The Snake King of the Kalinago
By Pupils from Year 6 (the top year of primary level) of Atkinson School, Dominica.
(U.K.- Feb. 2010)
This delightful children’s book – the first to be written by local children in Dominica – tells the story of the myth of the Kalinago snake. Like all myths it has changed down the centuries and this version is an adaptation by a primary school class who, from their own knowledge and their own imaginations, came up with this lively tale. (Read more)
(Published by Papillote Press).
Price: See Central Virtual Bookstore
HOME AGAIN
Stories of Migration and Return compiled by Celia Sorhaindo and Polly Pattullo with the Dominica UK Association (DUKA)
Publication date: 1 August 2009, £9.99
(available in Dominica outlets at EC$40)
Dominica has one of the highest migration rates in the world. But what happens when those migrants return to Dominica after living and working abroad, often after decades away? The migrants’ journey is a well-told story but little is known about those who return. Why do they go back? What is it like to be “back home”? Home Again is a collection of contemporary real-life stories by 22 Dominicans, from all walks of life, aged between 40 and 73, and from all parts of the island, who are now back home after living, working or studying in the UK, the US, Canada, and in the Caribbean region. In their own words, each contributor recounts the story of their childhood, the experience of migration and, finally, the positive and negative aspects of returning to their much-loved island. Home Again highlights the important contributions made by the returnees, both overseas and in Dominica. Compelling, moving and intensely personal, Home Again is a revealing insight into the lives of these pioneering migrants.
Some quotes from Home Again:
- “We’re saying that we have built this country just as the people who stayed have built it.”
- “They just think because you go to England you pick up money on the ground.” * “I said to myself this is my paradise jungle. I love it.”
- “I have a sense of belonging for the first time in my life.”
Celia Sorhaindo is a Dominican returnee who came home in 2005.
Polly Pattullo is a British journalist and the publisher of Papillote Press.
For more information contact Polly Pattullo; Tel: 0207 720 5983
IT FALLS INTO PLACE
By ALLFREY, Phyllis Shand
A discussion of the life and legacy of the author can be found on the BBC at www.bbc.co.uk
(U.K.-2004)
It Falls Into Place brings together for the first time the shorter fiction of Phyllis Shand Allfrey, whose novel The Orchid House is a classic of Caribbean literature. These tantalising stories -- set in Dominica, New York and London yet always steeped in an unmistakably West Indian identity -- probe beneath the surface of colonial life, often drawing on autobiographical experience. Allfrey's skill is to lead her characters -- of different races and cultures -- into unpredictable encounters where miracles can happen.
(Published by Papillote Press).
Price: CAN$17.00 / US$14.00 / UK £7.99 / EC$32.00 + Shipment
Please note: Shipment Costs are in UK currency.