by Donella Hosten
Young talented writers from around the island came together to showcase their poetic and creative voices on Saturday, 24 June 2017 at the Trade Centre.
According to President of the Writers Association of Grenada (WAG), Cemal Copland, Voices is the brainchild of local poet Carlene Perryman, and has been around for the past 6 years. Copland believes that this platform gives youth an outlet to speak against social ills. Copland said he has seen Voices grow over the years, from ‘Voices of the Crying Youth, Voices of the Daring Youth, Voices: Valiant, Voices: Artists Roar’ to this year’s ‘Voices: The Vision.’
He considers this 6th year to be very symbolic because we’ve got a lot of new people, a lot of new talent.
Jemima Pierre has been a member of WAG for just about 3 years, and she described the experience as nothing short of ‘amazing.’ She began writing at age 13 and took to the stage some 4 years afterwards. Being part of WAG has given her the confidence she has been looking for, and she opined that WAG has made her a better person holistically. Pierre performed a piece titled ‘Bitch,’ which was well received by the audience.
Another poet, Joshua Charles, sound engineer on the night, said he’s been a member of WAG for 4 months, however, the experience was enjoyable. He is looking forward to more platforms like these, as he believes artistes are getting more respect these days.
Sherece Victor, Executive Producer and Production Manager for Voices VI, expressed her gratitude to the poets and contributors for their efforts in making the event a success. Even though she was new to her position, she was able to successfully pull it off with the assistance of Russel John and others who have been doing it since year 1 of Voices.
