Goddard’s Long Term Support Makes The Difference

GODDARD’S LONG TERM SUPPORT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE
GEL NIFCA Literary Arts – The Quiet Inspiration

The accomplishments of the NIFCA Literary Arts Alumni is a testimony to the opportunities created through the programmes, workshops and clinics developed by the NCF’s Cultural Development Literary Arts desk.

Goddard Enterprises Limited’s (GEL’s) investment in NIFCA Literary Arts has positively impacted this discipline over the long term, continuing to bolster the competition, creating a platform on which writers can showcase their skills and propelling many an artists into the spotlight. People like NIFCA Alumna Shakirah Bourne who is doing really well for herself and rising star Aprille Thomas are great examples of the value of the Goddard NIFCA Literary Arts competition.

Shakirah, a NIFCA multi awardee has just won a number of awards at the Barbados Visual Media Festival for the film Payday, recently published her own book ‘In Time of Need’, as well as co-edited Senseisha: Memoirs of the Caribbean Woman. Last month her literary work was showcased at the second edition of the International Literature Festival – Read My World in Amsterdam alongside another well-known Spoken Word artist Adrian Green.

Aprille Thomas who is also doing extremely well is the Prime Minister’s Scholarship awardee from 2013, but postponed that acceptance to complete her Masters. Now with this scholarship award, she will be pursuing a second post graduate degree in the creative disciplines. This not yet 25 year old qualifies as an intermediate and has been amassing these awards and achievements in that category.

Most of the results are already in and the Cultural Officer for Literary Arts, Mrs. Ayesha Gibson-Gill announced that of the approximately 50 entries in Adult Prose including unpublished manuscripts, short stories and essays – 1 gold, 2 silvers and 14 bronzes were awarded. The Gold medalist in this category was awarded the George Lamming Award for Prose – Fiction.

In the Adult Poetry category of the 123 entries – 35 bronzes, 18 silvers and 5 golds were awarded. One recipient received 2 of those 5 golds and a silver medal, along with the Kamau Brathwaite Award for Poetry.

The nomination for the Prime Minister’s Award for Originality went to a Poetry piece and that poem has also been nominated for the new Carolle Bourne Award for Innovation in Writing. The Carolle Bourne award, sponsored by Arts Etc and Ronald Williams, is among the new prizes being introduced for 2014 and comprises a cash prize of $500 and a trophy for the Prose, Poetry or Play entry that best demonstrates artistic innovation – be it technical, thematic, interdisciplinary or other. This award, endorsed by Journalist Ian Bourne, was posthumously named after his mother, a judge in the Literary Arts competition who passed away in 2012. The Carolle Bourne award recognises the recipient who has cleverly broken some boundary in writing, either a format or stylistic boundary or switches perspective within the piece.

Incidentally, the Poem nominated for this award is also going up against a Prose piece written by the same person. Mrs. Gibson-Gill remarked on the irony of two different panels, two different pieces with the same author being adjudged for the same award.

For Adult Scripts – 1 silver and 1 bronze was awarded from 4 entries. In the Junior category under Prose, out of the 17 entries there were 3 Gold, 3 Silver and 6 Bronze medals awarded and in Poetry of the 42 entries there were 21 Bronze. No awards were given for published books.

Persons attending the Goddard NIFCA Literary Arts Gala this year can look forward to something more interactive, giving the audience an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the works entered. The Goddard NIFCA Literary Arts Gala, scheduled for Thursday, November 6 at 6:00 p.m. at the Frank Collymore Hall, celebrates the top awardees in the competition.

Goddard NIFCA Literary Arts also has a Balcony Book Fair held each night of the Performing Arts Finals on October 31, November 2-4 and again on November 6, the night of the Goddard NIFCA Literary Arts Gala. Local and Caribbean selections and the most recent Winning Words Anthology will be available for purchase.