POETRY: Echosightings, Vol III, STANDOFF

When dissent from
within
grew louder than acclaim
without
When even the clotheslines
betrayed party loyalty
When the crisis of
identity
long simmering hit
critical mass
a nation in need
of a
pause
was instead
left
in suspense
Ink-dipped fingers
announcing hope and defiance in
equal measure
Perhaps just
long enough for the
revelation of the the real
Power

Literary: Jammin' Books at Miami Book Fair

blob:https%3A//mail.google.com/36a22a2b-f025-440d-8925-ba5b331b2eca

Read Jamaica, a book promotions outfit based in Kingston, Jamaica will be bringing literary vibes from ‘yaad’ to the 2015 Miami Book Fair, South FLorida Caribbean Newsreports.

In addition to showcasing and promoting Jamaican books at the eagerly anticipated Miami Book Fair, Read Jamaica will also be collaborating with the Consulate General of Jamaica to Miami to present a Book Party on Thursday, November 19, 2015 at 6:00pm.

The Book Party  line-up includes Florida-based Jamaican authors Geoffrey Philp, David Muir (Pieces of Jamaica) and Judith Falloon-Reid, who recently released her latest novel The Silent Stones. These three will be joined by the Jamiacan-based authors Tanya Batson-Savage (Pumpkin Belly and Other Stories) and Kellie Magnus (the Little Lion Series). The evening will also feature the US soft-launch of iPublishJa, a publishing consultancy specializing in digital books.

According to the organizers, the book party will present a mixture of readings, discussion about the state of Jamaican literature as well as the opportunity to mix, mingle and be introduced to some great Jamaican books.

Read Jamaica is the brainchild of three of the most dynamic women in the contemporary Jamaican publishing scene: Tanya Batson-Savage of Blue Moon Publishing and Blouse and Skirt Books, Kellie Magnus of Jack Mandora and Latoya West-Blackwood of iPublish Jamaica.

“This is an wonderful moment in history for Jamaican books in particular and Caribbean books in general,” Tanya Batson-Savage says. “Read Jamaica wants this to be more than a moment. Our aim is to take Jamaican books, by authors at home and abroad to world. Through Read Jamaica we want to tell the world, not only about the writers they are already aware of, but authors they should be paying attention to.”

The Book Party will take place at the Miami Dade College, North Campus, Building A, 11389 NW27th Avenue during the 2015 Miami Book Fair.

Music: Dancehall, the Documentary, the Arenas

The genre itself got started, like most, in the streets, among small gathering places, corners and open-air lawns, but when dancehall became mainstream, so too did the venues shift, and one in particular, has now notched over three decades as the greatest one-night gladiatorial contest for DJs. That is the event known as....

STING
Founded by former enforcer cop Isaiah Laing back in 1983 (still a transitional time for Jamaican music), Sting is virtually unparalleled in all of popular music. On one stage, all of dancehall's latest and greatest meet tot try and impress a notoriously demanding crowd, who have been known to air their displeasure with the throwing of bottles and other missiles, and there has also been gunfire. What they really want to see however, are the on-stage conflicts, as the hottest DJS, male and female, take on each other. These hot lyrical battles have often overheated into physical contests, and the epic feuds between the likes of Beenie Man and Bounty Killer, Vybz kartel and Mavado and more recently 'clash king" Kip Rich and Blak Ryno have played out on the STING stage at JamWorld in the St Catherine plains. More recently, STING entered the realms of pay-per-view, pulling in even more audiences globally and more bucks for Laing and directors, including cash-rich producer Joe Bogdanovich

Reggae Sumfest dancehall night
Reagge Sumfest superceded the now defunct Sunsplash largely on the appeal of its own mid-summer version of a one-night dancehall extravaganza  Indeed, Sumfest Dancehall night is where many artistes essentially "make their bid" for consideration on the STING line-up as the hottest act in July will certainly be offered a spot on Boxing Day (night) . The Sumfest stage has also seen its share of conflicts and controversies, but also some wild and crazy entrances (by the likes of Shabba and more recently, Spice) as well as some memorable performances


Fully Loaded

held at the James Bond beach in scenic St Mary, Fully Loaded spent roughly a decade as the big bad day-into-night beach party of dancehall

Entertainment: Carnival Waves into Negril through "Magic Wand"

inaugural Negril Carnival Gets underway April 14 - scenes from the launch at Jungle Negril, March 18

With the aim of "showcasing a Caribbean cultural artform with mass appeal within the natural environment" that is Negril, organizers  Magic Wand Syndicate will stage the first Negril Carnival in the western resort town between April 14 and 19.

At the media launch, held at popular nightclub The Jungle,  representing the promoters said the event was conceived as a "multi-stakeholder partnership to create a vehicle for promoting culture and tourism, to boost employment and to generate significant revenues for the manifold interest groups in the community."

Whilst promotions will be vigorous in the weeks preceding, there is a diverse week-long calendar of events leading up to the climactic Road March and After Fete on April 19. The week of activity will begin April 14 with the first Socarobics session, a two-hour dance/exercise event designed to help patrons get into the shape and vibe for the later festivities. featuring lead instructions by the renowned Oscar B, aided by personnel from Express Fitness, Socarobics will segue into a grand Lyme party. This event will be repeated on April 15th

April 16 will see the staging of "Ole Mas'" aimed at more mature revellers. Headliners will include Fab 5 Band, Mr "Soca Butterfly" himself, Admiral Bailey, Lovindeer, Oscar B and, from Trinidad, Lima Calbio. Andrew 'Renegades' Henry will provide recorded entertainment, while the Silver Birds and Hummingbirds bands will provide the obligatory pan music.

The revelry gets into high gear On April 17 and 18, with the introduction of Kolours  J'ouvert (April 17) and the H2o Water Party and Champagne Catamaran Cruise respectively. As stated, the Champagne party will be an upscale but no less vibrant Carnival experience, with Lima Calbio bringing the vibes that made for smash hits in Dubai and the Seychelles Islands, while the legendary Merritone and Renegades will provide recorded entertainment on board. The Water Party will be headlined by Bounty Killer, Busy Signal and Oscar B, with DJs Squeeze, Kurt Riley, and Jordon manning the consoles.

The revelry comes to a head early on the morning of April 19, with the giant Road March, in which Junkanoo dancers, stilt walkers, marching bands and more will join the revellers behind the trucks. leading on this grand parade will be  soca sensation Skinny Fabulous, as well as Lima Calbio and DJs Kurt Riley, Jordon Andrew Henry of Renegades and others.  The march will culminate in a Last jump across the stage at Waves beach and the Final Fete.

The event venue partners for Negril Carnival are The Jungle nightclub and Waves beach.