Cow Comesse Again

Every now and then something unusual happens to me while at work and it always seems to revolve around cattle.

This Wednesday, I left Roseau for our monthly staff meeting at Grand Bay and found myself again mixed up in cow "comesse." A cattle farmer had requested some assistance from my supervisor, unbeknownst to me, in Grand Coulibri, a farming community in the Grand Bay heights (near Tete Morne). At least, this cattle encounter wasn't as bad as the last one.

It was just the removal of a mummified foetus (see photo) from a cow. If you look closely you can see the front and back legs, the eye socket and even the umbilical cord as well. This is unofficially my photo of the week.

Nesta

New Kings of Football

It's official now and nobody can doubt it, the Bath Estate Football Club are the new kings of football aka soccer in Dominica.

Last night, the newly crowned back to back DFA Premier League Champions and back to back Newtown Football League Champions, beat the stalwarts, Harlem United, in the Champion of Champions match at the Windsor Park Sports Stadium.

Although the team was hampered by the injury of star player Mitchel "Baggio" Joseph, captain and leading scorer Kurlson "Maxi" Benjamin scored twice to ensure that the boys from Harlem had no chance to disrupt the beautiful run that the boys from Bath Estate have been enjoying lately. Final scores Bath Estate 2 - Harlem United 1 (compliments Randolph Peltier).

For more photos, check out my Facebook album: Estate Champions

Blue, Blue...Estate For True

Nesta

poor crowds despite quality festival

Once again, the Dominican public didn't grasp the opportunity afforded to it during the Nature Island Literary Festival and Book Fair. The second annual festival, although, one of high quality (except for the opening ceremony) was poorly attended by Dominicans.

The highlight of the festival should have been the hundreds of nationals flocking the University Campus instead the lawns of tertiary institution remained almost undisturbed during the weekend of Dominican, Caribbean and International Word Power.

I remember the Minister for Culture, the Hon. Laureen Bannis-Roberts, emanating from her bowels the need for more locals to pay more interest in literacy and creative arts (poetry, short story, etc). Despite the poor crowds, the few who stepped forward were pleased with the output from all participants. I only attended the opening ceremony on Friday Night and most of Saturday (I performed during the Saturday open mic session) but I came out of the event with even a greater enthusiasm for poetry and short story.

I wasn't going to let the poor showing deter me, instead I saw it as a challenge to get our young persons more involved in creative writing. Besides, the young people weren't the ones who were absent, although there could have been more youth attending the festival, there was a good percentage of them seated and even participating in the performances.

The highlight for me wasn't the opening ceremony or the performances but I actually prefered the workshop sessions. I enrolled in the creative writing workshop (last year I was enrolled in the poetry workshop) and my lecturer surely took me off guard. He wasn't what I expected, he was alot better. Colin Channer, noted Jamaican writer and best selling author, gave us daily sessions on improving our creative writing. He has unorthodox processes, well at least they are to me, but still I could relate to his methods and except for one time (where he scolded my writing) I was always engaged in what he was saying.

So now, I have partnered with a friend (Monelle Alexis) and we are going to start off a writer's club for young people who are involved in poetry and short story writing. It will be an avenue for us to critic our work and eventually assist in our development as writers and maybe authors (sooner if not later).

The Dominica Writer's Guild has also seen a sort of rebirth, a meeting is scheduled for this Wednesday to look at ways of developing the grouping. I'm looking forward to it but if those old bums, lol, don't engage the young minds, I am prepared to do so.

All in all, I think the festival reached its main objective and stimulated the minds of those interested in the artform. Oh, by the way, look out for my poetry book, it is in the final stages of edit.

Nesta

Weekend of Word Power

Wow, this week passed by so quickly, with the holiday on Monday and everything else at work I almost didn't have time to take a bath (just kidding). The week has been mixed though, I finally put my final thoughts together and the first completed draft of my soon to be published book of poems (One Room Shack) is ready the for the editing table. If only I had someone who could edit it for me and as usual, as I am typing this post a friend comes to mind, Celia Sorhaindo, I think I will contact her.

Another thing also comes to mind, she just emailed me about the 2nd Annual Nature Island Book Fair and Literary Festival. If you're an avid follower of my blog, you would know that my first public poetry performance was at the inaugural festival and Celia even took photos (thanks again Celia).

I am not up for any scheduled performance this year, there is a rotation in place, but I intend to stick around for the open-mic sessions and seize the opportunity. I have some new work that I would like feedback about and I definitely want to get the crowd reaction from one or two of them.

The Fair/Festival officially begins today but I have been at the UWI Dominica Campus since Wednesday participating in a creative writing workshop behing facilitated by Jamaican author, best seller and professor Colin Channer. It is, so far, a wonderful and enlightening experience. With thousands of ideas running through my head, I am looking forward to starting my first short story but I want to ensure that my book of poems sees the light of day before I change focus. I have already begun my second book of poems and working with the title And Then There Was Nesta, a small derivation of my blog.

So now that I have been able to relate my week activities and even my future endeavours, if you are in Dominica this weekend, please stroll across the Botanic Gardens to the UWI compound to enjoy the best of local, regional and international poetry, short story, music and cultural performances. There will lots of books on display and for sale as well, hopefully next year my first book will be there as well.

Nesta