LINDA M. DEANE

I write because

…that is where my true self lives, at least a part of it anyway, and I lbelive in honouring the true self.  When I don't write for a time, I don't feel like myself. ..[Even if I had the chance to go back and be all the things I wished when I was younger (athlete, dancer, tennis champ) I think I would still have wound up being a writer because through words and your imagination you can be anything and for as long as you wish.]

I write mostly poetry

…(for children and adults) and I am also working on a collection of essays. I write mainly from nature and my environmental condition. That could range from conversation overheard on a ZR van or time spent at the ocean, to the ritual of peeling and eating a mango to simply peering out the window at some drama in the very busy, noisy gap I live in. My words are jazz and blues-influenced and I like to experiment with different rhythms and wordplays.

The biggest obstacle facing me with regards to what I do or want to do is

Time and Space. Carving out dedicated time and space in which to write for sustained periods without interruption is my biggest challenge but I steal or snatch the moments when I can.

My deepest sources of inspiration are

 My children, the environment and the music we call jazz.

My last really BIG thing

…was winning the Frank Collymore Literary Endowment Award (first prize) and the Prime Minister's Award in January 2006 for my poetry collection Cutting Road Blues: A Narrative. Hopefully my next really big thing will be the publication of that collection next year.

What really pleases me about my work

is when a word or phrase that has been playing hard to get for a while suddenly decides to put in a show. It's like finishing a 10,000-piece jigsaw puzzle. I have several poems and ideas in a holding pattern just waiting for the right word or words to complete or convey the thought or feeling.

What causes me to hope I'll fail better next time

is when the right words DON'T show up or when a piece is rejected. I have a Haiti/Toussaint L'Ouverture poem that's just not coming together. And by that I mean the poem has been rejected — twice! I can see where the weaknesses lie and I'm working on 'em, but I am impatient at times because I feel I should have written/published about Haiti by now. Toussaint shows up in my dreams for goodness sake, but I still can't convey the feeling, mystery or significance, if any, of that. But I reckon the right words, like a misplaced set of house keys, will show up when they are good and ready!
The other challenge is finding a wide enough audience for my writing much of which deals with issues of re-exile, and contemporary British-Caribbean experience.

My major influences

I listen to a lot of music, particularly jazz, although when I am writing, it HAS to be instrumental. I tried writing to Ella one time and wrote not one things because I was too busy singing along "wrong and strong" with her! She's simply wonderful! Also Nina. Billie. Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and John Coltrane have inspired and influenced me greatly. Contemporary artists? Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Earth Wind & Fire. Newer artists that I'm listening to right now? Gregory Porter, Kamasi Washington. Authors? James Baldwin, Langston Hughes, Toni Morrison, Caryl Phillips, Kamau Brathwaite, Dionne Brand. What all these artists have in common for me is their virtuosity. The way their brilliance makes me feel, I want people to read my words and go "Wow!". 

My five favourite words?

Mango – Good to say, good to eat! Lush, creamy, silky, totally indulgent, especially the Julie mangoes from my parents' tree.
Fearless – This is about acting fearlessly rather than being without fear. We all have fear and that's a good thing because when we are given opportunities to face and overcome our fears, amazing things can happen!
Ocean – My favourite place to be: My playground, my spa, my church, my retreat.
Moon – Brotha moon or Sista moon, depending on my mood. I believe the moon loves our attention, as do other elements of Nature, and I give plenty!
Tambourine – Such a joyful sound whether you say it or play it. Plus I am endlessly fascinated by words in which all five vowels appear exactly once. (Even more so when they occur in alphabetical order.) There aren't that many.

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