Author Dutty Bookman to Release New Book - Fatidic: Selected Duttyisms

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Washington, DC – Jamaican-born author Dutty Bookman has kept a low profile in recent months, following well-publicized panel discussions in Jamaica, the United States and Spain this year about the Reggae Revival. The author has reclaimed the attention of the public with the relaunch of his website and the impending release of two new books.

The website, Duttyism.com, is a blog where he shares his thoughts on revolution, spirituality and life’s nuances. After more than thirteen months of inactivity, it has been revived with a fresh design. The first article was posted on December 4, titled 'Reggae Revival in 2014.' There, Bookman shares his thoughts and expectations for the movement in the coming year.

"I am not like most bloggers who post on a regular schedule just to keep people's attention. That is not my style," said Bookman. Instead, he insists that his blog has a deeper purpose. "Whenever I resume putting out public writings, it usually signals that shifts are about to happen. This is something I have noticed over time but I really couldn't tell you why.”

It was in 2011 that he first wrote about a "Jamaican Revival" on Duttyism.com, and the following day he also spoke about it at the launch of his first book, Tried & True: Revelations of a Rebellious Youth. That moment provided the impetus for the movement now known worldwide as the Reggae Revival. Approximately one thousand copies have been sold to date.

"Jamaican Revival" and other older blog posts that are no longer available on his website will be released in a new book called Fatidic:Selected Duttyisms. The cover artwork was designed by rising graphic and mural artist, Matthew McCarthy, who recently exhibited his own work at the National Gallery of Jamaica’s “New Roots” exhibit.

Fatidic: Selected Duttyisms 
will be released early in 2014 and made available for purchase on Duttyism.com as well as other online outlets and bookstores. Still, some are wondering about the status of his highly anticipated Reggae Revival book.

"When I initially started working on the Reggae Revival book, I thought that it would help to draw attention to what was then, a largely unfamiliar art scene. Recently I came to the realization that it's just not that urgent anymore," said Bookman. "After the global attention that came suddenly during the summer, especially from Europe, North America, and Jamaica itself, I realized that I could be more patient with the book and focus on other ways to assist the movement."

The Reggae Revival book is slated to be published towards the end of 2014. In the interim, more information about the movement can be found at reggae-revival.com.
 

Photo caption
The front cover of Fatidic: Selected Duttyisms, designed by Matthew McCarthy.

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Delano Franklyn Launches Book - MICHAEL MANLEY: PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST, in New York

Thursday, November 14, 2013

New York, N.Y. - November 09, 2013   - Author, Delano Franklyn launched his latest book, MICHAEL MANLEY: PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST on Thursday, November 7, at The United Moravian Church in Harlem, New York.  Mr. Franklyn's short presentation preceded an engaging "Question and Answer" session. Among the guests present were Mr. Herman Lamont, Jamaica's Consul General to New York, Mr.  Christopher Castriota, Community Relations Officer at The Consulate;  Mr. Irwine Claire O.D., Chairman of The Northeast Diaspora  Board and Messrs. Andrew Lawrence and Patrick Beckford, Diaspora Representative from Connecticut and former Diaspora Board Advisor respectively.  The evening ended with a book signing session and cake cutting by The Consul General and Mr. Franklyn, in honour of The Most Honourable Michael Manley.

Delano Franklyn with Consul General Herman Lamont

MICHAEL MANLEY: PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST is a collection of ten lectures by renowned scholars and other "knowledgeable" figures. It has "its genesis in the formation and continued existence of The Michael Manley Foundation". The Most Honourable Michael Manley, through his work as a trade unionist, journalist, two-times Prime Minister of Jamaica and International Political Figure concentrated his efforts on always "putting people first". The individual lectures contained in the publication provide the details of Manley's extensive legacy in this area.

 

About the Author

Delano Franklyn is a former Senator and Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Jamaica. He has penned, compiled and edited several books. MICHAEL MANLEY: PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST is his eighth publication.  Mr. Franklyn currently practices law in Kingston, Jamaica and is a Special Advisor to current Prime Minister, Portia SimpsonMiller. He also serves as Chairman of The Michael Manley Foundation. The Author attended Kingston College, Mico University, The University of West Indies and The Norman Manley Law School.

Work Cited

Franklyn, Delano. MICHAEL MANLEY: PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST. Kingston: Wilson Franklyn Barnes, 2013. Print.

 

 

KuttingEdge Communications
Francine Chin
Publicist
KuttingEdge Communications
Email: kedgepr@gmail.com
Tel: 631/671.2375
Fax:631/920.7299

 

 

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Kittitian Author- Carol Ottley-Mitchell Nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award

Monday, October 28, 2013

Carol Ottley-Mitchell

St. Kitts and Nevis author, Carol Ottley-Mitchell was nominated for an Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. Over 238 candidates from 68 countries are nominated to the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award 2014. These were presented at the Frankfurt Book Fair on October 10, 2013.

The Award, which was created in honour of the famous Swedish author Astrid Lindgren, creator of the Pippi Longstocking and one of Sweden’s most important authors, is the world's largest award for children's and young adult literature.  

Ottley-Mitchell was nominated for her popular Caribbean Adventure Series, four books which feature the adventures of three Caribbean children and a mischievous vervet monkey. The first book, Adventure at Brimstone Hill, is set at the historic Brimstone Hill Fortress in St. Kitts.

The other books are each set in a different Caribbean island, Jamaica, Trinidad and the latest book, Fury on Soufriere Hills, is based in Montserrat. Children reading these adventure books are exposed to the culture, history and geography of the Caribbean. 
 

The Kittitian is one of a few authors from the English speaking Caribbean who have been nominated for the prize in the last ten years.  Other Caribbean nominees are below:

 Library Services Department
Organisation
British Virgin Islands

Magallanes, Alejandro
Author/Illustrator
Mexico

National Reading Rooms Program
Organisation
Mexico

Stoutt, Elmore
Oral storyteller
British Virgin Islands

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Author Interview: Malcolm Frierson Author of the Novel FINDING JAMAICA

Friday, October 18, 2013

I

n his new novel Finding Jamaica, Malcolm Frierson takes reader on an adventure with Sayvon Walker seeking love on his vacation, but discovers that women can be ruthless to men who refuse to play games.


Surrounded by the sexual escapades of his married best friend and pro-athlete brother, Sayvon wonders if he will ever find a woman willing to meet him halfway in a serious relationship. When a spunky dancer storms into his life and grabs his heart, he swears she's "the one." Yet her troubled past and a calculated extortion plot by his ex-fiancée cause unforeseen trouble. Thrilling, emotional, and funny, Finding Jamaica is a wild ride on the slick love train!

 

CEM Q & A with author Malcolm Frierson

Tell us about you.
I'm a dreamer, thinker, and doer. I live for new experiences and value friendships as much as finances. I could always use more of both, of course! Jackson, Mississippi is my birthplace—my sweetheart is a native of Barbados. I love my family, career in post-secondary education, and all of the variety that life brings.

 

What is Finding Jamaica about?
It's about a guy looking for love. He wants to be the opposite of irresponsible men like his father. His closest guy friends are womanizers, but he wants nothing more than to meet his match and have a traditional family. Now, the ladies he encounters along the way are some very bad girls! One is a Jamaican bombshell who turns his world upside down. That complicates this story while adding excitement as the novel answers the question of whether or not nice guys really finish last.

 

How did you come up with this story line?
Unfortunately, I think everyone has passed over a "good man" or "good woman" at some point, and my thinking was to write a story from that overlooked lover's perspective.

What was the most challenging aspect of writing Finding Jamaica?
I found it so difficult to keep the main character true to his identity. One reader mentioned wanting to jump into the novel and shake him into his senses. I felt the same way at times, so I had to work to displace my thinking and allow Sayvon to go through his ups and downs on his own terms.

 

How did you come up with the Sayvon Walker character?
I first thought about the person that I didn’t want Sayvon to be. The literary world has enough main characters who are liars, cheaters, and gangstas, including the white-collar variety. Sayvon is definitely flawed, but he's a "good man" overall. I put effort into creating a character that has so much of what most women claim to desire in a man.

 

Is there anyone you know that reminds you of Sayvon?
You mean other than myself? I've played the fool once or twice! As the song goes, it takes a fool to learn that love don’t love nobody. Everyone who has been on the losing side of the game of love at some point reminds me of Sayvon.

 

Where do you get inspiration from when writing?
I often reflect on the many Harlem Renaissance novels that I fell in love with years ago. They inspire me because they are so entertaining, educational, thought provoking, and just good! I try to give my readers the same type of meaningful experience. Thinking about books likeNot Without Laughter, The Blacker the Berry, and many others raises my creative energy.

 

Is this the only genre you write in?
No. My first published novel, A Place in the World, fits into the genre of literary fiction. I also enjoy writing nonfiction—works rooted in history and present-day social criticism.

 

Describe your writing schedule. Do you outline? Any habits?
I don't outline when I'm writing fiction. I'll occasionally make a note to include a particular situation or pop culture reference, but I generally rely on my imagination to determine my direction and schedule. When the words and ideas are flowing, I can spend as much as three weeks writing daily from sunup to sundown. At other times I can go a month without writing a single page. I've learned to be patient with myself.

 

Where is your favorite place to write?
This is the second novel I've written primarily from the comfort of my bed. That's my process. I think, write, and nap interchangeably. There must be something about the cozy feel of my mattress that increases my productivity!

 

I think this book will make a good movie. Have you ever thought about selling the rights for a movie deal?
Absolutely. In fact, I've considered adapting the novel into movie or play script in the near future. Its elements of drama, suspense, humor, and hope would work incredibly well in those mediums.

 

What authors inspire you?
Wallace Thurman, Langston Hughes, Michael Baisden, Carl Weber, Colin Channer, and several others. I never read their works while I'm working on a novel, though. Their stories, their styles are so captivating that I stay away from them while writing in order to keep my thoughts within my own imagination.

 

What are you working on now?
I have a couple of literary projects on my table. One is a fiction drama about a young married woman struggling to help her husband become a man and do right by her. It's tentatively titled You're Gonna Love Me. That manuscript is about halfway complete and I think it will appeal to readers who enjoy drama, suspense, and redemption in novels. My other project is a nonfiction story of the role that African American comedians played in the struggle for freedom in America during the 1960s. It's very close to completion, so look for it in book and documentary form soon!

 

Do you plan on doing a follow-up to Finding Jamaica?
Not at the moment, but I'll give it stronger consideration if enough readers want an update on Sayvon and his merry-go-round. The novel has a conclusive ending yet there's still room to question how things turn out, say, one or five years later.

 

Where can readers find your book?
They can visit malcolmfrierson.com or Amazon.com.  

 

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Usain Bolt to Release “Faster Than Lightning: My Autobiography” on Amazon

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Today Usain Bolt tweeted about his upcoming book “Faster Than Lightning: My Autobiography.”, which will released in October on Amazon.

 

The autobiography of the fastest man of all time and a superstar whose talent and charisma have made him one of the most famous people on the planet.

 

Whether you know Athletics or not, and even whether you know sport or not, chances are you know Usain Bolt. The fastest man on the planet, not just now but ever, Usain has won the hearts of people everywhere with his mind-blowing performances and his infectious charisma – uniting supporters around the world.

In this, his full autobiography, Usain tells his story in his own words: from humble beginnings in Jamaica, to international stardom at Beijing and on to the new heights of superstardom he has reached since lighting up London 2012.

Full of the charm and charisma that has made him the most popular sporting figure of our time and a universal celebrity; this is a book that Usain’s millions of fans will love.

 

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