New poet laureate to celebrate and promote the art of poetry in Jamaica

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Custos Rotulorum for Kingston, Steadman Fuller (centre), and Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, share a photo opportunity with Poet Laureate of Jamaica for 2025 to 2028, Professor Kwame Dawes, during the recent ceremony of investiture at King’s House. JIS File Photo

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica’s newly appointed Poet Laureate, Professor Kwame Dawes, plans to celebrate and promote the art of poetry throughout the island during his tenure.

Custos Rotulorum for Kingston, Steadman Fuller, deputising for Governor-General, His Excellency Sir Patrick Allen, recently presented Dawes with the official Poet Laureate sash and pin during an investiture ceremony at King’s House. His tenure will span the period 2025 to 2028.

Dawes has outlined strategies to promote poetry and make it accessible to a wider audience.

He plans to continue the work of his predecessors – distinguished poet and author, Olive Senior (2021-2024), accomplished author, Lorna Goodison (2017-2020), and literary giant Professor Mervyn Morris (2014-2017).

“I met with all three of them and asked them what they didn’t get to do. So, I am putting those ideas on my list, things that we think are important to continue. We’re going to do a lot of work with [traditional] and social media to promote Jamaican poetry,” Dawes tells JIS News.

To support these efforts, Professor Dawes has formed a 12-member support team that will assist in designing a programme of events and initiatives aimed at preserving the legacy of Jamaican poetry.

“We will celebrate poetry, remember the legacy of the poets, bring the gift of poetry to our people and encourage our people to recognise poetry in their everyday lives. We will work hard to secure this institution for the future to create lasting opportunities for poets to write, publish and get better and better at their craft,” he says.

The Ghanaian-born, Jamaican-raised poet points out that one of his key initiatives is the launch of a weekly poem series, designed to celebrate Jamaican poetry and keep the art form alive and accessible to all, adding that “this will be set up over a period of time”.

Professor Dawes also plans to establish a new Caribbean Poetry imprint, which will be publishing the works of regional poets.

He says this collaborative initiative will be similar to work he did in Africa where he published a series of pieces for more than 200 of the continent’s poets in just 10 years.

This series has helped talented African poets to get their start and showcase their work to a large audience.

“So, we are going to bring that initiative here as well,” Dawes pointed out.

He also envisions the creation of a Poets House, a dedicated space for preserving and celebrating poetry in Jamaica.

While noting that this venture may not happen during his tenure, Dawes says it could be similar to poetry institutions in countries such as the United Kingdom (UK) and United States of America (USA).

“We want to have a space for poetry, an archive for poetry and a place for the celebration of poetry,” he adds.

Dawes, who has had a deep connection with schools in Jamaica, says he is committed to ensuring that the love for poetry is cultivated and celebrated among young people.

“One of the ways I see this happening is by reaching students where they already are on social media. I believe it’s important to make poetry accessible to them in creative, engaging ways that resonate with their digital world,” he adds.

While acknowledging that not every student will pursue poetry professionally, Professor Dawes emphasises the importance of providing aspiring poets with platforms and opportunities for growth.

“We want to ensure they have the platform and resources to thrive, creating a space where their work can be published and celebrated. My goal is to provide everyone with the tools and training they need to nurture their interest in poetry, offering avenues for support, growth, and the opportunity to have their voices heard,” he adds.

Professor Dawes is the author of more than 30 poetry books and numerous other works, including essays, criticism and fiction.

He is the recipient of multiple awards, among these the Order of Distinction (Commander Class) by the Government of Jamaica in 2022, the 2023 Poetry Book Society Choice for Winter, and the Musgrave Silver Medal for outstanding contribution to the arts in 2004.

Son of the late Neville Dawes, novelist and former executive director of the Institute of Jamaica, Professor Dawes is currently a lecturer in the Master of Fine Arts Programme at Pacific University, Oregon, as well as a Professor of Literary Arts at Brown University in the USA.

Former Poet Laureate, Olive Senior, welcomes Dawes’ appointment.

“He is very dynamic and used to operating internationally at all levels, so I think we can expect something new and different from Kwame. He is going to inject a lot of excitement into poetry in Jamaica. We have a lot to look forward to,” she tells JIS News.

Through the Poet Laureate of Jamaica Programme, Senior was instrumental in creating a digital archive that serves as an online repository of Jamaican poets and their work.

Among those whose materials are archived are Olive Senior, Lorna Goodison, Professor Mervyn Morris, Opal Palmer Adisa, Kwame Dawes, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Oku Onuora and Ann-Margaret Lim.

Members of the public can access the archive at https://japoetryarchive.nlj.gov.jm to hear poets read their work, view texts and learn about the poets through photographs and biographical information.

The Poet Laureate of Jamaica Programme is directed by the National Library of Jamaica in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport.

– JIS

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