Professor Kwame Dawes, a extensively acclaimed poet, editor, critic, and musician, would be the subsequent Poet Laureate of Jamaica.
A poet laureate is a poet formally appointed by a authorities or conferring establishment, sometimes anticipated to compose poems for particular occasions and events
Jamaica’s Minister of Tradition, Gender, Leisure and Sport, Olivia Grange, introduced that Professor Dawes emerged as probably the most appropriate individual for the excellence after a public nomination course of, which was adopted by a seven-member committee vote administered by the Nationwide Library of Jamaica. His investiture of because the Poet Laureate of Jamaica for 2024 to 2027 comes subsequent.
“The Poet Laureate of Jamaica is given a three-year tenure with the accountability of creating and executing a program of actions which assist the studying, writing and promotion of Jamaican poetry,” Minister Grange stated.
“I’m happy with the number of Professor Dawes. He’s deserving of this honor given his years of foundational work and contributions made to the literary panorama of Jamaica. Professor Dawes is a naturalized citizen of Jamaica, having grown up right here, and in 2004 was awarded the Musgrave Silver Medal for Literature. In 2022, he was awarded Nationwide Honors, the Order of Distinction Commander class,” Grange added.
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Kwame Dawes was born in Ghana in 1962 to Sophia and Neville Dawes, and in 1971 the household moved to Kingston, Jamaica, when Neville Dawes turned deputy director of the Institute of Jamaica. Rising up in Jamaica, Kwame Dawes attended Jamaica Faculty and the College of the West Indies at Mona.
Profession achievements
His work has introduced him world recognition exploring themes corresponding to identification, migration, and the human expertise.
His achievements span a number of genres, together with poetry collections corresponding to Progeny of Air and Metropolis of Bones: A Testomony, which have acquired vital acclaim for his or her lyrical depth and social commentary. He’s the writer of 35 books of poetry with quite a few different books of fiction in addition to essays.
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In 2009, Dawes gained an Emmy Award within the class of New Approaches to Information & Documentary Programming: Arts, Way of life & Tradition. His venture documented HIV/AIDS in Jamaica, interspersed with poetry, images by Andre Lambertson, and music by Kevin Simmonds.
Dawes is director of the Calabash Worldwide Literary Competition, a yearly occasion in Jamaica. He’s additionally Professor of English on the College of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The Nationwide Library of Jamaica celebrates 10 years of the Poet Laureate of Jamaica Program, post-Unbiased Jamaica. Throughout this time the establishment has seen to the investiture of three Laureates, Professors Mervyn Morris, Lorna Goodison and Olive Senior.
