Poetry Society of Jamaica celebrates 35th anniversary

For about two hours, and to the delight of the audience, poems of all shapes, sizes and themes poured into the amphitheatre of the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts (EMCVPA), along Arthur Wint Drive, last Tuesday evening. The welcome flood marked the celebration of the 35th anniversary of the Poetry Society of Jamaica (PSJ), with the enthusiasm of the dozens of poets and readers indicating that poetry in Jamaica was thriving.

Cheerfully coordinating the several segments of the evening was Mel Cooke, a published and award-winning poet himself, who refrained from reading his own poems, but did read poems by some of the past and present poet laureates of Jamaica. This was during the intervals between the batches of four poets whom he called up to present their work.

The experienced poets performed from memory; the inexperienced ones read from their phones. Behind the speakers, who stood at a lectern in the middle of the stone stage, were a dozen or so giant posters, some of them with stylised portraits of Jamaican poets.

Each performer had to follow the rule of the night and offer only one poem. The MC asked for comments from the audience after many, though – owing to time constraints – not all of the pieces. He was following the pattern established for the Society’s meetings, which are held on the last Tuesday of most months.

The presentation of poems formed the first of the three segments into which the evening was divided. It comprised, as usual, poems which were both personal and social and covered a score of topics and themes. And, as usual, the quality of the pieces ranged from one end of the spectrum to the other.

The third segment was a special presentation by the popular actor, comedian and educator, Owen ‘Blakka’ Ellis, a lecturer at the EMCVPA. He is also a writer, and for the Society’s anniversary, he and three others at the college read selections from his poetry collection, Riddim & Riddles.

Ellis explained that he initially sent 60 poems to Tanya Batson Savage for publication by her company, Blouse & Skirts books, an imprint of Blue Banyan Publishers. Laughing, but also expressing his appreciation for the work involved, he said that over a period of time, the lot was whittled down to 30.

About a dozen of them were performed by Ellis and his readers, Sonia Parkinson, a senior secretary at the college, her daughter Angelina and a student actor and poet, Javoniel ‘Tallawah’ Trowers. The lively presentation was received with much applause and cheering.

Question-and-answer session

Sandwiched between the first and final segment was a question-and-answer session led by poet, Ruth Howard. The questions were answered mainly by PSJ President Tommy Ricketts and friends Malachi Smith and Tomlin Ellis. The latter was sporting a 35-year-old T-shirt, the first “uniform” of the PSJ. Early in the discussion, we heard that Ricketts was a 14-year-old Ardenne High School student when he attended his first PSJ session. About 10 years later, he was asked to head the society by Ellis, Smith and others who, at the time were members of Poets In Unity, the precursor to the PSJ.

The group was disbanding, having been formed by students at the Edna Manley College School of Drama. Members were at the time moving away from Kingston, some to work in other parishes, some to live overseas.

In accord with Cooke’s earlier offers to readers to help with the revision of their poems, Howard raised the question of the importance of mentorship to beginning poets. Ricketts revealled that former Poet Laureate Mervyn Morris had been the first PSJ mentor, and it was he who suggested that poems read at the monthly sessions be not only critiqued, but reworked and brought back to subsequent sessions. Ricketts also gave thanks to another member and mentor, M’Bala.

Echoing Ricketts’ statement that the PSJ was formed because the writers needed it, Smith said, “Poets have a deliberate role to play in the society. It’s not a joke business. Jamaica is like a big theatre. We just need directors – the mentors.”

Ellis contributed the poetic statement that “The Poetry Society is a garden where the flower of poetry can grow”. This led to Howard’s question about where the men would like the PSJ to be in the next 35 years. All agreed that it was important that the society continue to thrive and help the upcoming generation of poets, some still in school.

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