Scream in the Square Reminder

Don't forget! Lillian's performing at Scream in the Square, an evening of dub and sound poetry that's happening at Yonge-Dundas Square.

We know there's a little rain falling, but the event is still on, so we look forward to seeing you there at 8:30 PM.

New Dub-AllStars: ADISAJAJA + Tim Gaze

ADISAJAJA is a new Jamaican Dub Poet/Reggae performing artist. If you go to his website, http://www.adisajaja.com, you can hear his latest single, "Word Sound and Powa".

TIM GAZE is an Australian poet that engages in "asemic writing", an artistic form of illegible/wordless writing. If you go to his new website (http://www.avance.stunink.com/), you can check out his work, which has a strong dub influence.

S.T.E.P.U.P. @ ArtReach

Yesterday, we mentioned S.T.E.P.U.P.'s performance at the Whippersnapper Gallery for ArtReach Toronto. Rahel, S.T.E.P.U.P. member and summer student at DPC, is here with an account of the event:

WHIPPERSNAPPER GALLARY WAS OFF THE HOOK! It was more than just an outreach - it was people coming together and realizing that the youth are the future and we can accomplish great things by doing what we do best and that’s getting out there and getting LIVE!

The S.T.E.P.U.P. crew did their thang, and I’m “oh so proud”. The crowd showed us a lot of love and we all felt the vibes in the room – can’t lie, the S.T.E.P.U.P. crew felt like celebrities with all the cameras following our every move! One day we’ll get to do “big tings” as Klyde would say and everyone would know our name INTERNATIONALLY.

Thanks to ArtReach Toronto for having S.T.EP.U.P. perform and get out there with our goods.

Rahel was also kind enough to let us post the finished poem that S.T.E.P.U.P. performed:

Discovering My Soul

My first poem copied another
and within that crime
I became a mother
Poetry
was doing me, writing itself
Pen picked me up,
I spilled out ink
Words made me look within
I finally saw what my heart truly thinks
My soul speaking

carved marks in my stone heart
and warmed by Ink’s lust,
red and black expressed my clustered thoughts
infused my veins
until they cradled in my chords to be grown like crops

I reached for the mic
Stage enlightened my mind,
livity’s lightning struck
so I took it as a sign and left church
Born again poet,

flames resurrected the ashes
then danced on the pages in between the lines
until Ink and I intertwined
“Freedom!” my poem cried aloud

and I, like a babymother, oh so proud
heard my child for the very first time

S.T.E.P.U.P. Reminder

Don't forget: S.T.E.P.U.P. is holding it down at the Art Reach Launch today at the Whippersnapper Gallery (587A College Street) from 2 PM - 4 PM.

Come out and show your support for the next generation of spoken word artists!

d'bi.young - blood.claat

d'bi is remounting blood.claat: one womban story at the Theatre Passe Muraille from August 29th to September 10th.

For more info, please visit http://www.bloodclaat.net.

Afua's Jamaican Book Launch

Afua Cooper will be in Jamaica for a couple weeks doing a mini book tour. Here's the official invite to her book launch:

The Institute of Caribbean Studies in association with The Department
of Literatures in English, University of the West Indies, Mona, invites
you to the launch of two books by the distinguished Jamaican poet and
historian Dr. Afua Cooper, who lectures at the University of Toronto.
Copper Woman and Other Poems & The Hanging of Angelique: The Untold
Story of Canadian Slavery and the burning of Old Montreal on Thursday,
August 24, 2006, at 6:00p.m.
The Undercroft of the Senate Building UWI, Mona
For further information please contact the Institute of Caribbean
Studies telephone: 977-1951, 512-3228 or e-mail: icsmona@uwimona.edu.jm

Upcoming DPC Event - Outdoor Used Book Sale - Friday, Aug 25

If you have any books you'd like to donate to the sale, feel free to come by the office and drop them off - we're here next week from Tuesday - Friday, 9:30 AM - 5:30 PM.

Dub Poets Collective Reading Series: Culture Dubbing on the Frontlines - "Scream in the Square"

Scream in the Square - An Evening of Dub and Sound Poetry

On 25 August 2006, an important evening of music-drenched poetry will take over Dundas-Square across from the Eaton Centre. Led by Toronto’s Founding Mother of Dub Poetry, two-time Juno-winning Lillian Allen will unleash her electric performance with the help of dub-mixer extraordinaire Jarret Prescott. The internationally-acclaimed sound poet Paul Dutton will weave a sinuous web of improvised sound and language onstage with stellar percussionist Tomasz Krakowiak. a.rawlings, a new light in performance and sound poetry, presents her chant-heavy, jazz-infused, theatrical and hypnotizing show with the shockingly talented Theatre Commutiny. Other performers and guests will also take to the stage.

The Scream in the Square event, the first designated literary event in the Square, is a historic fusion of Toronto’s world-class dub and sound poetry communities. Inspired by the possibility of bringing vibrant art to the heart of the city, reclaiming the public square for unpackaged innovators, these explosive multi-modal performers defy the boundaries of their art and smash any preconceived notions of what poetry is and where it belongs. The open-air canopy of the city sky will sing electric with the dub riddims of Allen, howl in amazement at Dutton’s improvisations, and gaze agog in wonder and delight at the flutter, jazz, and spectacle of a.rawlings and Theatre Commutiny. Friday night on the last weekend before Labour Day, the city will be transported and changed.

Scream in the Square, part of the Dub Poets Collective Reading Series: Culture Dubbing on the Frontlines, is produced with the support of the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council and the League of Canadian Poets. It has a loose affiliation with the Scream Literary Festival.

Where: Yonge-Dundas Square, across from the Eaton Centre
When: Friday, 25 August 2006 Time: 8:30 – 10:30 PM
Cost: FREE

Global Dub NewsWatch - Malachi Smith in Miami Herald

Malachi Smith was featured in the Thursday, August 10th edition of the Miami Herald for his Jamaican Independence Day Performance.

A Lillian Allen Recommendation - Ingrid de Kok Book Launch

The South African poet Ingrid de Kok will be launching her "Seasonal Fires: New and Selected Poems" in Toronto on Monday, August 21st. The event will be taking place at Type Books, 883 Queen Street West, at 7p.m.

Ingrid is the author of four volumes of poetry, but her new collection is the first to be published in North America. Her work has appeared in journals throughout the world and been translated into eight languages. She has been awarded residencies at the Rockefeller Centre in Bellagio, Italy and at the Civitella Ranieri Centre in Italy, and has read at universities and festivals worldwide, including the Berlin International Literary Festival and the Rotterdam International Festival. She lived in Canada for eight years and studied at Queens' University before returning to South Africa where she lives in Cape Town and runs the Centre for Adult and Continuing Education at the University of Cape Town.

Another S.T.E.P.U.P. Update

Rahel is back with another update of the newest DPC-related collective, S.T.E.P.U.P.

For our third official meeting we got straight down to business with finishing up on the poem we had started writing last week. It was a rocky start to get back into last week's vibes, but we “dubbed” it through and got the vibes back.

We also discussed the fact that our “Dub Master” Klyde Broox will be gone to the Yukon for the Yukon International Storytelling Festival, so the S.T.E.P.U.P. crew is going to have to manage one week without him.

Here’s a portion of the poem that we have been getting at:

My first poem copied another,
within that crime I became a mother
poetry
was doing me, writing itself
the pen picked me up
I spilled out ink
The moment my eyes saw what my heart felt
The day I saw the rays of horizons afar
The stage enlightened my mind
I left c h u r c h

Born again poet
I breathe freedom
My poem cried out loud
Like a babymother, oh so proud
The first time I felt my poem heard
Words made me look within

first day the mic was reached
flames arose from ashes
danced on pages in between the lines
ink and I intertwined

Live with Klyde Broox in the Yukon

Dub Poet/S.T.E.P.U.P. coordinator Klyde Broox will be heading to the Yukon for the Yukon International Storytelling Festival, happening August 18-20.

On the off chance that you might be in the area, please come out and support!

S.T.E.P.U.P. Update

- Photo courtesy of Clairandean Humphrey

S.T.E.P.U.P. (Speech That Enlightens People Uplift Places) was an intensive two-week summer program that promoted non-violent approaches to personal, social and political development by illustrating how artistic expression can process emotion and focus energy positively.

The Dub Poets program, in conjuction with Urban Arts and Live With Culture, was designed, coordinated and led by dubpoet Klyde Broox, and had celebrated poets such as d'bi.young, Michael St. George, Afua Cooper and Peculiar I come in and mentor the youth participants, who ranged from the ages of 15-25.

S.T.E.P.U.P. was such a success that the participants decided to continue on with the program, becoming members of a new collective.

Rahel, a member of S.T.E.P.U.P. and summer student at Dub Poets, gives us an update:

Our second official S.T.E.P.U.P. meeting was good. Apart from all the fun, we always have this time to come together and talk about some administrative “stuff” as Klyde would say.

It was interesting to see how we all got into a more serious mode when it came to the importance of where our group is planning to go and how we’ll stretch ourselves to reach others, in any way, shape or form. It’s so great that we have a number of people who are willing to put in their time and effort for S.T.E.P.U.P. to be a
success.

S.T.E.P.U.P. is currently in the process of setting up it's own website. Derrick, another member, is getting us connected to the Toronto District School Board. We hope to go to different schools to do motivational speaking promoting spoken word, so if you’re interested in having S.T.E.P.U.P. members come to your school contact info@dubpoetscollective.com.

We have big plans at the moment. You can catch S.T.E.P.U.P. members doing their thang at the following events:

Art Reach Launch Tuesday, Aug. 22 Whippersnapper Gallery (587A College Street) 2 PM - 4 PM

Culture Shock - A Community Performance of Talent Saturday, Aug. 26 1735-1736 Weston Road Courtyard 2 PM - 4 PM

To sum it all up S.T.E.P.U.P. is doing BIG things and will continue to keep the fire blazin’ because that’s what we’re all about - getting connected and making people see that what we do isn’t an obligation; we do it because we love it!

d'bi.young - blood.claat Book Launch @ Lula Lounge | Monday, August 14th

d'bi is launching the publication of her new play, blood.claat - one womban story. The book launch will be taking place at the Lula Lounge (585 Dundas Street West) Monday, August 14th. Admission is $10.

From the DPC Archives: Lillian Allen @ Feminist Read-In (June 6, 2006)

On June 6th, Lillian participated in The Miss G___ Project's Feminist Read-In at Queen's Park, Toronto.

What exactly is the Miss G___ Project, you ask? According to their website:

The Miss G__ Project is a group of concerned citizens working together to promote equity in education, to combat sexism and homophobia through education, and to encourage active citizenship.

Our Current Mission: to get a Women's Studies course into the Ontario Secondary School Curriculum. Equity in education is a policy commitment of the Ontario Secondary School Curriculum, but without recognizing gender and its implications, the curriculum fails to meet this commitment. We go through our mandatory formal education careers without ever encountering a critical study of gender and sexuality. In high school, we never encountered a fair and appropriate introduction to the very real contributions and histories of women and feminisms.

Review of Afua Cooper's 'Copper Woman' in Jamaican Gleaner

Afua Cooper received a positive review for Copper Woman in the Jamaican Gleaner.

Here's a sampling of what freelance writer Mel Cooke had to say about it:

And where does the writer cross the line between her real life and an imagined one? It is in My Illusion ("it was in Portland by the Blue Lagoon/that I saw the brightest moon/rise from the black sea") or in Red Eyes ("you present me with a bracelet of pure copper/I tell you I cannot accept this gift/because I am thinking of another")?

It is a matter to consider, as soul-baring meets near erotica and powerful statement in Afua Cooper's Copper Woman And Other Poems.

Service of Thanksgiving

Celebratin' Miss Lou: She Was Ah Real Tallawa!

We join our Jamaican brethren and sistren in a Dinki mini-style celebration of the life of Louise Bennett-Coverly, the First Lady of Jamaican Utterance, who died in Toronto (Canada) on Wednesday, July 26.

Miss Lou understood the relationships between language and identity; she knew that real nations were cultural edifices made of homemade bricks and local imagination. She was a real tallewa*.

Louise Simone Bennett was certainly not the first to big up the Jamaican language. This very special honour belongs to Claude (Claudius Festus) McKay (1889-1948), the Jamaican-born poet and novelist who published two books of poems in the Jamaican dialect, Constab Ballad and Songs of Jamaica, in 1912 before dashing off to the 'Merica where he would become a herald of the Harlem Renaissance.

The hot-footed McKay was in Morocco in the early 1930s, when Louise Bennett emerged to continue the work that was begun in 1912: Miss Bennett would stay on the wuk
for more than seventy years. Indeed, many of the triumphs (and trials) of modern Jamaica are illustrated in the inimitable registers of her voice.

For instance, Jamaica's attainment of constitutional independence" in 1962 inspired her to celebrate the irrepressible "independantniss" of her people. She wrote:

Matty sey it mean we facety
Stan' up pon we dignity,
An we don't allow nobody
Fe teck libarty wid we.

Independence is we nature
Born and bred in all we do
An she glad fe se that Govament
Tun independant too.

She hope dem caution worl'- map
Fe stop draw Jamaica small
For
de lickle speck can't show
We independantniss at all!

Miss Lou celebrated Jamaica's entry into the community of nations, and when Jamaicans started to pour into Englan' in the 1950s she unleashed her mordant humour, greeting the exodus as a mere "colonisation in reverse":

Wat a joyful news , Miss Mattie,
I feel like me heart gwine burs'
Jamaica people colonisin'
Englan in reverse.

What a islan! What a people!
Man and woman, old and young
Just pack dem bag and baggage
An tun history upside down.

Then she went to 'Merika and met Harry at the height of his calypso-singing fame. And she look pon Harry and sey: "Harry, how you ah sing 'bout six foot,seven foot, eight foot bunch, eh? Bwoy, you ever did know banana have foot? Well mek me tell you this, banana no have foot. Banana have hand and fingers".

Then she tun 'round and sang the sing:

"Six hand, seven hand, eight hand bunch",
bringing much daylight to Harry's 'Merican head.

Louise Bennett alerted Jamaicans to the power of their African heritage. She was especially fond of the Dinki Mini, a funerary dance that defies death while bringing
jollification to the hearts of the bereaved.

And right now Miss Lou's metallic laughter rings across Jamaica, signalling her defiance of death. She is now a verb in the grammar of Jamaican culture. Miss Lou has earned her immortality!

* stalwart

This is taken from a longer tribute.

- Caldwell Taylor

July 27, 2006

In Honour of a Great Jamaican

Please feel free to reproduce this poem to honour the legacy of Miss Lou.

Tribute to Miss Lou
By Dub Poet Lillian Allen


HEARTBEAT
Pred out yuself Miss Lou
Lawd, yu mek wi heart pound soh
yu mek wi just love up wiself
an talk wi talk soh

spirit words
on a riddim fire
word flame beat
pumps de heart
pulses history's heat

She writes
the heartbeat of our lives
dignity/culture/politics/history/lovingness/soul
dis dressup oman wi shinning star

HISTORY
Her Story
my story
his story
our story
brukout story

THE VOICE
The voice
stug ug ugg uggling
to be heard


hear dis;
dem sey we sey she sey he sey hear sey
raw rim of soul
her mirror a poem
with room to grow

LANGUAGE
Get up
dance clap
sweat pon de ground
tambourine
sing a ring ding
sing a ring ding

If wi caant sing wi 'Linstead Market'
an 'Wata Com A Mi Yeye'
is what mek you gwine think
we coulda did feel satisfied

the language of the people is the language of life

WINGS
She gives voice
(and) form
(and) wings to the silenced

"BEAR IT UP"
Candy Seller
how is business nowadays?
a South Parade Peddle meddle
Problems Problems
Hardtimes
Invasions
My dreams
see Jamaica Elevate
Changes
bear up people for the Victory Parade
It Wut It It Wut It

CHO MON
when Auntie Roachie speak
cho mon
oonu know sey if a noh soh
a near soh

A TRUE
And the first and last sentence
in the book of her life reads:
Jamaican people in dem free spiritidness
in dem purity
in dem Caribbeaness
in dem Blackness
in dem cunning and industriousness
in dem 'tuppidness and imperfection
is precious

and even the ugliest among us
agents of doom and exploitation
you will hear say;
'A true mon. A true thing Miss Lou a talk, yes!'

SOUL FLICKER
Sometimes, sometimes
in the midst of oppression
a soul emerges
in the dense silence
in the conspiracy of normalcy
and officialdom


sometimes in this dimness
a flicker
a light
a path
a Miss Lou

The Coalition's Tribute to Miss Lou

The Hon. Louise Bennett-Coverly O.M. M.B.E. Dip R.A.D.A., D. Lit (Hon)

1919-2006

Louise Bennett was born on September 7, 1919. She was not only a Jamaican poet and activist, but also a 'living legend' and cultural icon. Miss Lou received her education from Ebenezer and Calabar Elementary Schools, St. Simon's College, Excelsior College, Friends College (Highgate).

Although she lived in Toronto for the last decade, she still receives the homage of the expatriate West Indian community in the north as well as a large Canadian following.

She was described as Jamaica's leading comedienne, as the "only poet who has really hit the truth about her society through its own language", and as an important contributor to her country of "valid social documents reflecting the way Jamaicans think and feel and live". She composed her poems in the Jamaican language, and as a result, legitimized the Jamaican folk culture to an art level which now is acceptable to and appreciated by all in Jamaica.

In her poems she was able to capture all the spontaneity of the expression of Jamaicans' joys and sorrows, their ready, poignant and even wicked wit, their religion and their philosophy of life. Her first dialect poem was written when she was fourteen years old. A British Council Scholarship took her to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art where she studied in the late 1940's.

Bennett not only had a scholarship to attend the academy but she auditioned and won a scholarship. After graduation she worked with repertory companies in Coventry, Huddersfield and Amersham as well as in intimate revues all over England.

On her return to Jamaica she taught drama to youth and adult groups both in social welfare agencies and for the University of the West Indies Extra Mural Department.

She lectured extensively in the United States and the United Kingdom on Jamaican folklore and music and represented Jamaica all over the world. She married Eric Winston Coverley in 1954 (who died in 2002) and has one stepson and several adopted children. She enjoyed theatre, movies and auction sales.

Her contribution to Jamaican cultural life was such that she was honored with the M.B.E., the Norman Manley Award for Excellence (in the field of Arts), the Order of Jamaica (1974) the Institute of Jamaica's Musgrave Silver and Gold Medals for distinguished eminence in the field of Arts and Culture, and in 1983 the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters from the University of the West Indies. In September 1988 her composition "You're going home now", won a nomination from the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, for the best original song in the movie Milk and Honey.

In 1998 she received the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters from York University in Toronto, Canada. The Jamaica Government also appointed her Cultural Ambassador at Large for Jamaica. On Jamaica's independence day 2001, Bennett Coverley was appointed as a Member of the Order of Merit for her distinguished contribution to the development of the Arts and Culture. - courtesy of The Coalition