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UWI TODAY
– SUNDAY 4TH SEPTEMBER, 2016
REFLECTIONS
Three weeks of writing
and being critiqued by a group of
strangers in the middle of nowhere with no meat, alcohol
or caffeine - how would this hedonist survive? That was my
second thought on realising I was selected to participate in
Beyond Expectations –The Cropper Foundation Caribbean
Writers’ Residential Workshop 2016 for prose, fiction,
poetry and playwriting development in Balandra.
I’m happy to report that my initial trepidation
evaporated and the overall experience was indeed ‘beyond
expectations’ and met the elation of my first thought about
being in the programme. Where food was concerned, I
ended up having some of the best meals, vegetarian or
otherwise, during that time which was prepared by chef
Carrol McConney and her staff. Picture crispy baigan
rounds; roasted ochro with homemade coconut bake
and creamy spiced porridge so good it could render you
speechless and that was just the breakfast menu. I was not
alone in my adulation of the sweet hands that fed us. Many
a meat-mouth in our group became vegetarian converts,
even if only for three weeks. The role of food throughout
the workshop undoubtedly gave us the fuel we needed for
our rigorous daily critique sessions.
Every year the writing programme welcomes writers at
all stages of their literary endeavours andmy group spanned
the gamut of life experiences. Among the eight diverse people
in the group, there was a retired engineer turned published
writer, a Bahamian LGBT and women’s rights activist, an
MFA student and I - a corporate communications writer.
Literary veterans, Professor Emeritus Funso Aiyejina and
former Lecturer and Dean of Humanities and Education,
Dr Merle Hodge, led the roundtable critical discussions.
These were centered on a designated person’s submission
for which in-depth criticism was required.
Critic was one role, with the flipside of that being
writer, arguably the more difficult of the two as it was not
easy to hear that your writing did little for your audience.
However, you were left with a greater understanding of why
and what tools you could use to reach the audience you
intended. Surprisingly, everyone took their critiques well,
so much so we were praised for it. Our egos took a beating,
but we were made stronger writers for it.
The logistics of managing a group of people in a remote
location while printing submissions, scheduling meals,
arranging field trips and ensuring things run smoothly
requires a dedicated team of professionals working around
the clock and that was housed in one body belonging to
Dr Danielle Lyndersay, former Head of the Department of
Creative and Festival Arts (DCFA). She was “den mother”
and the greatest source of energy for our group who worked
tirelessly and efficiently tomake sure that we got the ultimate
Cropper experience.
Dr Lyndersay, a drama professor by trade and seemingly
a magician all other time, was always trying to find sources
of funding for the programme. The value of programmes
like Cropper that helps in the creation of new Caribbean
literature was repeatedly underscored by our guest lecturers
Dr Elizabeth Walcott-Hackshaw, Barbara Jenkins, Rhoda
Bharath and Sharon Millar.
Being part of the Cropper Foundation taught me that
there is no blueprint for what a Caribbean writer should
writer about. One of the best lessons from the Workshop
is that my writing voice was valid and would reach my
audience once I committed myself to the discipline of
writing and reading widely. In an open microphone “read-
out” that was held at the legendary Arthur’s Bar, members of
the Toco community participated by singing, reading their
works of fiction and share freely their personal stories. The
Cropper Foundation taught me that we owe it to ourselves
to tell and celebrate our stories as only we can.
Beyond Expectations
B Y J E A N E T T E G . A W A I
Cropper Foundation Class of 2016 (From L to R): Paula Hamilton, Celia Soraindo, Amanda Choo Quan, Curlicia McConney (honorary Cropperite), Alicia Wallace, Motilal Boodoosingh,
Jeanette G. Awai, Kwasi Shade
Jeanette G. Awai is a writer who is on a steady literary diet. To find out how she stays so fit, please email
About the
Cropper Foundation
The Cropper Foundation is a
not-for-profit philanthropic
organisation committed to
Caribbean development
across a range of disciplines
and sec tors. A family
foundation of modest
resources, the Foundation
seeks to catalyse activities in
its various programmes by
bringing together other like-minded individuals and
organisations to work towards common objectives
that contribute to the public good. Through its
support for Caribbean writers programme, The
Cropper Foundation seeks to contribute to the
literature of the region by creating opportunities
for instruction, appraisal and intellectual debate for
aspiring writers. Undertaken in partnership with the
Department for Creative and Festival Arts, UWI, a
series of workshops have given emerging writers the
benefit of the guidance of established writers and
scholars like Merle Hodge, Funso Aiyejina, Rachel
Manley, Earl Lovelace, and Ken Ramchand. For more
on the Cropper Foundation Residential Workshop for
Writers, please visit their Facebook Page.
