Let Yourself

Let yourself be 

inspired 

to create, 

to express, 

to be.

Inspiration To Explore

Well I've surely been MIA recently. I've just been focusing on finishing my undergraduate degree and staying out of the limelight at Trent. My days for being a socialite at the school are long gone. I'm enjoying my retirement from it, although some people expect me to still be in it. Anyways, on to better things.

On December 1st I went to Rochester, New York to participate in a North American Indigenous Culture Exhibition. The exhibition was entitled Changing Hands: Art Without Reservation 3.  It was my first time in Rochester and I must say from what I saw the city is beautiful. It has a rich arts culture and not just an indoor one in terms of exhibitions at the museum or art galleries but street art is alive and visible.

The exhibition was amazing. Although I did not go through every single exhibit, the ones I did stop by were very interesting. It rekindled my desire to explore not only my own art form but others as well. I felt inspired to explore my own Saint Lucia culture a bit deeper as well. Although this may not be possible any time soon, it would be interesting to host or be a part of a team of persons who can make something similar happen. It would a great opportunity to work with current and upcoming artists to hone the skills of newer ones and with time create the exhibition. My vision for it would be one that is so renowned and amazing that it would even travel the Caribbean and possibly the world! I should get started on that. Start looking at who I could collaborate with to develop the idea and then present it to the necessary bodies in Saint Lucia that can further develop and expand on it. A look at not only traditional but contemporary Saint Lucian art.

What do you think about this idea? How could I make it happen? Feel free to share a comment down below! Thanks for reading

-Shani V.

Who Inspires You Part 4

If you're a dancer you know what it does to you. It's a community like no other. People who play certain sports have a similar sense of community and vibe like dancers do. Although I love sports I've never truly experienced their community like I've experienced the dancing community. Through dance I have met some amazing people, people who have enriched my life, helped me grow and pushed me further.

There are a few of my dancer family members who inspire me, but there is one in particular I want to mention. She has been one of the greatest supports, fans, encourager, and non-blood sisters to me. She continually pushes me on to be my greatest. We get into a lil trouble here and there, but well behaved women rarely make history, right? She's a firecracker, sassy, classy, honest and funny. Her spunk and attitude will get her far and will continue to motivate and inspire many other people specifically women and girls to reach beyond the stars.

If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm talking about one of my two Canadian besties, Ms "I'm Gonna Be Famous You Know" Ashni Ramsammy! I have done a previous post on her but I felt the need to add her to this list of people who inspire me. Ashni (and her family) have always encouraged me to do what I really love to do - DANCE! She's been the one constantly reminding me that I should not settle for one when I can have it all. She is living proof to me that if you want something badly enough and believe that it should be yours it will.

So to my little radio superstar I raise a glass and say FIRE ONE!

Thanks for being so amazingly inspirational to me.

-The Empress

Who Inspires You? Part Three

There are people that come into your life for a purpose. When their time is done, they leave. You remember the lessons they taught you and live a better life.

There are other people that are in your life for years. From the day you meet them til the day you die, they remain in your life and are a good source of inspiration among other things to you.

This next inspiration to me has been in and out of my life, due to distance, for some years now. I met her in my first year of high school and ever since we've been friends. Sometimes I really wonder how she deals with me, my mood swings, impulsive behaviour and randomness. A few weeks back I sat with her and a few other people and listened to her speak. When she spoke it was like deja vu. It was so eloquent it reminded me of the our "good ole days."

My friend Gemma Edwin inspires me to be educated, knowledgeable, well versed and open minded. It's amazing the way a conversation between the two of us unfolds. A simple topic such as grocery shopping turns into a three hour conversation on capitalism, organic food, ethics and globalization. It truly is wonderful to have a friend who encourages your own growth and curiosity.

So to Gemma I raise my green bottle and say FIRE ONE!

Thanks for being such an inspiration to me!

-The Empress

Who Inspires You? Part Two

I recently tweeted "I wish I could give awards to my friends because they are just so amazing."

I have been fortunate enough to surround myself with amazing people. Many of my friends are not just support through trying times, or shoulders for me to lean on. Many of my friends are motivators, inspiration, [good] competition, a source of great knowledge and even wisdom. My friends are people who uplift my spirit in one way or another.

Abdulai Mohamed inspires me. The truth is I have not had a significant number of deep conversations with him (although I am working on that), however, the few that I have had, have left me inspired and motivated to not only dream big and make those dreams a reality.

I love teaching and almost every conversation with Abdulai leaves me wishing I had stayed in the profession. I can't say that I will drop what I'm doing now and return to teaching, but I will say that I will make decisions that change lives for the better. Abdulai continues to remind me that there are good people in the world.

So I raise my glass to you Abdulai and say FIRE ONE! Thanks for being such an inspiration to me!

-The Empress

Cheers To The Resolutions!

In case you actually don't know, I am a HUGE fan of Those Girls Are Wild! I believe I found out about them from one of my best friends here in Canada and ever since that first video I've been hooked. I follow their blog, subscribe to their YouTube channel and of course I follow them on Twitter as well. These two young women are such wonderful, positive role models for not just women younger than them but even older.

We know how every year people make resolutions saying this year I'll go to the gym, or I'll get in shape or I'll take care of my body and we know that by February more than half those people fall off the band wagon. Don't make large commitments that are difficult to keep. Or if you do, make sure you have it well planned out. Start small and work your way up. Shannon Boodram from Those Girls Are Wild has created a video to help you get in shape! It's simple. I can't say it's easy because then you probably wouldn't see results hahaha, but it's something you can do, everyday even twice a day if you so desire, to get a body that looks amazing. Watch the video, try it out and let me know how it goes.




Happy Exercising!

-The Empress

Mind Over Matter

I am not big on New Years celebrations. I'm one of those persons that wants to crawl into a dark hole for about two months - December and January and not think about a new year dawning and all that jazz. The primary reason for it is because twice a year it hits me, another year is dawning and another year of my life is gone, and I have nothing to show for it. I have nothing to say hey this is what I've accomplished. It weighs me down and makes me sad to know that I'm not truly happy, but happy at moments, and that I'm still not living my life, but living to please others. It bothers me that I don't feel like I'm going somewhere and I have something to do, that I'm merely floating around in this crazy world.

I usually try to hide from New Years.

But somehow, this year I don't want the stroke of midnight to catch me at home, or in my current town. No. I want to be a different place to ring in a different year. 2012 is my Champagne Year and I have dubbed it "The Year of The Empress." In 2012 it will be difficult but I will be happy. I will have a goal and I will work towards it. I will explore life and myself, and push myself to become a great woman. I will retrain myself to be mentally powerful, self motivated, hard working and fun loving. I will culture myself to not be ignorant, temperamental or short tempered. I will culture myself to be graceful, sophisticated, educated and wise. From 2012 onward I shall be responsible and build on that responsibility a kingdom of comfort for my family.

Yes, 2012 is MY year.

Words of Wisdom

A friend recently shared this with me and of course I thought it was fitting to share it with you. I'm sure many of you have heard this before of have heard about the general concept before. But here is goes!

The Power of Association.

The Power of Association is too real: "The less you associate with some people, the more your life will improve. Any time you tolerate mediocrity in others, it increases your mediocrity. An important attribute in successful people is their impatience with negative thinking and negative acting people. As you grow, your associates will change. Some of your friends will not want you to go on. They will want you to stay where they are. Friends that don't help you climb will want you to crawl. Your friends will stretch your vision or choke your dream. Those that don't increase you will eventually decrease you.
Consider this: Never receive counsel from unproductive people. Never discuss your problems with someone incapable of contributing to the solution, because those who never succeed themselves are always first to tell you how. Not everyone has a right to speak into your life. You are certain to get the worst of the bargain when you exchange ideas with the wrong person. Don't follow anyone who is not going anywhere. With some people you spend an evening: with others you invest it. Be careful where you stop to inquire for directions along the road of life. Wise is the person who fortifies his life with the right friendships. If you run with wolves, you will learn how to howl, but if you associate with eagles, you will learn how to soar to great heights.
"A mirror reflects a man's face, but what he is really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses." The simple but true fact of life is that you become like those with whom you closely associate - for the good and the bad. Note: Be not mistaken. This is applicable to family as well as friends".

-Colin Powell.

The Times Are Changing

Another school year has started and I believe I have been blessed to be granted the opportunity to take a course with my favourite Indigenous Studies professor - Dan Longboat. Dan is amazing, and extremely inspirational to me, and many other students. This course that I'm taking is entitled Sustainable Indigenous Communities and the idea behind it, or rather the way the class is structured is that we (the students) are part of this community. Right now at the beginning of the academic year is land, water and air. We have no hardware. We have no software. We have no jellyware (I'll explain jellyware soon). Throughout the course of one year/8 months we will develop our community using the indigenous knowledge and concepts we learn in class to make our community sustainable. Each student has to develop one concept, whether hardware or software that contains that element of jellyware that will make everything work well together.

I sat in the front row of class today and listened intently to every word that escaped Dan's mouth; each word carrying an important message not only about how I can pass this course, but also how I can use what I have learnt in this course to make myself and my country a better place. It's rather interesting that at the beginning of class Dan spoke about doing post graduate studies...i.e. getting a Masters or Second Degree. For quite some time I have been disheartened by the option of acquiring a second degree, and have said that I will not do it. Then recently I did say to my close friends Gemma and Tessa (possible Chanel and Christal as well, but I don't remember) that I would eventually do my Masters, and I'd do it at Trent. Why Trent? Why again? Because of the Masters programme in Sustainability that is offered at Trent. Having listened to Dan's schpeel today about the difference between a first and second degree, and the importance of doing one, I have become even more inclined to do one, although not directly after I graduate. So may this post act as a declamation (or is it proclamation?) of my desire to pursue and attain my Masters in Sustainability. Listening to Dan's introduction to the course and also merely introducing myself to the class I was reminded of why I came to Trent and given hope that I can make my dreams and goals a reality in Saint Lucia regardless of the times.

The idea behind the course is that we all are members of a community. And at this current point in the semester, in the academic year, our community is only land, air and water. By the end of the course we would have used indigenous concepts along with our own knowledge of our various communities to create a truly sustainable community. Each student is responsible for one topic/aspect of the community whether hardware or software and they are to be innovative and creative in developing it to be sustainable for the community. I am a bit of a scatterbrain and also lack the drive to finish a task completely, hence this is where I am having a little bit of a problem. I can't figure out what am I most passionate about that I can develop through this assignment, that I can use maybe to do my Masters on and to evoke necessary change in my country. There are a few things I am interested in, but which one of these interests is really a passion; something that will carry me throughout this semester and beyond to be what I want to be and do what I want to do. My choices right now are economics, education, urban housing and energy. The more I type, and the more I think about it, the more I feel like education is my calling. Maybe I can investigate that a bit more in terms of my own development, but for the class I will look at what aspects of education and sustainability I can bring to the table. That is not to say that I cannot investigate the other aspects which interest me, to help me be more well rounded. It's just that my primary focus would be education.

I need to remind myself that even though things don't work out the way we want them to, or the way we think they should in hindsight, it doesn't mean that we cannot make it work in the future, or that it isn't the path we were suppose to take altogether. Maybe this actually is my calling. That I am to have all this detailing to my shield and heart which is deeply rooted in education. Maybe my eyes only let me see the option to teach or to be a teacher, whereas the universe, God and everything have me listed to be an educator. The future is looking brighter. The times are changing. I need not limit myself to what I could have done, instead I need to focus on what I can do and should do.

SOS 30 Day Challenge

One of the blogs I follow is having a 30 Day Challenge and I think I'm going to attempt to do it. I don't think I will share my posts with everyone, but instead do it just for me. If you want, and I suggest you do, you can join along and do the challenge. Her blog is Struggles of the Strong. Have fun! Feel free to leave a comment on her blog under any of her posts as well! Heck, just follow her blog as well!

Love ya peoples

Day Sixteen! - 30 Day Challenge

Something you always think "what if" about


If you know me well enough you should know the answer to this...what if I pursued my dream of being a performer on stage.

If you know me and not even well enough, but if you've seen me on stage you can tell that I love it! I love being on stage whether it be performing or hosting, I was born to be on stage! Sadly the culture back home is not one that heavily promotes The Arts as a livelihood and hence my dreams of being a performer, being an artist, were not supported as much as being an environmentalist. I've never considered myself the best dancer out there. Truth be told in my ballet classes I always thought of myself as the worst of the best. The best because I made it so far, but still in comparison to the other lovely ladies I danced with, I always thought I was the worst. The thing I know I have is stage presence and energy. Many persons have told me that I'm a natural born performer and when on stage it's hard to take your eyes off me. Oh well.

This summer I met someone who is living my dream. He works as a dancer. Gets paid and pays his bill from dancing...and I'm not talking go go dancer, I'm talking legit performer. Meeting him has given me hope that I can persue some sort of my dream of being on stage. I think I'm going to looking to being a part of a musical or something. I'm not the best singer out there, I don't think I'm the worst (I'm not tone deaf), but maybe I can give it a shot and see what will happen. Who knows, my what if may become an I did.


What is a "what if" that's been on your mind for some time?

Friendship and Reciprocity

I'm not sure how many times I spoke about my expectations regarding friendship but I shall speak about it today.

I was having a conversation with a buddy of mine, Mike (not a sexual buddy for the record) and he mentioned some difficulty he was experiencing. My response to him was don't let it get to you. You tried and it's not working out. You have other things you need to focus your attention on; and furthermore, you should just surround yourself with positive people. No time for negativity. Later on that night I got into an argument and needed some moral and emotional support from a friend. Another friend of mine (Ashni) came to my rescue and gave me just what I needed whether or not I wanted it. I am so grateful for friends who are able to help me in my time of weakness; friends who can tell me what I would say to them if the tables were turned. Ashni provided a viewing of reality and the truth. Although I haven't cried enough yet (which isn't that good. I completely support and condone crying), I did cry and I have began healing.

I know that Mike would have been able to help me out the way Ashni did and again I say I am grateful to those persons I have in my life that I can lean on, count on, cry on and laugh with. These people help to make life worth living.

To all my friends, buddies, peoples I know, acquaintances, etc. Thank You for being in my life and making it worth living.

"To have a friend is to be a friend"

 Shani Vee

The Empress

Life Is A...

Life is a:

• stage. Get ready to perform
• field. Get ready to play
• canvas. Get ready to paint
• plate. Get ready to cook.

Words From Drake

Who would have thought that I'd be quoting the rapper/singer/actor Drake in a post.

"Everybody dies, but not everybody lives."

The reason why so many people love this phrase is because there is so much power in it. We (myself included) go through our day to day activities barely living. It's a routine that we must endure, we must succumb to, a road we must travel. We often sit and dream about all the adventurous and exciting things that we could be doing if. If this were that way, if that were that way, if we had this, this, that, that, that and those two over there as well. We let the ifs of life bog us down into boring, and unsatisfying.

I've picked up my glue gun, needle and thread and began creating and experimenting. I may not become famous or get rich off of these little crafty things I let my fingers do, but it's something that keeps me entertained and not bored and frustrated with life. I turned 24 of Saturday and the Tuesday before my birthday I went to the club and had an epiphany, yes I know, an epiphany at the club? I wondered if it was just me getting older, but I no longer enjoy going to club. It's not exciting, nor is it entertaining, nor invigorating or stimulating. I go and I subconsciously force myself to have fun or rather not feel bored at that very real moment in time. Should I have to entertain myself or be silly for me to enjoy myself at the club? I'm not too convinced of that. Someone can easily say oh you're going to the wrong club and they're playing the wrong music, which very well may be true but still...maybe I need to take a break from the club scene and get into other mentally stimulating things.

Thankfully I've had a few conversations with friends about various topics that truly were mentally stimulating and it was refreshing and invigorating to experience those things. I shall challenge myself to have more of those discussions and not only on controversial topics like religion or the development of my country, but on simple topics like energy and remaining motivated. I shall challenge myself to speak to more people about important topics and not about frivolous things like what shall I wear to work tomorrow. I challenge you as well to step outside your comfort zone and having those difficult conversations that help you understand the people around you better. Don't just talk, listen. Listen to what the other person is saying and don't be so quick to judge them. 


Today we are beginning a challenge of growth, exploration and stimulation. Let the journey begin!

When There Is No Path

After my bout of being unmotivated I am re-energized and ready to continue on that path to greatness.

But what do you do when you want to achieve something big, something fabulous, something great and there are no directions, no guidance no nothing to lead you in the right way? You create your own path to success! It may be a difficult challenge but when you receive that victory, that success, nothing else will matter. All the struggles and hard work will make that victory taste even sweeter.

This is my motivation for my dreams. I understand fully that what I want to do is to venture into unknown waters, but that doesn't stop me. The end product is more important to me than anything else. I'm a bit tired of people telling me don't come back to Saint Lucia because there's nothing there for me. Why do people always have a one-sided view? Yes things look dismal in Saint Lucia but by encouraging everyone to stay away how can development and progress be made? It may take me years to return to Saint Lucia, but I want to know that I have made a significant contribution to my country. That's why I want to go back. I want to make a positive and significant contribution to my country. I feel like I owe it to my home to give back. I don't doubt that it's gonna be difficult, but this difficulty does not deter me, and I hope it never gets the better of me.

What dreams lead you into uncharted waters? How do you find motivation to keep going? Let me know. 

Tributes to Wonderful People

I recall about four years ago when I was trying to decide whether I should leave the Caribbean and travel all the way to the icy cold north called Canada to study. A good friend of mine name Ana encouraged me to go and explore the world. Having studied in Canada herself Ana compared and contrasted the pros of living and studying in the Canada and the Caribbean. In the end I decided that I would go to Canada to study.

Three years later I am sitting here writing this blog post to kind of pay tribute to some of the most amazing people I have met in my life. I can truly say that these people are the type of people I love engaging with and cannot image how different my life would be if I did not meet them. I wish I could start listing and naming but that would not be fair because I don't want anyone to feel as if because I did not call their name I think less of them. I will however say that there are two young ladies I met, both have left Trent but I shall keep in touch with them as much as possible. These two ladies have different auras and spirits but they both are such inspirational and humble people. The level of admiration I have for them is astounding.

One of the young ladies if from Japan and it's hard for me to formulate words that can express how I feel about her. She is amazing. She is inspirational. She has this something about her that just captivates you, commands your attention, intrigues you and draws you closer to her. But this something isn't loud and full of powerful colours, it's soft and mystic, gentle and kind hearted. I wish she had her own tv show or radio show, because I like the radio more than the television. Or maybe her own blog. But whatever it is, I wish there was a way to capture her wisdom and maturity, her passion and love. She is so amazing. I wish everyone could meet her, could observe her, could appreciate her.

The other young lady graduated this year (on Thursday actually) and she has a bit more spunk than the first. She's from Thailand and again such a motivational person. She's one of those great supportive people you have in your life that encourage you to do the right thing without being overpowering. Her mind and aura is a very colourful one but still not loud. She has a curious mind and loves to find out things. Her thirst for truthful knowledge is wonderful. Extremely talented and just a firecracker of good energy, she draws you into her. I don't even know what to write. She's just amazing, and humble. Her humility amazes me and I admire it and her for it. She's one of those people that no matter how terrible I'm feeling that day, no matter what stresses are weighing me down, the sight of her face and her jovial smile lifts my spirit.

These two ladies are just two of many. Many that inspire and motivate me to become all that I can be; that remind me that I'm not a terrible person and I still have some more growing to do in humility, in personality, as a woman and as a person. I may in the end say that Trent could be a better institution academically, but one thing I can never say is that Trent does not have amazing people there.

"The friendships you make at university are those that you will keep with you for the rest of your life. These will be your maids of honour and bridesmaids at your wedding, your children's god-parents, and those people who will be there for you through the years." I certainly feel that way. And regardless of distance or placement around the world, these friendships I have made are too valuable for me to let go of. I am grateful that I have been given this opportunity to experience this.

Featured Artist: Claudius Medouze

Another friend of mine has granted me the pleasure of interview them. I present to you Claudius Medouze, a young spoken word artist from Saint Lucia who knows how to move you with his lyrical flow.


Hey Claudius, thank you for doing this interview with me. To get things started can you give the readers some background information about yourself.


I was born in Marisule, St. Lucia on June 8th 1987. I attended St. Mary's College, where I developed a passion for writing; however, I decided to focus on business and sports. After graduating in 2004, I was fortunate enough to obtain a position with the National Rugby team in St. Lucia, which is where I would spend the next six years developing my skills and pursuing my new passion, rugby. I also had the opportunity of being affiliated with three different Canadian Rugby Clubs, which gave me the chance to experience and explore a variety cultures and traditions. When I travelled to Canada little did I know that I would not only get to show off my rugby skills, but also discover a hidden talent of performing poetry; as I was met with the opportunity to perform a few of my pieces at an annual poetry festival in Sarnia, Canada. New to the poetry stage, I never write any of my poems, but rather memorize each of my pieces. I believe this gives me the advantage of focusing more on the performance aspect of my work. In October of 2009, I was bestowed with the honour of performing both in Trinidad, and Tobago for a campaign called "Stop the Violence", a campaign geared towards educating youths of the consequences associated with violence. I have used my gift of poetry to appeal to children in various schools throughout Tobago. I now am an active performer in events staged by Headpunk, recently took part in the Word Alive Poetry competition held in St. Lucia and was crowned the winner of the 2010 Ponm Damou Poetry Slam. i continue to pursue poetry and am hoping to make my mark not only on the stage, but also on the field, the rugby field that is.

How did you get involved in poetry and spoken word?

I got involved in poetry when I left college in 2004 writing poems for friends and for entertainment. Then I got more and more involved in performing poetry rather than the reading aspect. I wanted to express myself more so people could see a different side of me. I started writing poetry in my head. No paper or pen, just repetitive thoughts. Like memorising a song I just went over the poem several times in my head until I said it was completed. Doing this I focused more on the performing aspect of it. Leaving the audience with opened jaws. After performing for friends who were more involved in poetry than I was around St. Lucia, I was recommended by other artistes to perform. So after a few more performances, I began to take in the feedbacks from the audiences. Some of them came to me and told me that they really loved to see me perform and that they usually come just to hear me, some tell me that what I said touched them so much which usually leaves me with my mouth open for a lost of words, others finds it entertaining so from the love I have been receiving I got more and more involved in spoken word. 


How do you source inspiration? What inspires you to write?

A good poet is able to find the natural rhythms of everyday life and express them eloquently in words. There are thousands of poems out there about tired subjects like love and war which got to me. As a poet, my job was to find either a new and original take on these overused subjects or bring an original idea to life. Most of my poems were based on social issues until I started branching out to areas that surrounds my life. In doing this I get to speak freely about heartaches felt, family and a lot more issues like women in society and friends. Whether they be good or bad. This gives me an advantage in performing the poem because it comes from the heart. Now I walk around and everything is inspiration to me. Look around you. Anything, anything at all can be the subject of a poem if dealt with in an original and creative matter. So most of the times I ask myself "What if?" This helps me explore everything in a poetical way. You just have to be creative. :) The way I interpret the world is different from most people so naturally my poetry will follow suite. My poems tend to be figurative and laced with metaphors but with a sense of the gritty reality that we all can touch and feel. I listen to a lot of spoken word pieces and found out that we all have different ways of saying what needs to be said. I just try to be more creative and take the audience on the journey I went on when writing my poems. Trying to make them feel what I felt, like my experiences and emotions. So to me spoken word has more of an advantage than other forms of poetry, because there are so many different ways artistes can bring out themselves that others can't.



What are your favourite pieces of writing and why? 

An artiste I love would be Saul Williams. Saul Williams' tone in his poems are quite sharp and harsh. He doesn't really waste any time; the meanings are pretty much right there, but the allusions are what takes thought. In "Sha Clack Clack," Williams makes an allusion to Medusa, the woman with snakes for hair. Medusa turns her onlookers into stone, so goes the legend, and only one hero was finally able to behead her. This is an interesting allusion, and I think Saul Williams is using the character of Medusa to convey an image of some kind of horror or fear. Everyone was scared of Medusa, and this enhances the idea that Saul Williams is conveying. He is conveying a kind of fierce pride to be black in the face of racism. In "Penny for Thought," he makes an allusion to Barney, saying "A purple dinosaur that speaks of love, a black man that speaks of blood." This juxtaposition shows the violence that has happened because of racism, and how angry black people on a whole became during that time. He is just as real as it gets so I love his work.


What other elements of The Arts are you involved with?

I have been involved in drama including miming which I do in church. Spoken word is the part of the arts that I am more involved with. 





What are your views on The Arts in Saint Lucia? What changes do you think will evoke necessary/positive change to The Arts?

Poetry is the study of the world around you and more importantly, the study of yourself and what you choose to speak about through the microphones. As it stands in St. Lucia, THE ARTS to me lives on in the lives of everyday people; unfounded talents, everyday living and expressive thoughts. We often say that the government isn't doing enough but forget to ask ourselves what are we doing? Even though you don't get the support you would like from the government it is up to us as a nation to understand what we want and find means and ways to achieve it. We can't wait for the government to help us, we must help ourselves before we can get help. Spoken Word in St. Lucia has now reached a pinnacle that some question, "is it a part of our culture." There is a group of talented individuals who saw a dream of reviving the ARTS in St. Lucia and did. This group is called Headphunk who single-handedly brought back hope to the ARTS in St. Lucia. They host a show every last Thursday of the month for all artistes whether you perform poetry, sing, dance, scream and shout or just a plain supporter of arts. Because of their work in St. Lucia, I can say that they are the biggest ARTS lovers in St. Lucia. At Headphunk the stage belongs to you the artiste. You get to perform with well known artistes like Boo Hinkson, Shane Ross, Naomie "Ngozi" Grandison to name a few. Now they are well known because they took it upon themselves to start a movement. so we need to learn from them.



Finally, what advice do you have for anyone who may be interested in performing poetry?

If you are interested you need to do research. Attend events, find time to explore the world around you. Take part in activities like workshops and open mics and shoot for the stars. Also you need to discover yourself as a poet, even a genius must do this. You need to peel off your skin, squeeze out your blood and soul from your body to discover you. When you are true to yourself, then and only the can you be true to the art, audience and the world around you. You must also remember that there is no greater Sin after the seven deadly than to flatter oneself into an idea of being a great .

I would like to thank Claudius for letting me pick his brain and share it with you. It truly was an honour to have interviewed him and I hope not only Saint Lucian readers but persons from all over the world can appreciate the words given to us by him. I would like to wish Claudius the best in all his future endeavours, whether on the stage or on the field.

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next. Amen. --Reinhold Niebuhr In loving memory of Fr Bertram Griffin -- 1932-2000 Requiescat in Pace

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths. Proverbs 3, 5-6

My Piece of History

Today I was at work and randomly decided that I should print a collection of my poems, written thoughts, favourite quotes and the likes. I'm not really sure where it came from, but I really liked the idea. I convinced myself that it wasn't that wild of an idea, because I remembered my friend, and Dancer's Feet Featured Artist - Stephen Dantes did such.

I guess now the process will be to find a name for the compilation, illustrations if I desire (and of course I do desire), and which recorded words shall be published?

Let the collection of my history begin

Featured Artist: Stephen Dantes

Stephen Dantes is a good friend of mine from Saint Lucia who has began a journey to wonderfulness. I have never really interviewed anyone before, so I decided to give it a swing and interview him to find out what's coming up, and for those of you who don't know him, what has been done.
Just so you know the format shall be bold text for my questions and regular text for his response.

Hi Stephen, can you give the readers a little background about yourself?
I'm a young author of 3 self-published books; The Enchanting Excerpts, The Last Enchantment and Hindsight. I have a 7-yr old daughter whom I dedicated my first book to.

I write and perform different types of poetry, was elected (about 2yrs ago I think) as a Role Model for youth by the National Youth Council and was part of a drive to motivate young people.
I won 2nd price at the M&C Fine Arts Spoken Word in 2007 and was part of Ken Hardy's band Soul Dreadz, along with Ras Isley, Emile, Sky from Amate, and Nyah. I left the group to embark on a solo mission.

How did you get involved in writing? What style did you begin with and how did you grow from there?
I got started pretty strangely, but I think I should jump straight into the part where I got inspired to write my own book after reading a fellow poet's work who is from my community. I had been penning down poems and writings so I collected them and put them in a book.. and I think I took a small loan to add to money I already had and then published my first book.

My first two books were pretty much a collection of poems, thoughts, feelings, words of wisdom, prayers, excerpts to a novel I'm working on, and any other thing I saw would capture readers and a small list of growing fans. I went to Barbados to do some promotion and tv and radio interviews.

It was after my second book in 2004, that I started taking the Art seriously and started performing and networking. There was a 5 year hiatus after my 2nd book during which I did lots of research and performances.. it was then I teamed up with Ken Hardy and Kensley Charlemagne.

And it has been no going back from there.

How do you find inspiration to write? Is it through personal experiences or hopes and dreams you hold for example?
Inspiration comes from every thing that happens around me... the good and bad world, but mostly the struggle of the average boy or girl, man or woman, even babies. The things I see and hear everyday. Life and death.
My motivation comes from the people who read them and the feedback they give.

What is your favourite piece of writing and why?
My favourite piece of writing: I have 3 favourites
1. Recreating History from my book Hindsight
2. Rude Boy Reality from Hindsight
3. Like Father, Like Son from the soon to be released eBook for Georgia, USA

I like Rudeboy... and Recreating... because they both speak to the world about the world; our mental enslavement and modern day reality which ties into the persona of the 'voice for the youth'.

The 3rd, Like father..., is new and unreleased, and I like it because it is my best piece tailored for the American market... it will be posted on my website soon.

What advice can you give someone who wants to pursue writing whether recreational to perform at open mics or writer forums, or who wants to become a full fledged writer by profession?
Well frankly I haven't reached the pinnacle in my career and don't think I'm in a position yet to answer. So let's just say, that you can ask me that question anytime if you find out that I made a million dollars.


Hahaha I shall remember that. And don't forget the little people like me when you make it big!

Much thanks to Stephen for this fabulous interview! If you want more information on Stephen Dantes including a video of him performing Rude Boy Reality, visit his website http://www.stephendantes.net or email him at pr@stephendantes.net