Poet Laureate of Port of Spain, Eintou Pearl Springer and eminent author and UWI lecturer Merle Hodge leave today to represent Trinidad and Tobago at the ‘Caribbean Woman Writer as Scholar International Conference’ May 30 to June 3, 2006, at the Westin Diplomat Conference Center, Hollywood, Florida.

Over the five days of the conference themed "Imaging, Theorizing and Creating", writers from all over the Caribbean Diaspora including Brazil, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago and Puerto Rico will convene to discuss and debate rarely explored Caribbean cultural gender issues. Conference organiser, Carole Boyce Davies, Professor and Chairperson of the African New World Studies at F.I.U and a citizen of this country indicated that “this gathering is the only conference of its kind and the impact on participants is always pure inspiration".

Other participants include Erna Brodber from Jamaica, keynote speaker; Edwidge Danticat from Haiti, one of the distinguished host writers; and Angie Cruz from the Dominican Republic. Recognized writers of children’s literature will also be participating including Joan Hyppolyte and Lissette Norman.
The participation of Ms. Springer and Ms. Hodge was made possible in part, due to assistance from the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs.

Carole Boyce Davies may be reached at 305-919-5380 or 5521 or cboyced@fiu.edu and conference details are available at http://www.fiu.edu/~africana/caribwomen.

Niketa Yearwood
Project Coordinator