If you were at the launch of the Dennis Scott’s book of poems entitled After- Image on Thursday, June 10, at the Edna Manley College’s (EMC) School of Drama, you would have obtained a greater understanding of the dynamic nature of poetry.
Guest Speaker for the evening, Dr. Dennis Williams from the University of the West Indies’ Literatures in English Department, unhesitatingly assisted our rediscovery of the beauty of this art form. Writers will tell you that their craft affords them the opportunity to be led by inspiration and not rigid logic. They are therefore able to do more than merely tell a story, thereby ensuring that an otherwise laboured predictable string of words is replaced by those injected with emotions and life. When we write, though it is not always deliberate, we invite readers into our world to dine, sit, walk, dream with us and feel what we felt as we wrote. Similarly the spoken word is able to insight passion and plant lingering thoughts in the minds of those who absorb it. Celebrated poets in that regard are gifted human beings with a significant amount of power.
Dennis Scott, renowned actor, educator and playwright, who served as Director of the College’s School of Drama from 1977 to 1983 is undoubtedly among these powerful few. He has worked in Trinidad, Jamaica, the United States and taught at Yale University’s School of Drama. He was an original member of the National Dance Theatre Company and is popularly known for his role as Lester Tibedeaux on the Cosby Show. His collection of works was presented publicly for the first time since his untimely death in 1991 to a modest audience at the Dennis Scott Studio Theatre. The event was ably chaired by fellow poet and friend, Edward Baugh and was attended by Scott’s wife Mrs. Joy Scott, Chairman of the EMC Board, Paul Issa, Principal Burchell Duhaney, Dr. Caroline Cooper and other members of the University of the West Indies Academic Staff, representatives from the National Library and the University of Technology,aas well as students and staff of EMC.
After –Image, a paperback appropriately sized publication published by Peepal Tree Press and distributed by Novelty Trading Limited is the brain child of Professor Mervyn Morris. The book is an interesting collection of some of Scott’s popular poems like Uncle Time and Whassimatter -You Don’ Know mi name?, which are known for their lyrical strength. The book also accommodates poems from his earliest works that might not be as popular but are equally inspiring.
The launch introduced a “must have” literary reserve of intense works that distances Scott’s ability to create lasting images, from those who don’t or simply can’t. More importantly the launch served a greater purpose. It reaffirmed our appreciation for the art from, reminding us of its potency and illuminating its therapeutic nature. This was conveyed not only in the thorough analysis of the book by Dr. Williams, but also in the insightful and well delivered readings and the rhythmic drumming that accompanied them. The readers included Carolyn Allen, Rishille Pelicie, Carl Samuels, Fabian Thomas, Owen ‘Blacka’ Ellis and Mbala. The Poems especially, Apocalypse dub, Birdwalk and Diary of a counter – revolutionary created physical images, while For Joy, Letters to My Son ix and For My Daughter, generated tactile images, filled with emotions. And these images - when they are created - linger and remain with you long after the listening audience long after the poet has left. Williams posits, through his address that poets often leave us to infer the principles behind their practice and sometimes they are kind enough to explicitly state these principles. Scott does the latter making his work understandable and thoroughly enjoyable from the first stanza of the first poem to the very last word.
