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Making Sense of Suffering at The UWI’s 36th Annual West Indian Literature Conference

For Release Upon Receipt - October 4, 2017

St. Augustine


Only by fathoming emotions in Caribbean literature can we understand ourselves

The Department of Literary, Cultural and Communication Studies (LCCS), Faculty of Humanities and Education (FHE) hosts the 36th annual West Indian Literature Conference (WILC) under the theme, Affect & Ethical Engagement in collaboration with The UWI campuses and non-campus territories, as well as by the University of Puerto Rico and the University of Miami, The University of the Bahamas and The University of Guyana. According to the Dean of the Faculty, Professor Heather Cateau, “This year’s conference theme “Affect and Ethical Engagement” has proven to be poignantly resonant as the Caribbean region grapples at present with dire environmental, economic, and social challenges. During the conference, through literature and the arts we address how as a people we press on – evaluating, enduring and evolving.”

This year’s conference which takes place from October 4 to 7 features keynote speakers Laurence Breiner, Vladimir Lucien, Patricia Saunders. WILC in collaboration with The UWI Press will launch Professor Emeritus Barbara Lalla’s fourth novel – “Grounds for Tenure” on October 5 at 5pm at the Centre for Language Learning (CLL) Auditorium. On each day of the conference, there will be free Lunchtime Readings by fiction writers and poets including UWI MFA Coordinator Muli Amaye, Andre Bagoo, Shivanee Ramlochan, Jannine Horsford, Dr. Merle Hodge, Professor Emeritus Funso Aiyejina, Rhoda Bharath and Amilcar Sanatan. Trinidadian Commonwealth Prize awardees will also present their work at “An Evening of Readings” with Barbara Jenkins, Sharon Millar, Jared Hosein, Lance Dowrich, Alake Pilgrim and Ingrid Persaud. The films “Walcott as Poet and Seer” and “Shakespeare in the Caribbean, The Caribbean Shakespeare” in honour of Derek Walcott and Dr. Giselle Rampaul will be screened respectively.

The 3-day conference ends with a Literary Fete – “Looking for trouble: An Evening of Words and Music” hosted by NGC Bocas Lit Fest on October 7 from 7.30 to 9.30pm at Alice Yard, 80 Roberts Street, Woodbrook it will feature readings and a musical performance by extempo legend, Black Sage.

For more information, please visit: http://sta.uwi.edu/conferences/17/literature/ or call 662-2002 ext. 83867, 83039, 82035 or email wilitconf36@sta.uwi.edu.

 

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About The UWI

Since its inception in 1948, The University of the West Indies (UWI) has evolved from a fledgling college in Jamaica with 33 students to a full-fledged, regional University with well over 40,000 students. Today, UWI is the largest, most longstanding higher education provider in the Commonwealth Caribbean, with four campuses in Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Open Campus. The UWI has faculty and students from more than 40 countries and collaborative links with 160 universities globally; it offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Food & Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology and Social Sciences. UWI’s seven priority focal areas are linked closely to the priorities identified by CARICOM and take into account such over-arching areas of concern to the region as environmental issues, health and wellness, gender equity and the critical importance of innovation. Website: www.uwi.edu

 (Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.)

 

 

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