News from Authors

Shara McCallum and her latest collection No Ruined Stone have been taking the internet by storm. Find a round-up of the news coverage below:

In its 'In Their Own Words' feature, The Poetry Society of America invited Shara McCallum to share and discuss a poem. Shara shares 'Husband', and discusses the origin of the poem as '[troubling] the waters of memory'.

"It wasn't by accident that The Mermaid of Black Conch swam her way into readers’ hearts during this pandemic. The Peepal Tree Press publication written by Monique Roffey garnered international fame and became one of the most successful Caribbean books of the pandemic year because it provided romance and an exotic escape from covid19 worries," writes Debbie Jacob for Newsday.

Read the article in full.

Gregory Luce, after reading No Ruined Stone for review, asked Shara McCallum if he could interview her. She agreed, and so his review at scene4, which labelled No Ruined Stone as 'one of this year's essential books', also includes a short interview with the poet.

Shara McCallum and Claudia Castro Luna are the two poets interviewed this month at the Kenyon Review. In the interview with Ruben Quesada, Shara goes into wonderful detail about poetry, reading and writing.

On the topic of poetry, Shara is generous, saying, 'I prefer the idea that poetry has as many purposes as there are readers and writers than the idea that poetry has any singular role or purpose.' She feels that while poetry 'can be part of the structure of our communal lives', that isn't often the case.

Malika Booker’s reading of her tribute poem 'To Poet Cyprian Kamil Norwid' was recently shared to the Polish Cultural Institute in London YouTube page. Watch it below.

Image: Drax Windmill & Drax Hall, Barbados, West Indies, Unknown author, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Marvin Thompson has been shortlisted for Wales Book of the Year Poetry Award 2021. The prize is open to a public vote, so anyone can vote for their favourite author.

Meanwhile, Marvin spoke to the prize organisers, Llenyddiaeth Cymru, to say what it means to him to be shortlisted.

Monica Minott has been interviewed by HJ Book Blog, where she talks about her latest collection, Zion Roses:

In 'Fortune with black gold...a writer’s explosive love letter to Trinidad', Ira Mathur interviews Amanda Smyth for the T&T Guardian.

This is a love letter to Trinidad. I come and go and not belong. Sitting in a house in Leamington, Trinidad’s landscape symbolises what I love and the connection I have to Trinidad. I saw the landscape as another character. The land is a canvas on which their longings play and are mirrored back to them. The characters see it differently, but the earth couldn't care less.