Behavioural Scientist, Literary Artist & Cultural Activist
...then my living shall not be in vain
Duenne
ISBN-978-1-907493-48-5
There is a character in Caribbean folk mythology known as the “Duenne”. This is the spirit of a child which first appears to humans as an abandoned “sack.” It attracts attention to itself by emitting the wail of a new born baby.
If a curious passerby happens to merely touch the sack, the spirit of the dead child attaches itself firmly upon the back or shoulders of the hapless person and has to be carried around for the rest of that person’s life, becoming heavier and heavier until the person breaks under the burden and dies or until an exorcism is done and both the spirit and the person are freed.
The Massacura Man - A Folk Play For Young People (Healing Arts Project Drama for Young People) (Volume 1)
ISBN-10: 150-287-2625
A play about moral courage, social justice, respect for the environment, history and tradition. “The Massacuraman, engages mythology in its use of the Massacuraman, a feared demon figure who inhabits the Guyanese rivers and creeks. Despite his dreaded reputation, he is, in fact, a protector of the forest environment similar to the role played by Papa Bois of the Eastern Caribbean and Trinidad.
A Man Called Garvey: The Life and Times of the Great Leader Marcus Garvey
ISBN-10-091-246-9404
Jamaican born Pan-African leader Marcus Mosiah Garvey was born in 1887. He spent his short life working towards African self-awareness, self-reliance and political and economic liberation. He died in London in 1940 at the age of 52. This book tells his story.
The Adventures of Marlee the Manatee: 2 Children's Stories About Moral Courage (Healing Arts Project ) (Volume 2)
ISBN-10: 150-323-4789
Marlee the Mantee is always getting into trouble but she is learning from all these mistakes! This charming children's book contains 2 stories for young children about a Manatee named Marlee who sets out on adventures. As she moves through the winding rivers of her vast country Guyana, Marlee encounters many different and exotic creatures, including fishes, birds and humans.
PUBLICATIONS ON THE ARTS
Won the Guyana Prize on three occasions (1998, 2000 and 2008). Publications are currently on CXC and CAPE syllabi for Theatre and Performing Arts and have been used for teaching at the University of the West Indies and the University Maryland, USA since 2006.
Caribbean Mythology and Modern Life: 5 Plays for Young People (Majority Press Inc., Wisdom for Children Series, No. 2,)
ISBN-091-246-9420
The book looks at such issues as HIV/AIDS, violence, gender issues, race, religion and the environment through the prism of ancient wisdom of the mythological characters of the Caribbean region. In this book young readers and dramatists can not only work through their own issues using the drama as a vehicle of expression, introspection, discussion and discovery.
BOOKS
ARTICLES AND BOOK CHAPTERS
“Using Mythology and Drama in teaching to Heal”in Arts for Societies in Crisis ,Center for Creative Arts, University of the West Indies, January 2008.
“Guyanese Folklore” in Encyclopedia of African American Folk Anand Parasad (Ed) Greenwood Press, 2005.
“Myth and Guyanese Consciousness” in Guyanese Words Vibert Cambridge (Ed). Ohio University, 2005.
Foreword in “Caribbean Plays for Secondary Schools” by Victor Edwards. Caribbean Tutorial Publishing Company. Trinidad and Tobago. June 2008.
UNPUBLISHED BOOKS AND ARTICLES IN THE ARTS
"The Inner Life of P, Poems" - (In preparation for publication 2015).
"Notes on Guyanese Mythology" – Essays on Myth, Folk and Guyanese Culture (in manuscript form).
"Titanium Butterfly and Other Stories" - (book of adult short stories in manuscript form).
OUT OF PRINT
"Laura the Lunch Kit Litterer." A children’s book on the environment. Georgetown. PRIMA-IADB 2004.
"Baba and the Scissors: A children’s play for improving reading." CODE Guyana and OAS, 2002.
"Preparing a Dramatic Production: A Handbook for Students and Novice Directors." Allied Arts Department Ministry of Education, Guyana, 2001.
"Come Fiah: Poems." Georgetown, Guyana: Pavnik Press, 1991.
Song: Poems.
ISBN-091-246-9382
Shortlisted in the 2000 Guyana Prize for Literature in the category of poetry.