Vincentian among Caribbean poets to present their work in Paris

Come June this year, 10 poets from around the Caribbean region will be showcasing their work at one of the most important literary events in Europe – one of them is Vincentian writer and teacher, Jacinth Browne-Howard.

Jacinth was recently announced as part of the cohort to present their work at the 40th edition of the Poetry Market, also known as the Marché de la Poésie.

In an interview with SEARCHLIGHT, Jacinth credited her younger sister, Janielle Browne for bringing the opportunity to her attention which is a joint collaboration with the UNESCO Transcultura Programme and the European Union.

“She was my key motivation for applying and I’m grateful for the results. It is such a remarkable opportunity…we will be given the chance to publish our work in 30,000 copies of the event’s main publication, to network with established authors and publishers from around Europe and to share our poetry.”

Jacinth told SEARCHLIGHT “I’ve been writing for as long as I’ve known myself”, adding that her writing journey has encountered peaks and valleys of rejection and success. The former Girls’ High School National Scholar and holder of a PhD in speculative fiction has been published in academic journals and copped second place in the coveted Frank Collymore literary endowment with a poetry manuscript entitled ‘The Mother Island’.

She admits having had to put in tremendous work, with the help of mentors and professors, to hone her craft.

“When you submit work to competitions there’s no guarantee that you’ll win. In fact it’s much more likely that you will lose and that’s why it’s important to stay humble, stay open and to deeply appreciate the victories when they eventually come. “In the end though you must believe in your work most of all if you plan to get anywhere keep going.”

Jacinth added that the region’s inclusion in the Paris Poetry Market is a big deal for young creatives to be exposed to the European market.

“It will be helpful to connect with professionals from a different cultural sphere and learn new perspectives and methods. I’m sure we’ll all also receive guidance on how to market our work effectively.”

Detailing her latest poetry collection ‘The Mother Island’ which is expected to be published soon, Jacinth told SEARCHLIGHT the work, “deals with colonialism, difficult experiences in motherhood and identity crisis both individually and as a developing nation. There are inspirations both from Barbados and St. Vincent.”

The Paris Poetry Market runs from June 7 to 11 in Paris, France and the other participants from the region are Taimi Dieguez Mallo from Cuba; Kamille Leisha Judith John, Grenada; Cyndi Marshall, Barbados; Arguens Jean Mary, Haiti; Ronaldo Elijah Mohammed, Trinidad and Tobago; Angella O’Brien, Saint Lucia; Víctor Andrés de Oleo de Oleo, Dominican Republic; Tanicia Pratt, the Bahamas and Christena Antonia Valaire Williams, Jamaica.