Caribbean Women Writers : Essays From the First International Conference

In 1831, three years before England abolished slavery in the British Caribbean, the narrative of Mary Prince was published in London. It was the first account written by a Caribbean slave to be published. Although narratives and stories of Caribbean women have appeared sporadically in subsequent years, it is only since 1970 that a wave of women's writing has innudated the field, thereby changing the horizons of Caribbean literature. In April 1988, at the first conference of its kind, some 50 Caribbean women writers and critics gathered at Wellesley College to discuss their common enterprise. The essays in this volume, based on presentations at that conference, represent the first systematic attempt by these writers to talk about their experiences in practicing their craft. The pieces tell us what has impelled the women to write, what has given them the courage to call themselves writers and what they have chosen to write about and why. In some cases, excerpts from writings are included. The essays are supplemented by the observations of social and literary critics, who place the pieces in historical context. Caribbean Womans's Prayer / Grace Nichols -- Introduction / Selwyn R. Cudjoe -- Recollections Of A Journey Into A Rebel Past / Lucille Mathurin Mair -- Feminism, Nationalism, And The Early Women's Movement In The English-speaking Caribbean (with Special Reference To Jamaica And Trinidad And Tobago) / Rhoda Reddock -- The Transatlantic Metropolis And The Voices Of Caribbean Women / Arthur Paris -- Twentieth-century Women Writers From The English-speaking Caribbean / Laura Niesen De Abruna -- You Want To Be A Coolie Woman? : Gender And Ethnic Identity In Indo-caribbean Women's Writing / Jeremy Poynting. Jean Rhys On Herself As A Writer / Veronica Marie Gregg -- Miss Garthside's Greenhouse / Phyllis Allfrey -- The Unpublished Short Stories Of Phyllis Shand Allfrey / Elaine Campbell -- The Human Spirit / Rosa Guy -- Writing About Fiction / Sybil Seaforth -- Growing Up With Miss Milly By Sybil Seaforth : A Review / Ian Robertson -- Twin Influences : Guyana In The 1960s And Anglophone Caribbean Literature / Janice Shinebourne -- She Scrape She Knee : The Theme Of My Work / Opal Palmer Adisa -- Reflections Of A Writer / Clara Rosa De Lima -- When Rocks Dance : An Evaluation / Leah Creque-harris --fiction In The Scientific Procedure / Erna Broder -- Go Eena Kumbla : A Comparison Of Erna Brodber's Jane And Louisa Will Soon Come Home And Toni Cade Bambara's The Salt Eaters / Daryl Cumber Dance -- Father Sleeps With The Mudpies / Glasceta Honeyghan -- I Write Because ... / Beryl Gilroy -- Challenges Of The Struggle For Sovereignty : Changing The World Versus Writing Stories / Merle Hodge -- Crick Crack Monkey : A Picaresque Perspective / Ena V. Thomas. Jamaica Kincaid And The Modernist Project : An Interview / Selwyn R. Cudjoe -- Adolescent Rebellion And Gender Relations In At The Bottom Of The River And Annie John / Helen Pyne Timothy -- Iniation In Jamaica Kincaid's Annie John / Donna Perry -- Bra Rabbit Meets Peter Rabbit : Genre, Audience, And The Artistic Imagination : Problems In Writing Children's Fiction / Jean D'costa -- Clare Savage As A Crossroads Character / Michelle Cliff -- Leh We Talk See / Jeannette Charles -- Parang / Marion Patrick Jones -- The Battle With Language / Grace Nichols -- How I Became A Writer / Lorna Goodison -- Managing The Unmanageable / Marlene Noursbese Philip -- Finding My Voice / Afua Cooper -- Mirror, Mirror On The Wall / Claire Harris -- Miss Flori's Flowers / Olive Senior -- On Combining Batik Art And Novel Writing ; Thoughts On The Choice Of Theme And Approach In Writing Ti Marie / Valerie Belgrave -- Batik : An Ancient Craft As An Expression Of Contemporary Jamaica / Sharon Chacko. Woman Writers Of The Spanish-speaking Caribbean : An Overview / Maria Christina Rodriguez -- Women Writers Of The French-speaking Caribbean : An Overview / Marie-denise Shelton -- Women Writers Of The Dutch-speaking Caribbean : Life Long Poem In The Tradition Of Surinamese Granmorgu (new Dawn) / Ineke Phaf. Edited By Selwyn R. Cudjoe. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 365-375). First presented at an international conference, these essays discuss the experiences of Caribbean women writers, their reasons for becoming writers and their choice of subjects. Some excerpts from writings are included and are placed in an historical, social and literary context. 'First International Conference on the Women Writers of the English-speaking Caribbean, April 1988'--P. [376].