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Creative writing workshops cover five areas - Entries open to JCDC competition

Published:Sunday | November 19, 2017 | 12:00 AM
Contributed
Joan Pinkney (left), licensing and member services manager, JAMCOPY; Gillian Wilkinson-McDaniel (second left), senior director, entertainment policy and monitoring at the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport; Arlene Daley (third left), representing Malachi Dermot Smith, Choice Writer – fourth place; Joan Francis (fourth left), Outstanding Writer – second-place, Rohan Facey (fourth right), Special Writer – third place; Yvonne Malcom Scott (third right), representing Gloria Malcolm Foster, Best Overall Writer – first Place; Juliet Johnson-Clarke (second right), Noteworthy Writer – fifth place and Orville Hill, interim executive director of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) at the awards ceremony for the best writers in the JCDC 2017 competition.

The Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), an agency of the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, will host five intensive and engaging creative writing workshops.

The workshop series will run from today to Tuesday, December 5, and will cover the areas of essay, novel, play, poetry and short story. The workshops will be held at the Louise Bennett Garden Theatre, 36 Hope Road, Kingston 10, beginning at 10:00 a.m.

The first of the series, the Novel Writing Workshop will be held today under the tutelage of Dr Aisha Spencer, while the Play Writing Workshop will be held on Thursday, November 23, and the Short Story Writing Workshop on Thursday, November 30, will be taught by Dr Harold McDermott and Anna-Lisa Rodriguez respectively.

 

Components

 

The Poetry writing workshop will be held on Friday, December 1 and will also be led by Dr Aisha Spencer, while the Essay Writing Workshop will be held on Tuesday, December 5, and will be taught by Miss Trisan Brown.

Registration will take place at the workshops, beginning at 8:30 a.m., at a cost of $2,000 per participant per workshop, inclusive of lunch, workshop materials, and a certificate.

"Writing is a major part of the Jamaican creative industry and over the years, the JCDC has facilitated the literary development of numerous well-known Jamaican writers through both our writing workshops and the annual Jamaica Creative Writing Competition and Exhibition." said Stephen Davidson, director of marketing and public relations at the JCDC.

"These workshops are open to all aspiring and professional writers who are looking to hone their skills, including those preparing entries for the upcoming Jamaica Creative Writing Competition," Davidson continued.

 

Three levels

 

The Jamaica Creative Writing Competition is divided into three levels, Junior Intermediate and Adult and awards are given to the top writers in each level of the five areas.

Entrants are encouraged to write about the Jamaican experiences. Entries for the competition aare open until April 27, 2018.

Persons can access entry forms, rules, and competition guidelines from the JCDC's website, www.jcdc.gov.jm, its Head Office at 3-5 Phoenix Avenue, St Andrew, or parish offices across the island.