sx salon 2

Welcome to the second issue of sx salon. In this issue, we feature reviews of three novels from Caribbean diasporic writers and a reflection on an icon whose legend some would argue simultaneously defines and defies the very idea of diaspora. In “Reviews,” Tzarina Prater reads Jamaican-American Patricia Powell’s fourth novel, The Fullness of Everything; Jennifer Marshall reads Irish-Trinidadian Amanda Smyth’s debut novel, Lime Tree Can't Bear Orange; and Angela Shaw-Thornburg reads Dominican-American Junot Díaz’s Pulitzer Prize-winning The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.  Also included in the “Reviews” section of sx salon 2 is Christopher Winks’ remarks from the launch of Review 81: Bob Marley and His Legacy. Winks co-edited the special issue with Lorna Goodison, whose own reflections on the issue will appear in sx salon 3 in February.

Completing this issue is a linked set of pieces: Jacqueline Bishop’s tribute to the late Wayne Brown, in “Sailing with Wayne Brown,” wherein Bishop turns to a collection of email quotes and treasured memories to evoke the spirit of their relationship; and separate interviews with Bishop and Brown. The latter’s dedication to supporting writers still living in the region is palpable in the interview and provides an interesting counterpoint to not only Bishop, but also Powell, Smyth and Díaz.

sx salon has recently been granted funds by the City University of New York for 2011, which will enable us to expand the “Discussions” section to include more articles per issue. The sx salon discussion platform will include several short articles that critically engage a single topic or book around whatever themes or issues the writers deem significant (in themselves and/or for a field). We hope these short articles will offer the seeds of interventions, which use the topic or book under discussion as an organizing point of departure. 

The February 2011 issue will also include creative pieces in our “Poetry & Prose” section, which is currently running information on the shortlists from our 2009 and 2010 Small Axe Literary Competitions. Please enjoy the December issue of sx salon (table of contents below) and join us in 2011 for an expanded issue.

Happy New Year,

Kelly Baker Josephs

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Table of Contents 

Introduction and Table of Contents – Kelly Baker Josephs ­

Reviews

The Fullness of Everything, by Patricia Powell – Tzarina Prater
Lime Tree Can't Bear Orange, by Amanda Smyth – Jennifer Marshall
The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Díaz – Angela Shaw-Thornburg
Review 81: Bob Marley and His Legacy – Christopher Winks

Discussion article

Sailing with Wayne Brown – Jacqueline Bishop

Interview

Wayne Brown – Katherine Verhagen Rodis
Jacqueline Bishop – Keisha-Gaye Anderson