Kwame Dawes is keynote speaker for Edward Baugh Lecture

Professor Kwame Dawes will be the speaker for the Edward Baugh Distinguished Lecture Series, the Department of Literatures in English at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, announced.

The lecture will be held on Tuesday, March 6, at 6:30 p.m. at the Neville Hall Lecture Theatre (N1) and is free and open to the public.

Past speakers have included Professor Edward Baugh (the inaugural lecture), Professor Mark McWatt (Guyana), Professor Diana Brydon (Canada), Professor Helen Tiffin (Australia), Earl Lovelace, (Trinidad and Tobago), Professor Carolyn Cooper (Jamaica), Professor James Procter (England), Professor Evelyn O'Callaghan

(Ireland-Jamaica), Professor Glyne Griffith (Barbados/United States), Professor Nandi Bhatia (India-Canada).

Dawes, a writer, poet, musician, actor, playwright, and producer, was born in Ghana in 1962. He spent most of his childhood and early adult life in Jamaica.

CULTURAL INSPIRATION

He has written poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and plays. As a poet, he is profoundly influenced by the rhythms and textures of Ghana, but also citing in an interview his "spiritual, intellectual, and emotional engagement with reggae music." His book Bob Marley: Lyrical Genius remains the most authoritative study of the lyrics of Bob Marley.

Dawes will be engaging in three other activities at the UWI, Mona campus.

On Saturday, March 3, at 10 a.m., he is scheduled to deliver a creative writing workshop titled 'From Out Your Window to the World: A Guide to Writing and Publishing in Today's Literary Market'.

For further information or to register for this workshop, contact the Department of Literatures in English at 927-2217 or by email at litsengmona@gmail.com.

On Sunday, March 4, at 11 a.m., Dawes will join Edward Baugh, Barbara Lalla, Lesley-Ann Wanliss, and Curdella Forbes as a reader during the 'Love Affair with Literature' event, which will be at the Neville Hall Lecture Theatre (N1).

'Love Affair with Literature' is the department's reading that kicks off "March Is Literatures in English Month at Mona" and the Kingston Book Festival.