James Berry was a poet and writer whose work is noted for its striking blend of standard English and Jamaican Patois. Immigrating from Jamaica to England in the 1940s, his writing explores themes of cultural identity and linguistic richness. Berry's poetic style is energetic and rhythmic, often capturing the raw beauty and complexity of the worlds he depicts. His contributions to literature celebrate the fusion of cultures and languages.
Focusing on the life and methods of an executioner, this memoir details James Berry's experiences and innovations in the practice of hanging, particularly the long drop method aimed at minimizing suffering. Berry shares personal accounts of his first execution, various techniques, and reflections on capital punishment. The book also includes contributions from H. Snowden Ward and an introductory essay on Anne Green's execution, providing a historical context to Berry's insights into the moral complexities of his role.
Combining specially commissioned work by 13 acclaimed modern poets with illustrations by Satoshi Kitamura, this package also includes a CD featuring each of the poems read aloud to the corresponding animal music.
This is dub poetry- bold and musical, funny and furious. This collection brings together the work of nine inventive and brilliant poets who defined and drove the dub poetry genre. From the Caribbean, Canada and the UK, the poetry in this collection spans forty years, as dub became a powerful cultural and creative force. With roots in the reggae culture of 1970s Kingston, dub poetry uses the vivid expressions of everyday spoken language to describe and challenge the experience of life on the margins. Early dub poetry took on police violence, slums and poverty. Later, as Caribbean migrants arrived in countries like Britain and Canada, dub poets faced new issues- racism, discrimination and hostility. Over four difficult decades, dub gave marginalised people a voice for their anger, defiance and creativity. It was the soundtrack to post-Windrush culture. Serious and humorous, alive and urgent, here is the very best of dub poetry. The poets included in this collection are- Oku Onuora, Mikey Smith, Mutabaruka, Jean 'Binta' Breeze, James Berry, Benjamin Zephaniah, Ahdri Zhina Mandiela, Lillian Allen and Afua Cooper.
Former government operative Cotton Malone teams with old heartthrob Cassiopeia Vitt on a dangerous mission to retrieve a priceless Chinese lamp from the third century B.C.E.
