the hummingbird’s tongue

I had a moment yesterday when I wanted to quit teaching. As soon as I submitted my grades, the whining began…no matter how clear you are about the course requirements, no matter how many opportunities you give to earn extra credit, there are always a few students who think you owe them something more. I [...]

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it’s raining

Actually, it’s pouring. Good thing I went out early to get some groceries: two apples, soy milk, juice, and a mini Toblerone bar. I needed some little treat since today I plan to get ALL my grading done. I’ve got one exam left and about ten book reviews. Once grades are in I can turn [...]

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home on the grange

Today I reached out to the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society—I’m planning to spend some time there during my week-long visit, and asked for help with my two writing projects: a memoir about my family, and a historical novel about life on an 18th-century sugar plantation. I understand the pride Nevisians feel when it comes [...]

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making waves

…brave as winter roses… I’ve been writing down bits of verse lately. Last month I went to the garden and saw a bright yellow rose named Obedience. That’s a haiku waiting to happen, right? But I couldn’t settle long enough to compose anything. Today in the garden I was contemplating the soft jade moss that [...]

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AQ/Art Quake

My good friend Gabrielle will be performing at this opening reception, and what better gift for the holidays than original art! AQ/Art Quake Exhibit Opening Reception Join Haiti Cultural Exchange on Friday, December 16th at the Five Myles Gallery at 6:00 PM for the latest event in our AQ/Art Quake collaboration! AQ/ArtQuake is a group [...]

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2011 Caribbean Children’s and Young Adult Books

This is a guest post submitted by Summer Edward. Last year, I was fortunate enough to meet Zetta Elliott at the A is for Anansi conference at New York University. Since then, I’ve been a loyal reader of her blog, Fledgling. So when I saw Zetta’s recent post listing MG and YA novels written in [...]

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pink icing

On two occasions when I’ve been talking about my search for contemporary depictions of black teens IN Canada, Pamela Mordecai‘s book, Pink Icing, has come up. And twice I resisted adding the title to my study–after all, it’s not a novel and from the description I read online, it’s not a MG or YA book. [...]

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The Bottom of the Pot ~ ChLA

I’ve got a long post to write about my first Children’s Literature Association conference but I got home at 2am last night and need a day of rest (and silence–even in my head). So for now, I’ve decided to post my conference paper; not sure I’ll develop this for publication, but figured it couldn’t hurt [...]

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magnet

I don’t know about you, but when I start thinking about a certain subject, I often find that my mind turns into a sort of magnet—suddenly everything I’m reading, watching, or talking about leads me back to that particular topic.  Right now, that topic is slavery; I’m teaching a new course on neo-slave narratives and [...]

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can you hear me?

It’s hard to write when you’re unsure of your audience. Who needs to know about the representation of blacks in Canadian children’s literature? If I write a traditional scholarly paper and submit it to an academic journal, it’ll be read by a handful of people. If I post an informal essay on my blog, then [...]

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