CONTRIBUTORS

This whole project would not have been possible without the generosity of the following people:

 Cover

Kemi Aderibigbe is the artist responsible for the book’s cover image, ‘Reflections of Hope’. Kemi is an innovative artist who takes inspiration from people, her surroundings and life experience.  Her passion for Art and Design stems from childhood, she has a degree in Fashion Design.  Kemi favours ink, graphite, pencil, acrylic and oil paint as her preferred media and her work is characterized by bold use of shape, line and colour, which together, effectively capture expression and emotion. 

Book Jacket Design

Danielle Humphrey has been a regular on the independent arts scene since 2003. She has worked as an Artistic Director for the BFM’s (Black Filmmaker) International Film Festival publicity materials and was responsible for the design of several issues of the BFM magazine. In addition to her commercial work for B2B publications, Danielle has produced printed works for Images of Black Women Film Festival, Hatch Events and Screen Nation Film & TV Awards. Danielle has a BA (Hons) degree in Graphic design from Luton University and currently works as a freelance graphic designer for a consumer and trade publisher.

 WRITERS

Christine-Jean Blain currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.  She is of Afro-Carribean descent.  She is an educator, writer and performer.  With a graduate degree in Public Administration and Non-Profit Management, Christine-Jean worked in State and local government for a number of years, before moving into Education.  Christine  is the author of Lighting the Path Back Home, a short collection of poetry and prose.  Her work has been published in many magazines and newspapers such as African Voices and the ASP. She is a former Writer in Residence at Hedgebrook, a Cave Canem Alumna, and a founding member of Dusks Daughters Arts Collective. 

Stacey Lois Howard is a poet, musician, and activist from Atlanta, Georgia, USA. She has performed in stage-plays such as “Take Our Youth Back”, and “Get Out the Box”,Stacey Louise Howard’s poetry compilation Spark in the Temple will be released on the Urban Thought Books imprint.

Rene Thomas was born in Wigan.  Rene currently lives in Huddersfield, and contributes to his community through political involvement and voluntary work, as well as through his art and writing.

Kamaria Muntu is an African American artist, poet and activist.  She has completed a volume of poetry, and has two poems featured in Call & Response: The Riverside Anthology of the African American Literary Tradition, a critically acclaimed anthology used at Universities throughout the United States. Muntu has presented her work to audiences throughout the USA and Canada, most notably at the “National Black Arts Festival” in Atlanta Georgia, alongside the founders of “Black Arts Movement”: Sonia Sanchez, Askia Toure, Amiri Baraka, Angela Jackson and Mari Evans.  As part of her work as an activist, she has co-written a critique on The Million Man March, which is featured in the anthology, Fertile Ground; Memories & Visions. Kamaria is a single mother to two grown children and now resides in London, where she has founded her own production company, Right Limb Films.  She is currently editing a film she wrote and produced, entitled Les Morts: The Black Women.

Mbizo Chirasha is a writer and performance poet.  He lives and works in Namibia and has worked with several organizations in and around Africa.  “Haiti My Generation” was written on 27 January 2010 and was performed by Mbizo in Namibia at the Haiti Fundraising Gala dinner.

Lloyd Akinsanya Palmer  hails from the garden parish of St. Ann and was born into hardworking rural family.   Palmer views poetry as a holistic therapy which can spiritually uplift humanity.  In 2005  he was second runner Up in the 7th  Annual Writers’ Award and in 2007  he was first  Runner Up in the 9th  Annual Writers’ Award. Palmer released his debut album TUFF TUFF TRANGLE  “Urban Journey” as a poet in 2005.  He is currently working on his debut anthology Sankofa and also preparing for the release of his band’s debut album  “The Uprising Roots Band” debut album “Skyfiya”.

Simon Murray -SaiMuRai is a writer, poet and artist of Bajan heritage. In 2009 he was commissioned for ‘C Words’ (an Artist-Activist project, Bristol), and was part of the ‘F Words: Creative Freedom’ USA tour 2008. As a poet-coach with Leeds Young Authors, his team has won the UK’s leading Slam Festival, Voices of A New Generation, for the last 2 years. The first part of his debut novel, Kill Myself Now: The True Confessions of an Advertising Genius is published by Peepal Tree Press. http://www.myspace.com/saimuraiswords

Bob McNeil,  Bob McNeil was born in New York City to a Saint Vincentian mother and an African-American father.    Bob was the Poetry Editor for BLACFAX and has published two books: Secular Sacraments, and The Nubian Gallery, A Poetry Anthology.  Both can be found in libraries, universities and bookstores.   To date, he has been the Featured Poet at numerous libraries throughout the tri-state area.  He also performs with his spoken word and music group, The Grande Beats.

Sophia Wilson is a prolific writer and performer.  She facilitates creativity workshops and story telling to the young and not so young.  She is the chairperson of Inspired Word, a women’s writing collective in Lewisham, South East London. 

Tolu Ogunlesi was born in 1982.  He is a poet, photographer and journalist. His most recent book is Conquest and Conviviality, a novella for young adults (Hodder, 2008). He lives in Lagos, Nigeria. www.toluogunlesi.wordpress.com

Suzanne Creavalle writes poetry, fiction and autobiographical pieces.  ‘Morning Coffee’ acknowledges the faith and strength of the Haitian people in the face of adversity.  Her first published autobiographical work ‘Afro Child’ appears in the book, Hair Power Skin Revolution.   Her interests include world dance and theatre, in particular Brazilian and African genres. Suzanne is of Guyanese descent and lives in Surrey.

Jeffrey Jaiyeola, also known as Plumbline,  is a poet, songwriter, and spoken word artist.  Jeffrey was born in Lagos, Nigeria.  As a kid, he was influenced by local poets like the late Mamman Vatsa and the late Ken Saro Wiwa. He started writing from high school onwards.  He performs Spoken Word Poetry at most Lagos Events like Wordslam, Anthill, Taruwa and hosts Chill and Relax, a poetry, comedy and light music event in Lagos, Nigeria.

Yolande M Deane is from Tottenham  in North London and teaches English as a Foreign Language (EFL ) in a language school in Central London.  She has also taught English in Italy, where she lived for two years.  She has been writing since she was a child.

Ann-Margaret Lim lives in Red Hills Jamaica. She has been published in the Caribbean Writer ( 2008,2009,2010), BIM, the Journal of Caribbean Literatures, Calabash: a Journal of Caribbean Arts and Letters, the Caribbean Quarterly, the Calabash poetry workshop anthology: So Much Things To Say; the Pittsburg Quarterly online, the Jamaica Gleaner and the Jamaica Observer, with upcoming work in WiSPA’s MOTHERLOGUE Anthology and the Black Londoners’ Haiti Anthology. She was the 2005 Red Bones Poet of the Year.

Opal Minott was born in Jamaica, where she has lived all her life. She is a medical social worker, wife, and mother of three.  She has had a burning desire to write poetry from childhood and has been doing so since then.

Stephanie L Kemp is a writer originally from Seattle, WA.  She has had her poems published in numerous journals and anthologies.  She published her first book of poetry entitled All’s Fair in 2009. She currently she lives in Colorado.

Uche Francis Uwadinachi is from Nigeria.  He is a performance poet and  the winner of ANA (Association of Nigerian Authors) Lagos poetry festival prize 2006 and Pakistan June-poetrycraze online contest 2009.  He is the author of  Scar in the Heart of Pain, collections of poetry (2009). He was the former Editor of AJ city Express Newspaper.  Uche is also an actor and has appeared in Nigerian movies such as  Real Love, Love of my Life, Adam and Eve and many others. Uche is currently involved in  a  TV  documentary, KONTO MUSIC. WEBSITE:http://www.flames777.blogspot.com   Email: flame45ng@yahoo.com

Lucreta La Pierre loves writing poetry and is especially fond of writing Creole based poetry.  She started writing poetry in 2007, following a workshop on the slave trade, when she wrote her first poem “Ancestors”.  She was awarded an MBE in 2004 for voluntary services in Lewisham and further afield.  La Pierre has also had some work published recently.

Nadine Pinede is the daughter of Haitian immigrants.  She is a graduate of Harvard University and Oxford University, where she received her MA in English and Modern Languages as a Rhodes Scholar. She earned her PhD at Indiana University and is an Elizabeth George Foundation Scholar in the MFA program in Fiction at the Whidbey Writers Workshop. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Radcliffe Quarterly, Literary Newsmakers, Sampsonia Way, The Other Journal, and Soundings Review. Her poetry has been broadcast on Indiana Public Radio, and her play was featured in the Harvard Festival of One Acts. Nadine is a two-time grant recipient from the Indiana Arts Commission and has been a resident at Hedgebrook and an associate artist at the Atlantic Center for the Arts. Her short story, Departure Lounge, is forthcoming in Haiti Noir, edited by Edwidge Danticat.

Tade Thompson has been published in small press and online magazines, he is an artist and has illustrated eBook covers.  He is a contributing author to the group blog ‘In My Dreams it was Much Simpler’, (also collected in book form) and administrator for the Nigerian Writers group. He has recently written and illustrated a children’s book and is currently working on a novel.  Celeste, his short story contribution to this anthology was  inspired by the everyday struggles of the poor and disenfranchised in Haiti upon which the earthquake imposed catastrophic complications

Kathuska Jose was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on October 1986.  She graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in May 2010 with a BA in English and a Specialization in Creative Writing. Her poems have appeared in Jabberwocky, Short Cuts, Mother Tongue and Bang and Whimper. She currently lives in Everett, Massachusetts.

Erline Vendredi is Haitian and was in Haiti during the earthquake of January 12 2010.  She remained in Haiti for about three weeks until she returned to the US to resume her studies.  Erline’s contribution is a poem written in Creole with a loose English Translation to give non-Creole readers an idea of the Creole version. 

Fitzroy Cole, also known as Jagga/Viva!, is the author of three anthologies – Beloved Enemy (1995),  Lyrical Sonnets from the Heart/Sojourner(2005) and the third, For the Sake Of Magic…Poetry Is Life!(2009).  Lyrical Sonnets is available at bazba.com and For the Sake of Magic is available from xlibris.com, barnesandnoble.com; amazon.com and borders.com.  Fitzroy is also a performance poet and recently emigrated to Miami, Florida. 

 Geoffrey Philp is the author of a children’s book, Grandpa Sydney’s Anancy Stories, and a ollection of short stories, Who’s Your Daddy?   His next collection of poems, Dub Wise, will be published by Peepal Tree Press in September 2010. He maintains a blog @ geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com

Tony Walsh is based in Manchester (UK) and has performed his poetry both nationally and internationally, from the Glastonbury Festival in the United Kingdom, to the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw, Poland.  Widely published in the UK, Tony’s poetry has recently been published for the first time in the USA.

Alexander Thanni,  a.k.a. The Reverend, is an orator, narrator and social commentator on subjects ranging from social alienation to self determination.  He is an up and coming spoken word artist and has performed at a range of events, from art gallery openings to the well known Word Play.  Alexander is 24 years of age and lives in North London.  He is part of the Plantain Collective.   

Akilah Moseley is a trainer, executive coach, leadership mentor and emerging writer and poet.  Since 2007 she has been an active member of the Ispired Word  poetry collective.  Akilah has performed her poetry widely across London.  Her first anthology Thoughts from a reasoning Mind, was compiled in 2008.  Her work has also appeared in the 2009 Inspired Word anthology Sharing Space.  Most recently Akilah collaborated with 7 other authors in writing I Factor for women (2010).  Akilah can be contacted at akilahmoseley@yahoo.co.uk or Akilah@lineone.net 

Nadifa Mohamed was born in Hargesia, Somalia in 1981 and was educated in the UK, studying History and Politics at St Hilda’s College, Oxford. Her debut novel, Black Mamba Boy recounts the epic journey of the author’s father through war-torn Eritrea and Sudan, to Egypt, Palestine and finally to Britain.  Black Mamba Boy was longlisted for the Orange Prize and Dylan Thomas Prize and won the 2010 Betty Trask Prize. She lives in London and is currently working on her second novel.

Maroula Blades is an Afro-British poet/writer living in Berlin. Verbrecher Verlag, TAZ and Cornelsen Verlag have published her stories.  Her poems have been published in Germany and abroad and she has received awards for her work. Blades was awarded the runner’s up prize for the GC Chapbook UK 2008 and was the featured poet in the Erbacce 16 2009. Her Poetry/Music Programme has already been presented on several stages in Berlin: the Planetarium am Insulaner, IFA, Der Haus der Kulturen der Welt and Volksbühne among others. Maroula has read at the Black History Month Festival 2010 in Berlin and at the Berlin Poetry Festival 2010.

Kwame M.A. McPherson is an author, poet, motivational speaker, entrepreneur and mentor.  He began writing as a hobby from a young age whilst living in Jamaica.  He is the author of two volumes of work; Our Eternal Legacy, a compilation published in November 2007 and Deep Roots, Strong Tree, a collection of short stories which was published in April 2008.  His latest works, Yawd Vibes and To Our Fallen will be published in 2010/11.  Kwame has written for Candace Magazine (London), AFAR (Connecticut, USA) and has featured on television and radio.

Lane Ashfeldt’s short fiction has been published online and in anthologies from Punk Fiction to Dancing With Mr. Darcy. Awards for her short fiction include the Fish Short Histories Prize, a Hawthornden Fellowship and a Jane Austen Short Story Award.  Lane grew up in London and Dublin and has lived and worked in several European countries.  www.ashfeldt.com

 RaShell R. Smith-Spears grew up in Memphis, Tennessee.  She received her B.A. from Spelman College and her graduate degrees from The University of Memphis and University of Missouri-Columbia.  She currently teaches American, African-American, and World Literature classes at Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi.  She has been published in Black Magnolias Literary Journal, Short Story and Writing African-American Women.

 Phil Gregory is the owner/Editor of Blackpresence.co.uk a website highlighting black History worldwide.  When not writing for Blackpresence he is an Educator, active blogger and writer for Political website Pitsnpots.  Phil enjoys photography and works freelance as an Apple Distinguished Educator training students in Digital media across the world.

Nash Colundalur is a writer, journalist and architect.  He writes poetry and short fiction as well as writing on social and development issues for the Guardian and other international publications.  In 2009 he won the Guardian International Development Journalism Award for reporting on the drought in northern Kenya.

Margaret Danquah is currently working as a careers adviser in Higher Education.  She has taken part in The Poetry Society’s competition and last year’s Aesthetica Magazine Creative Works competition, among others.  She enjoys poetry, theatre and art and her literary influences include Linton Kwesi Johnson and Benjamin Zephaniah.

Kathy Cakebread has been writing for approximately ten years and has written a number of works including both short stories and novellas. 

The Writing, Acting and Publishing Project for Youngsters (WAPPY)

Akuba (Grace Quansah): Akuba was born in London and is an award-winning literary artiste of Ghanaian descent. In 2008, she founded the Writing, Acting and Publishing Project for Youngsters  (WAPPY), which is supported by the Positive Awareness Charity and Ealing Council.  As well as managing the project, Akuba works as a facilitator with the British Museum.  She has had seventeen pieces of literature published in various anthologies and journals including Journey’s Home (U.S.A. 2009). 

Abigail Perry (11 years old) was born in London to Ghanaian parents and spent her early childhood in Ghana.  She is 11 years old and is a Year 6 student of Berrymede Primary School in Ealing.  She loves sports, reading and creative writing and would like to read medicine when she is older.  She has been a member of WAPPY since 2009.

 Acquaye McCalman (16 years old) was born in London and is of Ghanaian and Guyanese descent.  He is 16 years old and has just completed his GCSEs at Drayton Manor High School in Ealing. He will begin a B’Tech Diploma in Music in September 2010

David Larbi (12 years old) was born in London and is a Year 7 pupil of John Lyons School, Hillingdon, where he recently received three awards for his outstanding abilities in Drama, English and PE.  He is 12 years old and wrote his poem after watching a Channel Four Dispatches program on the situation in Zimbabwe.

Deka Ibrahim  was born in Saudi Arabia, Deka Ibrahim came to the UK at a young age, speaking mainly Arabic.  She subsequently read English Literature and Language at King’s College, University of London.  Deka is a volunteer for WAPPY and her main inspiration is her late father, also a writer in his mother tongue.   She hopes to pursue a career in journalism and creative writing.

 Esther Ackah was born and raised in Ghana.  She came to London in 1957.  She has forty five years experience working for the National Health Service as a midwife, retiring in 2008.  In her sixties, she gained a degree in Theology and Sociology at Roehampton Institute in 1998, and a diploma in Counselling in 2002. Also an accredited Methodist Lay Preacher since 2002, Esther’s faith in God motivated her to write ‘A Prayer for Haiti’ to uplift the spirit of the Haitian people in this difficult time. Esther is a grandmother and is 75 years of age.

Georgiana Jackson-Callen (15 years old), known as ‘Georgie’ by her friends, Georgiana Jackson-Callen is a Londoner of Jamaican and Ugandan heritage. She is fifteen years old.  Her favourite subject is Spanish, she enjoys reading manga and Marvel comics, drawing, training for judo, singing and playing air guitar to a Hendrix standard. She was published in Time Out in 2009. 

Jai Ellis-Crook  (10 years old) was born in London, of Caribbean and English parentage.  She is ten years old and is a Year 5 student at Mayfield Primary School in Ealing.  Jai loves writing stories.

Marcia K Ellis was born in London in 1965, of Jamaican parentage. She is a painter and creative artist by profession.  Marcia was inspired to write her debut poem, Wake Up Haiti! through her involvement as a WAPPY parent member.  View her work at:www.marciarts.co.uk

Martin Luther King Jr Early College, Denver, Colorado

Nicole Weaver (Teacher) teaches at Martin Luther King Jr Early College in Denver Colorado. She was born in Port-au-Prince Haiti. She came to the United States when she was ten years old. She is fluent in Creole, French, Spanish and English. She teaches French and Spanish. She is the author of a children’s trilingual picture book titled Marie and Her Friend the Sea Turtle. Her second trilingual children’s picture book My sister is my Best Friend  will be published fall 2010.

Latrell Johnson: 10th Grader, Tanya Leon, 9^th Grader, Andy Nguyen 7^th Grader, Nick Falconer, 7^th Grader

The Launch Flyer

Adekunle Samuel  Owolabi designed the Flyer for the launch event.   Adekunle  is an award winning creative artiste from Nigeria who currently based in South Africa. He is also the Co-founder of Kstunt Media, a creative agency based in Johannesburg & Cape Town, South Africa. He has worked with Paintings, Graphics & Multimedia Designs, Animations, Journals, Photography, Videos and Storytelling, he has exhibited works at the Aluta Premiere, S.A 1.Township Film Festival, Africa fashion Week, Johannesburg. He is also a Feature Writer, 234 Next Nigeria amongst others. His interest and work is built around the use of ICTs in socio-economic transformation—focusing on underserved groups.  He has also designed over 50 websites. http://www.kstuntmedia.com

Photography

Savinien-Zuri is the official photographer for A Lime Jewel.   

Savinien-Zuri M. Thomas is a creative spirit. He is a visual artist, musician and writer living in London. He has a keen interest in the well-being and personal development of the self through spiritual understanding, meditation and awareness. This is demonstrated through his latest photographic works that function as a form of art therapy as reflected in his recent book of photography Visual Spirituality, (Blurb Publication).  Savinien has an MA Photography & Urban Cultures, Goldsmiths, University of London.  The exhibitions of his work include the following: Visual Spirituality. 2008, PT Gallery, London, SE15 & SE1, 2007, Goldsmiths, London, The Identity Series – Part 2, 2006, Working Men’s Club, London, Moyenda,  2006, Atlantis Gallery, London, The Identity Series – Part 1,  2006, Oh!Art Gallery, London, Urban Woman, 2004 –2005, Vespa Lounge, London and MAB, 2003, The Bonnington Cafe, London. He is currently working on his autobiography, exploring questions of identity. www.knowwhourateveryage.com   www.savinien-zuri.com

Video/Film

Rufai Ajala filmed the launch of A Lime Jewel and videos can be viewed on Youtube  at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5p9o40j1lE  Rufai  is a film-maker and Prince’s Trust Young Ambassador.  He works with eventful.org.uk and also assists  Lyrix Organix supported by MS, delivering charity fundraising events. He is passionate about photography. You can view his work at  http://flickr.com/rufaiajala.  rufai.ajala@googlemail.com