Bookshelf (Nov/Dec 2019) | Book reviews This month’s reading picks, with reviews of In the Vortex of the Cyclone: Selected Poems; I Even Regret Night: Holi Songs of Demerara; Perfected Fables Now: A Bookman Signs off on Seven Decades; The Lesson; and Five Midnights embark
Written for the young of all ages | Closeup Young adult (or YA) literature is aimed at teenage readers, but appeals to many grownups, too. And in recent years there’s been a boom in Caribbean YA, Kimberly De Souza reports, as she meets five writers telling innovative stories about Caribbean youth immerse
George Town, Grand Cayman | Neighbourhood Equally famous for its amazing beaches and diving spots and as an international financial centre, the capital of the Cayman Islands also offers art, nature — and a little taste of Hell arrive
For the sake of a lizard | Green The gem-like colours of the tiny Union Island gecko — a lizard found only on one small island in the Grenadines — are why it’s so highly coveted by the exotic pet trade. As Erline Andrews reports, hopes for the endangered gecko’s survival depend on new conservation efforts, and a push for eco-tourism engage
Playlist (Nov/Dec 2019) | Music reviews By Nigel Campbell | Issue 160 (November/December 2019) This month’s listening picks, with reviews of the latest by Third World; Ijó; Mindscape Laboratory; and Nailah Blackman
Q&A with Laura Guzmán | Screenshots By Jonathan Ali | Issue 160 (November/December 2019) Filmmaker Laura Guzmán explains how the life of pioneering Dominican Republic director Jean-Louis Jorge inspired her new feature Holy Beasts
Nneka Nurse: cuisine beyond boundaries | Cookup By Franka Philip | Issue 160 (November/December 2019) Jamaican-American Nneka Nurse has a mission: to introduce Caribbean cuisine to international foodies. She tells Franka Philip how and why it’s time to “elevate” Caribbean food
The Jimmy October Project | Snapshot By Laura Dowrich-Phillips | Issue 160 (November/December 2019) “New Calypso” is how twenty-four-year-old Jimmy October describes his genre-bending music — a sound that feels like “home” to listeners in Trinidad and Tobago but also appeals to international audiences. Laura Dowrich-Phillips learns more
The Ghetto Biennale: when art is defiance | Backstory By Nixon Nelson | Issue 160 (November/December 2019) Ten years ago, a group of artists in Haiti launched an audacious, even provocative, project: the Ghetto Biennale, drawing international attention to the creative community in Port-au-Prince’s Grand Rue. The event’s tensions and discomforts are at the heart of its mission, writes Nixon Nelson, as the Ghetto Biennale prepares to stage its sixth edition
Old San Juan | Bucket list By Caribbean Beat | Issue 160 (November/December 2019) One of the Caribbean’s oldest cities has a historic centre famous for its architecture and culture
Cruising for trouble | On this day By James Ferguson | Issue 160 (November/December 2019) Some people love cruise ships, some people hate them. But, personal preferences aside, the fate of the SS Columbus — scuttled by her captain eighty years ago — suggests the dangers of tourism in a time of war. James Ferguson tells the tale
Get smart, get safe online By Caribbean Beat | News & Online Exclusives Every citizen can choose to be smart when it comes to online predators and criminals, and “smart actions” should be taught, developed, and utilised daily
Annandale Falls, Grenada | Wish you were here (September/October 2019) By Caribbean Beat | Issue 159 (September/October 2019) Postcards from the Caribbean’s most extraordinary places
Need to know | Events calendar (September/October 2019) By Caribbean Beat and Shelly-Ann Inniss | Issue 159 (September/October 2019) Essential info to help you make the most of September and October across the Caribbean — from a new literature festival in Brooklyn to Divali in T&T, Guyana, and Suriname
