Literary: Jammin' Books at Miami Book Fair

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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.

Kids' Books: A Rousing "Reggae Rescue' Reading Session

Singer.Author. Organizer. Parent. Enviro-activist. Motivator. Jana Bent checks all those boxes, and during her recent Saturday reading session at Bookophilia in the Kids section, she had moments to incorporate them all.

Using her popular Shaggy Parrot series of enviro-themed children's books, Bent led a colourful and vibrant read-along and sing-along that easily included several of the parents on hand as well as their young charges. Well- prepared with instruments and props, Bent encouraged the youngsters to play their part in preserving our shared natural heritage, even as they revelled in the adventures of the Shaggy character and his marine, riverain and land-based pals.

More recently, Bent, who also "squeezes in" a day job with regulator the Betting Gaming and Lotteries Commission, stated that she had reached an agreement with charitable organization the American Friends of Jamaica, to purchase a significant quantity of the books for distribution to schools across the island. Additionally, she's working on addressing another critical social issue through story-telling: violence against children/minors.

More to come on both those developments, but in the meantime, to recreate the magic of Shaggy, Swimpy, Edda and the rest of the cast, you can pick up the books at local stores, or visit www.reggaepickney.com for more info