Writing A New Caribbean

Title

First
Broadcast

Comments

Jamaica, Home

20170227

Elisha Efua Bartels talks to Jamaican novelists and poets including Marlon James, winner of the 2015 Booker Prize, Tanya Shirley, Kei Miller, winner of the 2014 Forward Prize for poetry, and Millicent Graham about their work, and what it reveals to both Jamaicans and outsiders about their country.

Featured readings:

Tanya Shirley - Sunday Drive Out and The People are Deading from 'The Merchant of Feathers', Peepal Tree Press

Marlon James - 'The Book of Night Women', Riverhead Books

Millicent Graham - The Yard, from 'The Way Home', Peepal Tree Press

Kei Miller - Place Name: Me-No-Sen-You-No-Come; What the Mapmaker Ought to Know; Poem xviii; When Considering the Long, Long Journey of 28,000 Rubber Ducks, from 'The Cartographer Tries to Map a Way to Zion', Carcanet.

Jamaican writers including Marlon James, Kei Miller and Tanya Shirley discuss their work.

Elisha Efua Bartels talks to a new generation of writers coming out of the Caribbean.

The Work Words Do

20170306

Trinidadian writer and actor Elisha Efua Bartels talks to novelists and poets across the English-speaking Caribbean about what they see as their literary heritage, whether the prominent writers that have emerged from the region in the past have influenced them, and the increased diversity of voices coming out of the region today. In interviews with Barbara Jenkins (Trinidad), Vladimir Lucien (St Lucia), Kevin Jared Hosein (Trinidad), Colin Robinson (Trinidad) and Karen Lord (Barbados), she explores the new directions writers are taking in their work.

Featured readings:

Tanya Shirley: 'Said by a DJ at an Uptown Dance' from 'The Merchant of Feathers' published by Peepal Tree Press

Colin Robinson: title poem from 'You Have You Father Hard Head' published by Peepal Tree Press

Vladimir Lucien: 'Mi Jean' from 'Sounding Ground' published by Peepal Tree Press

Kevin Jared Hosein: extract from 'The Repenters' published by Peepal Tree Press

Karen Lord: extract from 'The Best of All Possible Worlds' published by Jo Fletcher Books

Barbara Jenkins: extract from 'Sic Transit Wagon' published by Peepal Tree Press.

With Barbara Jenkins, Vladimir Lucien, Kevin Jared Hosein, Colin Robinson and Karen Lord.

Elisha Efua Bartels talks to a new generation of writers coming out of the Caribbean.

Under The Surface

20170220

A picture of the Caribbean, as seen by a new generation of writers and poets.

In programme 1, Elisha Efua Bartels talks to Trinidadian writers Sharon Millar, Elizabeth Walcott-Hackshaw, and Andre Bagoo about the sense of place in their work.

For Sharon Millar, author of the short story collection 'The Whale House', the landscape and colour of Trinidad is always the anchor, and she often explores the cultural interaction and foot traffic between the island and Venezuela, only 7 miles away. Elizabeth Walcott-Hackshaw delves under the surface of Trinidadian society in her novel 'Mrs B', set during the 1990 coup in Port of Spain and inspired by Flaubert's 'Madame Bovary'. In Andre Bagoo's poetry, locations in the city become symbolic of the state of the nation, both in their beauty and disgrace.

Elisha looks at the ways in which these writers capture Trinidadian landscapes and cityscapes in their work, and how they address what lies beneath.

Featuring readings from:

Elizabeth Walcott-Hackshaw - 'Mrs B', Peepal Tree Press

Sharon Millar - 'The Whale House', Peepal Tree Press

Andre Bagoo - 'Burn', Shearsman Books

Elisha Efua Bartels - 'Woman is Boss' from 'Trinidad Noir' - Akashic Books

Sonia Farmer - 'The Best Estimation in the World'.

A picture of the Caribbean now, as seen by a new generation of writers and poets.

Elisha Efua Bartels talks to a new generation of writers coming out of the Caribbean.

Episodes

Title	First Broadcast	Comments
Jamaica, Home	20170227	Elisha Efua Bartels talks to Jamaican novelists and poets including Marlon James, winner of the 2015 Booker Prize, Tanya Shirley, Kei Miller, winner of the 2014 Forward Prize for poetry, and Millicent Graham about their work, and what it reveals to both Jamaicans and outsiders about their country. Featured readings: Tanya Shirley - Sunday Drive Out and The People are Deading from 'The Merchant of Feathers', Peepal Tree Press Marlon James - 'The Book of Night Women', Riverhead Books Millicent Graham - The Yard, from 'The Way Home', Peepal Tree Press Kei Miller - Place Name: Me-No-Sen-You-No-Come; What the Mapmaker Ought to Know; Poem xviii; When Considering the Long, Long Journey of 28,000 Rubber Ducks, from 'The Cartographer Tries to Map a Way to Zion', Carcanet. Jamaican writers including Marlon James, Kei Miller and Tanya Shirley discuss their work. Elisha Efua Bartels talks to a new generation of writers coming out of the Caribbean.
The Work Words Do	20170306	Trinidadian writer and actor Elisha Efua Bartels talks to novelists and poets across the English-speaking Caribbean about what they see as their literary heritage, whether the prominent writers that have emerged from the region in the past have influenced them, and the increased diversity of voices coming out of the region today. In interviews with Barbara Jenkins (Trinidad), Vladimir Lucien (St Lucia), Kevin Jared Hosein (Trinidad), Colin Robinson (Trinidad) and Karen Lord (Barbados), she explores the new directions writers are taking in their work. Featured readings: Tanya Shirley: 'Said by a DJ at an Uptown Dance' from 'The Merchant of Feathers' published by Peepal Tree Press Colin Robinson: title poem from 'You Have You Father Hard Head' published by Peepal Tree Press Vladimir Lucien: 'Mi Jean' from 'Sounding Ground' published by Peepal Tree Press Kevin Jared Hosein: extract from 'The Repenters' published by Peepal Tree Press Karen Lord: extract from 'The Best of All Possible Worlds' published by Jo Fletcher Books Barbara Jenkins: extract from 'Sic Transit Wagon' published by Peepal Tree Press. With Barbara Jenkins, Vladimir Lucien, Kevin Jared Hosein, Colin Robinson and Karen Lord. Elisha Efua Bartels talks to a new generation of writers coming out of the Caribbean.
Under The Surface	20170220	A picture of the Caribbean, as seen by a new generation of writers and poets. In programme 1, Elisha Efua Bartels talks to Trinidadian writers Sharon Millar, Elizabeth Walcott-Hackshaw, and Andre Bagoo about the sense of place in their work. For Sharon Millar, author of the short story collection 'The Whale House', the landscape and colour of Trinidad is always the anchor, and she often explores the cultural interaction and foot traffic between the island and Venezuela, only 7 miles away. Elizabeth Walcott-Hackshaw delves under the surface of Trinidadian society in her novel 'Mrs B', set during the 1990 coup in Port of Spain and inspired by Flaubert's 'Madame Bovary'. In Andre Bagoo's poetry, locations in the city become symbolic of the state of the nation, both in their beauty and disgrace. Elisha looks at the ways in which these writers capture Trinidadian landscapes and cityscapes in their work, and how they address what lies beneath. Featuring readings from: Elizabeth Walcott-Hackshaw - 'Mrs B', Peepal Tree Press Sharon Millar - 'The Whale House', Peepal Tree Press Andre Bagoo - 'Burn', Shearsman Books Elisha Efua Bartels - 'Woman is Boss' from 'Trinidad Noir' - Akashic Books Sonia Farmer - 'The Best Estimation in the World'. A picture of the Caribbean now, as seen by a new generation of writers and poets. Elisha Efua Bartels talks to a new generation of writers coming out of the Caribbean.