Who says poems have to rhyme?
Jamaican dance hall star to celebrate VP-elect Harris
Caribbean Life, JANUARY 1-7, 2021 19
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
You don’t have time to do
a rhyme.
Or maybe you do, although
you know that poetry doesn’t
necessarily have to rhyme.
Sometimes, a poem is a story
made of words your heart
sings. You can say a poem, you
can rap one, or you can read
one so why not read a few in
these great poetry books…
A little of this, a little of
that, and stories that aren’t
poems are found in “Make
Me Rain: Poems & Prose” by
Nikki Giovanni.
Readers who are fans of
Giovanni’s are in for a treat
here: As you’d expect from
Giovanni, this book contains
heartfelt, personal poetry that
feels as though it was written
directly to each individual
who picks it up. There are
poems about friendship and
love, about being comfortable
with one’s place in life, poetry
that harks back to idyllic
childhood, and poems about
racism. In between those
works, readers will find short
(page or two) articles of prose
in the same vein as the poetry,
with words speaking straight
to the person with this book
in their hands.
Although you’ll probably
find “Legacy: Women Poets of
the Harlem Renaissance” by
Nikki Grimes in the Children’s
section of your bookstore or
library, this absolutely isn’t
just a book for kids and it’s
not just a book for women.
Using works from some of
Harlem’s “groundbreaking”
female poets from nearly a
century ago, Grimes uses a
“Golden Shovel” method of
writing, which uses the last
word of a line in one poem to
make another poem. You’ll
see how it works as you read
poetry from Alice Dunbar-
Nelson, Helene Johnson, Ida
Rowland, Lucy Ariel Williams,
and other women who wrote
their words during the years
encompassing the Harlem
Renaissance.
But that’s not all: each
poem is accompanied by a
unique work of art from some
of today’s best Black illustrators:
Pat Cummings, Vashti
Harrison, Shadra Strickland,
and others. Together, this is a
book you can share with your
favorite 10-and-older reader.
And finally, if that young
reader wants to be a poet, too,
but needs help getting motivated,
then look for “Kwame
Alexander’s Free Write: A Poetry
Notebook” from Kwame
Alexander.
This hardcover book is
part journal, part teaching
tool and will really help any
budding writer with kid-sized
writing prompts, language
lessons and tips, grammar
help, super-short stories of
Alexander’s life and career,
and plenty of room for kids
to jot down ideas, one-liners,
observations, idle thoughts,
and all kinds of poetry that
rhymes or doesn’t. Your child
will even find poems inside
this learn-to-be-a-poet book
and there’s silliness here, too,
because poems are sometimes
that way. Alexander doesn’t
take being a writer frivolously,
though, and any kid ages 8 to
12 who wants to be a writer of
poems, songs, or even longform
stories will treasure this
book.
No doubt, you’ve got your
favorite poets to read, but see
if these three books don’t help
you find (or create!) others. If
you’ve got a few dimes, you
might need these rhymes.
“Make Me Rain: Poems
& Prose” by Nikki Giovanni
c.2020, William Morrow
$19.99 / $24.99 Canada
144 pages
“Legacy: Women Poets
of the Harlem Renaissance”
by Nikki Grimes
c.2020, Bloomsbury
$18.99 / $25.99 Canada
144 pages
“Kwame Alexander’s
Free Write: A Poetry Notebook”
by Kwame Alexander
c.2020, Sourcebooks
$12.99 / higher in Canada
123 pages
Photo by Terri Schlichenmeyer
By Nelson A. King
Jamaican Dancehall star
Flourgon is among a slate of Caribbean
artists who are expected
to perform on Jan. 17 at a virtual
US Vice Presidential inauguration
celebration of Caribbean
American Kamala Harris.
According to News Americas,
Flourgon, who in January settled
a US$300 million lawsuit
with Miley Cyrus for his 1988
Jamaican chart-topping hit single,
“We Run Things,” is among
top artists set to perform at the
grand event.
News Americas said on Dec.
27 that Invest Caribbean, considered
the number one global
private sector, investment agency
of the Caribbean, has initiated
the Caribbean American
Action Network, (CAAN), a collective
of Caribbean American
and Caribbean organizations, to
present a live, virtual, Caribbean
inauguration party under
the theme: “Celebrating #CaribbeanAmericanKamala.”
The celebration will be hosted
by the first Black woman in a
James Bond movie, Trina Parks,
whose roots extend to Barbados,
through her mother, and to
Antigua through her grandparents,
News Americas said.
Among the artists expected
to perform are: The Mighty
Sparrow; Barbados’ own Soca
King, Edwin Yearwood, of “All
Aboard” fame; Krosfyah of
“Pump Me Up” fame; Toni Norville
and Kirk Brown; Jamaican
gospel singer Joan Meyers,
of “Can’t Even Walk” fame;
Jamaican artiste Janine Jkuhl of
“Sway” fame; Owen Dalhouse,
who recently released “Heal
the Soul of America”; soca star
Cheryl Vincent of Grenada;
Alegba Jahyile of Haiti; as well
as Guyanese Menes De Griot
and Shanto.
News Americas said De Griot,
an African spiritual leader, herbalist
and master drummer, who
has performed at the Million
Women March and Tribute to
The Ancestors, will open the celebration
“with a powerful pouring
of libation to the ancestors,”
followed by a group performance
on drums.
“This is a historic moment for
us as Caribbean people in these
United States, who have been
here since slavery, and we are
convinced that VP-elect Harris
represents the best interest of
all Americans, inclusive of those
who share her Caribbean ancestry,”
said the brainchild of the
event, Guyanese-born journalist,
entrepreneur and advocate,
Felicia J. Persaud.