For one group of secondary school students, the Easter vacation got off to a literary start when they attended the Allen Prize for Young Writers' Term II Seminar, at the Rudranath Capildeo Learning Resource Centre in Couva. The Allen Prize for Young Writers, established in 2009, is a non-profit organisation, set up to train and publish writers from T&T, aged 12-19 years. The organisation also offers an annual prize to young writers in fiction, creative non-fiction, drama and poetry. The Term II Seminar, held on April 9, drew students from schools around the country, including Irie High School, Barataria Senior Secondary, St Joseph's College and Bishops.
They came together to hear talks given by Orange Prize candidate Monique Roffey, author of The White Woman on the Green Bicycle; Nicholas Laughlin, editor of the Caribbean Review of Books, and a member of the Allen Prize Board; and poet Muhamad Muwakil. Lisa Allen-Agostini, Allen Prize chairman, welcomed students, parents and teachers to the seminar, before Ministry of Education, Language Arts curriculum co-ordinator, Mala Morton-Gittens greeted the group, saying that the next great Caribbean writer might be among them. Laughlin spoke on creative non-fiction writing, describing its use in biography, essay and travel writing. He shared examples of the craft and said, "It's not just about the information, but the way it is communicated...using all the techniques used in literature."
Roffey told participants anecdotes from her own life that had formed her as a writer. She said one of her mentors, Andrew Miller, had told her when it came to book writing, "a first draft doesn't have to be good, it just has to be finished." She encouraged them to simply get a pen and notebook, and start writing.
Muwakil came from the back of the room reciting one of his poetic works, engaging his audience from the get-go. He told them of his journey as a poet and writer, drawing inspiration from life and trying to remain true to his calling. At the end of the session, parents and students expressed their gratitude and said how much they had enjoyed the discussions. Further information on The Allen Prize for Young Writers is available at allenprize.org.
The Allen Prize for Young Writers has announced the short list of writers selected for its inaugural writing competition. Twenty-two writers, age 12-19, have been chosen. Writers were asked to submit a body of work for the competition. Their works, submitted between September-December, 2010, were judged in the junior category (age 12-15) and the senior category (age 16-19), in four genres: poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction and drama. Judging is blind and done by a panel led by journalist and author Judy Raymond. The members of the judging panel are Kevin Baldeosingh, Debbie Jacob, Roslyn Carrington, Sharon Millar and Justice James Aboud. Some short-listed writers will also be invited to participate in a two-day intensive writing workshop in July.
Prize structure
The winners will be announced at a ceremony in May. The cash prizes are as follows:
Overall prize, Senior Category (age 16-19): $2,500
Overall prize, Junior Category (age 12-15): $1,500
Best fiction entry (senior): $1,000
Best poetry entry (senior):$1,000
Best creative non-fiction entry (senior): $1,000
Best drama entry (senior): $1,000
Best fiction entry (junior): $500
Best poetry entry (junior): $500
Best creative non-fiction entry (junior): $500
Best drama entry (junior): $500
Short-listed Writers
Poetry:
•Mariella Rivas
•Shanice Hercules
•Warren DeMills
•Aleah Joseph
•Harold Raghunandan
•Giselle Permell
Drama:
•Amrita Annamunthodo
•Kevonn Morgan
Creative
non-fiction:
•Precious St Clair
•Reon Elder
•Veronika Kratz
•Amrita Annamunthodo
Fiction:
•Kalifa Lovelace
•Joshua Sammy
•Michael Phillip
•Maria Reverand
•Michelle Chan Wah
•Aamy Roopnarine
•Anastasia Toppin
•Veronika Kratz
•Krystoff Kissoon
•Cavan Byrne
•Anabelle Castagne
•Simone Delzin