Four Honoured at the Frank Collymore Literary Endowment’s 10th Anniversary Celebrations

Mark Jason Welch, a promising young poet with a remarkable voice, captured the first prize at the Frank Collymore Literary Endowment’s 10th Anniversary Awards Ceremony at the Grande Salle, Tom Adams Financial Centre on Saturday.

Welch, who previously received an Honourable Mention, won BDS$10,000 for his work ‘Ackee Season” in the 2007 competition. His contribution maintained his sharp awareness of himself among and as part of people around him, and his frequently acerbic recognition of faltering towards his rigourous aspiration.
Three other writers were rewarded for their labour in the literary arts.  Anoush Hope-Fischer was awarded a Special Prize for Commendation for her entry “Yesterday Was a Woman”. The panel of judges recognized this entry for its handling of parallel plots and its treatment of character.

To commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the Awards, a Special Award for Lifetime Achievement was presented to William S. Arthur, a former principal and journalist. The prize recognizes Mr. Arthur’s commitment to Caribbean subjects and his appreciation of the dignity of common people at a time when his contemporaries often adopted the gaze of the colonizer.

Alvin Cummins’ was chosen for the Prime Minister’s Award for his body of work. Sponsored by the Right Honourable Owen Arthur, the award recognizes writing that presents readers with original and provocative ways of viewing Barbadian culture and identity and with a quality that strongly deserves recognition and encouragement. Over the years Cummins has created a body of work that examines the evolution of Barbadian society and implicitly questions our values.

Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados, Dr. Marion Williams told the awardees that the Bank was pleased with the standard of entries over the past ten years and was happy that the institution had created a vehicle that has encouraged writers to develop their skills and to make their work public. In doing so, they have presented alternative views of our lives, our culture and our region and have helped us to examine more clearly who we are and what we might wish to become.

The Central Bank of Barbados established the Frank Collymore Literary Endowment in 1998 to assist in the promotion of the literary arts in Barbados.
 

Writers are encouraged to start preparing for the 2008 competition. Unpublished entries should be submitted to the Chairman, Frank Collymore Literary Endowment Committee, c/o Central Bank of Barbados, Tom Adams Financial Centre.