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Minister of Community Development and Culture, Steve Blackett, presenting the Prime Minister’s Award for the Frank Collymore Literary Endowment Competition to Dr. Lance Bannister. At right is Committee Chairman, Antonio "Boo" Rudder. (A. Miller/BGIS)
The literary arts in Barbados are alive and well, with several established and "up and coming" local writers contributing quality work to the Frank Collymore Literary Endowment Competition.
This is according to Committee Chairman, Antonio "Boo" Rudder, who said the quality of work judged by his group had been consistently high, which in turn was good news for the future of the literary arts.
He was speaking during the presentation of the Prime Minister’s Award for the Frank Collymore Literary Endowment Competition to Dr. Lance Bannister.
The Endowment was established to assist in promoting the literary arts in Barbados.
The award, which is given to a local work representative of Barbadian heritage, was presented by Minister of Community Development and Culture, Steve Blackett, last Friday at his office in the Warrens Office Complex, Warrens, St. Michael.
"When you look across the range of works that have been submitted, then I believe that it augurs well for Barbados…we need to hear our own voice and our own stories. I believe that is critical within the development of the Barbadian cultural landscape," Mr. Rudder opined.
The Chairman added that, apart from established authors, many new writers were also entering the competition.
"There are new writers entering every year…expanding their skills, and I believe that goes across the board, not only in terms of the Literary Endowment but if you look at the range of writers emerging out of NIFCA, then clearly we have the basic material to work with. Unfortunately, publishing is still a bit of a challenge in Barbados, and these are areas we need to look at seriously," he said.
Minister Blackett also congratulated Dr. Bannister on his award, urging him to continue with his literary endeavours.
Dr. Bannister was presented with the prize for his publication "The Talking Tree." The book focuses on the life of the Bannister family and the changes in Barbados from the early 1900s to the present.