Latest update April 25th, 2024 12:59 AM
May 31, 2009 Features / Columnists, Guyanese Literature
by Petamber Persaud
Self-publishing was a notable feature at that time. Sheik Sadeek was a pioneer in this field, printing his own numerous works and the material of other writers. And throughout the Post-Independence period writers continue to pay to publish their own work, individually or through organisations like the Roraima Publishers (now defunct), Red Thread and the Association of Guyanese Writers and Artists.
Other enabling features could be found in writing workshops sponsored by the National History and Arts Council. That council also encouraged the flourishing of ideas by offering competitions and affording writers a chance to be published in its journal, KAIE. That journal was responsible for launching the career of many writers who have gone on to international recognition.
The commendable work of KAIE in marketing our writers was ably supported by other literary periodicals like NEW WORLD, DAWN, HERITAGE, PLEXUS, EXPRESSION and THE GUYANA ANNUAL. String those periodicals together and find they have kept the flame of our literature alive, in good and bad times, with each succeeding generation of writers benefiting from our recorded literary heritage and building on it in no uncertain manner.
A recent and welcomed addition to our journals is the Arts Journal offering critical perspective to our literature.
THE GUYANA ANNUAL magazine deserves special mention, mainly because it has outlived all the other periodicals. It is currently the only avenue offering writers, especially emerging writers, a chance to hone their skill, it is currently the only platform encouraging writers by publishing their work; it is a boost for a writer to see his or her name in print. The magazine is currently offering eight literary competitions namely ‘Open Short Story’ and ‘Open Poetry’, ‘Youth Short Story’ and ‘Youth Poetry’, the ‘Martin Carter Essay Prize’, the ‘Egbert Martin Poetry Prize’, the ‘Rajkumari Singh Writing Poetry for Children’ and the ‘Henry Josiah Writing Story for Children’.
In due time, the liberation of the imagination in our writers was harnessed and streamlined with the formation of organisations like the PEN – Guyana Writers Group, the Annandale Group of Writers, the Pavement Group and the Messenger Group. The Culture Corps of the Guyana National Service also played a role in producing writers imbued with political and nationalistic fervour; much of what was published did not stand the test of time. Mahadai Das was perhaps the Service’s best known poetess. At the time of her death in 2003, she was the most prolific resident poetess with three volumes of poetry. ‘They Came in Ships’, her most performed piece eventually gravitated to the title of an imposing and invaluable anthology of writings by Guyanese of Indian descent.
As time went by, the convergence of writers through those organisations extended the debate/discussion on current issues to include a wide cross section of society for whom the writers were supplying new words/phrases to address new experiences.
Responses to this author telephone (592) 226-0065 or email: [email protected]
What’s happening:
• Call for papers on ‘The Art of Edgar Mittelholzer’
• Look out for the production commencement date of the next issue of The Guyana Annual
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