Gwyneth Harold Davidson's Blog, page 11
August 14, 2015
YA Readers Booth at the JCDC 2015 Independence Village
Listen here: Audio drama for Young Heroes(Nanny, Paul, Sam, George, Marcus, Norman, Alexander)
YA Readers Booth at the JCDC 2015 Independence Village
Six days at the Independence Village of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), was a big haul for a single person with books to sell, but I am interested in building recognition of books written for the YA genre in Jamaica, so I jumped in with both feet!
The craft vendor set-up at the JCDC property on Hope Road was appropriate for my purposes, and I also accepted the unannounced changes to the layout, as I understood that there was unmet demand for booth spaces by sellers. My booth was called YA Readers Hangout and my immediate neighbours were Trelawny based jewellery craftsman Maxine Stoney, and the Rasta Art fashion jewellery seller.
As was expected, the days with the greatest number of visitors were the two public holidays that started and closed the fair: August 1 and August 6. On those days, fair-goers seemed more inclined to include buying things as a part of their event experience.
The spirit of the fair was to allow people to celebrate the the culinary and performing arts of Jamaica, and interspersed with that were discussions, children's rides and domino games. Public sector agencies were invited to provide services and to promote awareness of issues.
A book and reading atmosphere, this was not, so the plan to hold the attention of YA readers was going to require effort. The other challenge was that the festival goers were in large part mature adults walking as couples, or groups of friends, or with young children. From my experience, the event did not attract groups of teen and young adults in general. The World Reggae Dance Competition did have the greatest share of the young adult audience. That night also had the largest audience out of all six nights, and the patrons were more interested in chatting with their friends and watching the show than browsing and spending.
I needed a booth that had variety, It did not seem the best approach, to me, to offer only my books, but to also showcase other books in the genre. I selected a dozen books from my personal collection and had them on display and invited discussions about them.
My other approach was to have activities to attract persons to linger, and from there have conversations that would lead to greater awareness of YA books, and my book in particular. I selected the game of chess and adult colouring papers, and both earned the attention of patrons across all ages. Thanks to the Jamaica Chess Federation there always seems to be a young person with an interest in the game just around the corner. The board was in use whenever the breeze allowed me to set the pieces up. Inviting persons to colour was met with guffaws and scepticism, but once they were seated, the average person stayed and coloured for about half an hour. I had free wifi, but no one expressed an interest, so was happy that I did not set up a video monitor as I usually do. I also had materials on the Two Seasons Talking Trees Literary Fiesta, of which I am a collaborator, and the Two Seasons Guest HouseTwo Seasons Guest House, which sponsors the event.
The main benefit of being a part of the event was media coverage, as I was offered the marvellous opportunity to coordinate the 20 minute YA segment of the Auntie Roachie Literary, TV and Film Festival. The festival lasted about five hours and was coordinated by publisher Tanya Batson Savage and PR and theatre practitioner Scarlett Beharie. The two other writers who graciously gave their time were Colleen Smith Dennis and Roland Watson-Grant. The Daily Gleaner, the Jamaica Observer , Petchary blog and Jamaicans.com published articles and there was also an interview on CVM at Sunrise (start at 59mins), a national morning television programme. Emma Lewis published an article on the Jamaica Gleaner blog about the readings at the festival, and the YA booth was covered by Tallwah Magazine and JIS television.
Media coverage of the event opened the door for some B2B as having listened to the readers, a local publisher is now actively seeking YA scripts written by Jamaicans.
On the matter of sales, I deliberately set a competitive price of $500 and sold 20 copies over the six days. My neighbours did much better with their goods. More than half of the books were sold to persons who I knew, and who wanted to support my efforts in a tangible way. I am grateful to them, many were past students of St Hugh's High School (Fidelitas!).
The profile of the average visitor was revealed in the types of questions that were asked at the booth. Most asked about books about the history and culture of Jamaica, and so were happy to take brochures on Two Seasons Guest House.
There were also lovely moments when teenage girls asked about the romance books and book covers that were on display. I had two or three boys stopped to read. One of them had beat me at chess earlier and then spent about 30 minutes reading until his mother pulled him away. He is going into Grade 8 at JC. Also, secondary school teachers wanted more information on the books to support teaching of CSEC Theatre Arts and English Literature. A teacher of English from Birmingham UK with Jamaican heritage, said that most of her students were first or second generation immigrants from Pakistan, and she was interested in books that would expand her own students' knowledge of the world. One man also spent about an hour trying to convince me to edit his - as yet unwritten - non-fiction manuscript.
My disappointment is that I did not encounter one person who identified himself or herself as a librarian. Libraries are still important in the Caribbean, as many students have to use library resources to attain their education goals. I was placed across the aisle from the Jamaica Library Service which had a double booth, and do believe that they should have planned activities in their expansive area.
For an international audience, my selection of YA books at the event would have been ridiculously tame. I believe that this is an area that will expand over time as more writers publish their work and associate it with the genre. I already see the kind of writing that is on Goodreads by self-published Jamaican writers and supported by Goodreads readers. My decision, up to this point, is to write and read books that allow readers to be connected to issues that have resonance with history and contemporary society.
I am grateful that I got the opportunity to participate in the 2015 Independence Village. This should inform future activities.
Grace accompanied me on this episode. On the first day I left the booth unattended and a mighty wind tore through city Kingston. I steeled myself to face disaster, but in my absence another booth holder dived on my table, saving my teapot of crayons, and us all from a shower of chinaware splinters.
Although I planned to fly solo, I got days of help from my in-law Claudette Hobbins; festival collaborator and proprietor of the Two Seasons Guest House Christine Marrett, PR comrade-in-arms Alethia Lambert and husband Chuck.
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YA Readers Booth at the JCDC 2015 Independence Village
Six days at the Independence Village of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), was a big haul for a single person with books to sell, but I am interested in building recognition of books written for the YA genre in Jamaica, so I jumped in with both feet!The craft vendor set-up at the JCDC property on Hope Road was appropriate for my purposes, and I also accepted the unannounced changes to the layout, as I understood that there was unmet demand for booth spaces by sellers. My booth was called YA Readers Hangout and my immediate neighbours were Trelawny based jewellery craftsman Maxine Stoney, and the Rasta Art fashion jewellery seller.
As was expected, the days with the greatest number of visitors were the two public holidays that started and closed the fair: August 1 and August 6. On those days, fair-goers seemed more inclined to include buying things as a part of their event experience.
The spirit of the fair was to allow people to celebrate the the culinary and performing arts of Jamaica, and interspersed with that were discussions, children's rides and domino games. Public sector agencies were invited to provide services and to promote awareness of issues.A book and reading atmosphere, this was not, so the plan to hold the attention of YA readers was going to require effort. The other challenge was that the festival goers were in large part mature adults walking as couples, or groups of friends, or with young children. From my experience, the event did not attract groups of teen and young adults in general. The World Reggae Dance Competition did have the greatest share of the young adult audience. That night also had the largest audience out of all six nights, and the patrons were more interested in chatting with their friends and watching the show than browsing and spending.
I needed a booth that had variety, It did not seem the best approach, to me, to offer only my books, but to also showcase other books in the genre. I selected a dozen books from my personal collection and had them on display and invited discussions about them.
My other approach was to have activities to attract persons to linger, and from there have conversations that would lead to greater awareness of YA books, and my book in particular. I selected the game of chess and adult colouring papers, and both earned the attention of patrons across all ages. Thanks to the Jamaica Chess Federation there always seems to be a young person with an interest in the game just around the corner. The board was in use whenever the breeze allowed me to set the pieces up. Inviting persons to colour was met with guffaws and scepticism, but once they were seated, the average person stayed and coloured for about half an hour. I had free wifi, but no one expressed an interest, so was happy that I did not set up a video monitor as I usually do. I also had materials on the Two Seasons Talking Trees Literary Fiesta, of which I am a collaborator, and the Two Seasons Guest HouseTwo Seasons Guest House, which sponsors the event.The main benefit of being a part of the event was media coverage, as I was offered the marvellous opportunity to coordinate the 20 minute YA segment of the Auntie Roachie Literary, TV and Film Festival. The festival lasted about five hours and was coordinated by publisher Tanya Batson Savage and PR and theatre practitioner Scarlett Beharie. The two other writers who graciously gave their time were Colleen Smith Dennis and Roland Watson-Grant. The Daily Gleaner, the Jamaica Observer , Petchary blog and Jamaicans.com published articles and there was also an interview on CVM at Sunrise (start at 59mins), a national morning television programme. Emma Lewis published an article on the Jamaica Gleaner blog about the readings at the festival, and the YA booth was covered by Tallwah Magazine and JIS television.
Media coverage of the event opened the door for some B2B as having listened to the readers, a local publisher is now actively seeking YA scripts written by Jamaicans.
On the matter of sales, I deliberately set a competitive price of $500 and sold 20 copies over the six days. My neighbours did much better with their goods. More than half of the books were sold to persons who I knew, and who wanted to support my efforts in a tangible way. I am grateful to them, many were past students of St Hugh's High School (Fidelitas!).
The profile of the average visitor was revealed in the types of questions that were asked at the booth. Most asked about books about the history and culture of Jamaica, and so were happy to take brochures on Two Seasons Guest House.There were also lovely moments when teenage girls asked about the romance books and book covers that were on display. I had two or three boys stopped to read. One of them had beat me at chess earlier and then spent about 30 minutes reading until his mother pulled him away. He is going into Grade 8 at JC. Also, secondary school teachers wanted more information on the books to support teaching of CSEC Theatre Arts and English Literature. A teacher of English from Birmingham UK with Jamaican heritage, said that most of her students were first or second generation immigrants from Pakistan, and she was interested in books that would expand her own students' knowledge of the world. One man also spent about an hour trying to convince me to edit his - as yet unwritten - non-fiction manuscript.
My disappointment is that I did not encounter one person who identified himself or herself as a librarian. Libraries are still important in the Caribbean, as many students have to use library resources to attain their education goals. I was placed across the aisle from the Jamaica Library Service which had a double booth, and do believe that they should have planned activities in their expansive area.
For an international audience, my selection of YA books at the event would have been ridiculously tame. I believe that this is an area that will expand over time as more writers publish their work and associate it with the genre. I already see the kind of writing that is on Goodreads by self-published Jamaican writers and supported by Goodreads readers. My decision, up to this point, is to write and read books that allow readers to be connected to issues that have resonance with history and contemporary society.I am grateful that I got the opportunity to participate in the 2015 Independence Village. This should inform future activities.
Grace accompanied me on this episode. On the first day I left the booth unattended and a mighty wind tore through city Kingston. I steeled myself to face disaster, but in my absence another booth holder dived on my table, saving my teapot of crayons, and us all from a shower of chinaware splinters.
Although I planned to fly solo, I got days of help from my in-law Claudette Hobbins; festival collaborator and proprietor of the Two Seasons Guest House Christine Marrett, PR comrade-in-arms Alethia Lambert and husband Chuck.
-30-
August 3, 2015
First Two Days - YA Readers Hangout at the Independence V...
First Two Days - YA Readers Hangout at the Independence VillageAugust 1 and 2 August 3, 2015
The first two days at the YA Readers Hangout, August 1 and 2 in the JCDC Independence Village were indeed pleasant. The patrons who stopped were open to participating in conversations and basically having a good time. This included books and reading that was offered at the booth.
I laid out a dozen or so fiction and poetry books, about four books were published in the 1960s, but most were published in the 2000s. The book with the overwhelming number of queries was The Boy Next Door by Mandisa Parnell. The book is a contemporary teenage romance.
As the booth holder, I played about eight games of chess with young adults, teens and two children over the first two days. I am not a practiced player and did not learn strategy, but am tenacious, so it was mentally exhausting.
Inviting persons to do adult colouring certainly got a few guffaws, but also some interested participants, so while I played chess with one young man in his early 20s, his friend peaceably coloured an illustration of an Amerindian girl. I had more boys and men colouring than girls and women.
The aim of the booth is to promote the concept of Jamaican Young Adult books by engaging people in discussions and activities, and sell my novel, Young Heroes of the Caribbean.
-30-
The first two days at the YA Readers Hangout, August 1 and 2 in the JCDC Independence Village were indeed pleasant. The patrons who stopped were open to participating in conversations and basically having a good time. This included books and reading that was offered at the booth.I laid out a dozen or so fiction and poetry books, about four books were published in the 1960s, but most were published in the 2000s. The book with the overwhelming number of queries was The Boy Next Door by Mandisa Parnell. The book is a contemporary teenage romance.
As the booth holder, I played about eight games of chess with young adults, teens and two children over the first two days. I am not a practiced player and did not learn strategy, but am tenacious, so it was mentally exhausting.
Inviting persons to do adult colouring certainly got a few guffaws, but also some interested participants, so while I played chess with one young man in his early 20s, his friend peaceably coloured an illustration of an Amerindian girl. I had more boys and men colouring than girls and women.The aim of the booth is to promote the concept of Jamaican Young Adult books by engaging people in discussions and activities, and sell my novel, Young Heroes of the Caribbean.
-30-
July 31, 2015
Young Adult Literature (Jamaica) Readers at 2015 Auntie Roachie Festival / 2PM, Monday, August 3, 2015
Young Adult Literature (Jamaica) Readers at 2015 Auntie Roachie Festival /2PM, Monday, August 3Kingston, July 31, 2015The Young Adult (YA) Readers Hangout at the JCDC Independence Village will present three award winning Jamaican authors in the Young Adult (YA) book segment of the Auntie Roachie Film, Television and Literary festival which will be held on Monday August 3 between 2PM and 2:20PM.
Featured readers will be author of Bad Girls in School and Young Heroes of the Caribbean, Gwyneth Harold Davidson, the author of Inner City Girl and The Salt Loses Her Savor, Colleen Smith Dennis and the author of two novels Sketcher and Skid, Roland Watson Grant.
The YA Readers Hangout will be open all six days of the Independence Village, noon to midnight, August 1 to 6.
The booth will have Jamaican YA fiction books on display for browsing. Literary festival collaborator, Gwyneth Harold Davidson, will be on hand to share her thoughts on Jamaican YA books that she has read, and which are available in print or e-book editions.
Festival goers who play chess and who enjoy pen and paper activities are invited to drop in, and hang out at the YA Readers booth.
YA books are considered to be fiction and non-fiction books that are marketed to adolescents. YA books include well-known classics, as well as contemporary books and the themes identify with coming-of-age issues. YA books can be found across several genres including romance, fantasy, graphic contemporary and historical fiction, and literature.
The JCDC Independence Fair will feature daily and nightly entertainment for the family including music performances, exhibitions, craft fair and Jamaican food and drink. There is no cover charge to enter the fair before 5PM.-30-
Author ProfilesYA Readers for the 2015 Auntie Roachie Film, TV and Literary Festival
ROLAND WATSON GRANTA former English teacher and current advertising copywriter and creative director for over a decade, Roland Watson-Grant insists that he started his literary career writing thirty-second short stories for radio and television in his native Jamaica. In 2011, he ventured to put his characters out onto the world stage. That same year, his short story, Sketcher, was named an International Prize Winner in the Annual Lightship Literary Prizes held in Hull, England. Another short fiction entry, Home Run, was long-listed in the competition.A live reading at the Lightship Awards ceremony in the fall of 2011, attracted a London Publisher and in February 2012, Roland was offered a book deal to turn Sketcher into a full-length novel of the same name. Sketcher, the novel was released in May 2013 to critical acclaim and was nominated for an Amazon Rising Star Award that same year. The novel has received several accolades: Times of London called Roland Watson-Grant’s debut: “A wonderfully joyous, eccentric first novel”; Bookseller Magazine described it as “a tragicomic tour de force”; and the Spectator referred to Sketcher as “most original by a mile”.
A Turkish version of Sketcher was released in Istanbul in October 2013. The sequel, entitled Skid, WAS released by Alma Books in June 2014. Roland appeared at the Two Seasons Talking Trees Literary Fiesta held in Treasure Beach in February 2012; and the Kingston Edition in February 2014.
COLLEEN SMITH DAVISColleen Smith-Dennis was born in the parish of St. Elizabeth. She attended the Maggotty High School and graduated in the late seventies. After completing one year Youth Service, she attended the Bethlehem Moravian Teachers College where she specialized in the teaching of English Language at the secondary level. She later enrolled in the University of the West Indies where she completed a certificate and a honours degree, again in the field of the teaching of English.In 2006 she completed her Masters in Education in the same area again at the University of the West Indies. Currently, she is a teacher of English at a high School in St. Andrew.Published by LMH Publishing in Kingston, her YA novel, Inner City Girl was nominated for the 2011 IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. Her other novels are For Her Sonand The Salt Loses Her Savor.
GWYNETH HAROLD DAVIDSONGwyneth Harold is a Jamaican novelist, short story writer and public relations practitioner. Her work in the YA genre has been for printed books, online books, newspaper series and radio series. She is also a collaborator of the Two Seasons Talking Trees Literary Fiesta that is held in Treasure Beach Jamaica.
Harold Davidson’s manuscript for Secret Identities of the Rio Minho received the JCDC 2002 Award of Merit for Novel; and her short story collection Here and Elsewhere won the Una Marson Book Prize 2001 for Collection of Short Stories. In 2007, her novel Bad Girls in Schoolwas short Listed for Vic Reid Prize for children 2007, and was published by Pearson in that year.
Harold Davidson’s adventure series Fly Guyran in the Gleaner’s Youth Link and is also a four-part audio drama series that is freely available on YouTube.
Her contemporary novel with historical stories, Young Heroes of the Caribbean was independently published in 2014. Historical fiction stories from the novel were used in the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) radio series Young Heroes, which was aired in 2014 as a part of the organisation’s 50thanniversary celebrations.
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