing, I have paved a path towards healing. I have seen this happen particularly with poems that deal with the problems of the absent father, the possibility of redemption in the face of broken relationships, the matter of aging.
When Auden opines that poetry makes nothing happen, he is right to the extent that the powerful individuals who shape the world politically and socially seem not to be the ones who read poetry, and who could therefore gain from its humanizing influences and its ability to bring about much needed self-reflection and possible behavioural changes. But I think it all depends on what changes you’re looking for.
I think, in the end, we must not belittle Frost’s view that poetry offers “a momentary stay against confusion.” Poetry cannot change human nature: the endemic inclinations that move us towards chaos. Nor can it obliterate the reality of evil. But I believe that poetry may offer us times of respite and the realization that there is still Beauty in the world. Poetry may offer us the knowledge that as long as there is a community out there sharing common experiences, we’re not alone. The cathartic value of that awareness is not to be underestimated. I believe that Hayakawa was right when he spoke of the psychological equilibrium that poetry makes possible.
JRL: Mervyn Morris first and now Lorna Goodison have been poet laureates of Jamaica. As far as I know, no other English-speaking islands apart from Trinidad and Tobago have appointed poet laureates. Have you been able to talk with Mervyn or Lorna to get a sense of their experiences and how you will shape your own visions and tasks in Barbados?
EP: I managed to speak briefly with Mervyn when I last saw him in Barbados…. Actually, as poet laureate, I will be continuing much of what I have been doing for some time now: highlighting the work of Barbadian poets on What’s That You’re Reading?, a radio show I produce for the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation; readings in schools and for other events; writing poems in anticipation of official occasions. I’m also trying to fine-tune the Bridgetown Literary Tour to include even more poetry, and I’m certainly beginning to plan the Bim Literary Festival for 2020. A major thrust of my laureateship will be aimed at encouraging young people to write.
JRL: Caribbean poetry has gone through many metamorphoses since the early days of our imitative colonial period. “Nation language” has taken its place very firmly alongside the official English (in our English-speaking islands), spoken word/performance poetry is popular everywhere. Do you think that we are in danger of losing the essential attention that should be given to shaping form with care, to logical setting out of thoughts and ideas, to understanding poetry as a literary genre in all its complexities? Is it possible to say, as I have done, “Where is the poetry?” when you hear contemporary poetry (and not only Caribbean, by the way!) in all its sound, fury and often self-regarding sentimentality, nagging cliché and politically correct navel-gazing? Am I sounding too harsh?
EP: I have made my peace with the idea of spoken word/performance poetry mainly by deciding that it is simply different from page-based poetry, and does not/cannot have the same demands placed on it. I believe that page-based poetry requires every last one of the skills you have mentioned; all skills to which I adhere and for which I have the greatest regard. This, I believe, is the literature that will last and have greater impact long after the sound and fury have blown over.
I do not intend to be condescending when I say that it’s better, however, to let individuals have their say and find some kind of relief from the tensions that are so much a part of contemporary life. Spoken word/performance poetry has its audience.
JRL: In the paraphrased words of Dana Gioia, does poetry matter to our Caribbean publics? To your Barbadian constituency? Are these some of the questions you face as poet laureate? Or to quote Gioia directly, “can poetry matter” in today’s materialistic, secular, “selfie” world of which our Caribbean is very much a part?
EP: I was most heartened to hear Mr Kirk Humphrey, the Barbadian MP and Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy, speak at a recent official occasion of his love for poetry, and actually quote from a poem he had written. This was not just political speak. He was genuine, and I know this since he was a past student of mine. I have also heard at least one other local Member of Parliament speak of his love of poetry. In addition, we have quite a number of individuals sending poetry entries to the Frank Collymore Literary Endowment Committee (of which I am chair) every year. The same is true of the National Cultural Foundation[’s annual Independence literary competition]. So: a number of people do seem to have a sustained interest in poetry. But, admittedly, a small percentage when compared with the rest of the population.
Having said the above, poetry is not a concern in the daily lives of most people. But just as the love of calypso and other music forms is so deeply embedded in our cultural experience, just as karaoke has become so popular among so many, so can poetry. It is a matter of making steady inroads through readings and the media, although sponsorship may admittedly be a problem initially. But it’s a matter of commitment on the part of those, like myself, who love this art form. I think if people can be helped to see that poetry is all around us—through Nature, with which we are always in contact; everyday happenings; the intellectual and emotional experiences that are part of our continuing existence—they would embrace it much more readily.
JRL: In the months since you assumed this office, what have you been able to set in motion, even achieve? And what would you like to do? Is the promotion of the rich legacy of Barbadian literature a top priority? Any ideas of reaching beyond Bimshire to other islands, if possible?
EP: Apart from the activities I mentioned earlier, I have initiated discussion about the possibility of seeing a Barbadian Writers Gallery erected at the Barbados Museum & Historical Society. I gather that, in terms of a permanent arrangement, there is at present a problem of space.
JRL: In terms of your own writing: anything in the pipeline you can talk about? Any prose (fiction, non-fiction) or even drama planned?
EP: I just sent another poetry manuscript off to my publishers, Peepal Tree Press. I do have another writing project in mind, but will tell you more later.
JRL: Wonderful. All the best with those and other projects. Any final thoughts to share?
EP: I’m grateful for the support I’m receiving in this new role as Poet Laureate of Barbados. For me, poetry is a love and a passion. I am so deeply grateful to the Creator for this gift, which I do not take for granted. I hope that my poems will inspire in readers an appreciation for what Beauty and enjoyment they may find in my poems. I anticipate that readers will share a feeling of connection with me as a poet because they share similar experiences. I hope that readers will develop a greater empathy for all other human beings and that they, too, will be inspired to write, perhaps one of the most freeing of all human activities.
