By Barbara Ellington, Senior Gleaner Writer 
JAMAICAN WRITER, Lorna Goodison, has yet another book out, Fool-Fool Rose is Leaving Labour-in-Vain Savannah.
The collection of short prose fiction stories marks Ms. Goodison's return to the genre after having written several works in poetry since her first book of prose came out 25 years ago. Each of the stories in this book can stand on its own.
The style is amusing, witty and loaded with Jamaican dialect words and phrases revealing the writer's intimate contacts with and memories of her homeland, in spite of being resident abroad. The influence began in her childhood as, surrounded by a mother from Hanover, she heard countless stories of rural life. The book is dedicated to her siblings who she describes as wonderful story tellers and who, over the years, provided grist for her work.
Currently an associate professor in the department of English at the Center for African American Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Ms. Goodison spoke with The Sunday Gleaner about her latest work.
The author revealed that she has no preference between prose and poetry but she uses the former to deal with subjects not handled in poetry.
"The stories are set in different parts of the island and my first book, Tamrind Season came out 25 years so I thought it was time to do another. But, it was very important to me that the book should look good; Patrick Waldemar did an excellent job with the picture and Ian Randle Publishers did an excellent job with a book that will represent Jamaica, so I have to salute them both" Ms. Goodison said.
The book is laced with memories of village folk such as Miss Henny, the lady for whom they used to take dinner as children. "She taught me a lot and helped me develop my writing skills. I do not want to forget anything about my heritage, the language I used had to be true so it was very important to me to preserve the authenticity of the language ," Ms. Goodison stressed.
This is evident in the stories and one gets to enjoy the author's relaxed ease with the language as she smoothly transitions from standard English to patois and back again. It is very refreshing to read her classic "tracing" passages where characters tell each other off in the good old fashioned way that used to ensue before people relied so much on bad-words and guns. It is also instructive to grasp her deep connection with important aspects of her Jamaican culture and enjoy her literary celebration of it on paper and how it will help to preserve our stories for future generations.
Throughout the work is evidence of the theme of spirituality - that is the innate Jamaican belief in the supernatural, the gut feeling and awareness that there is a higher and more powerful being. The story of 'Alice and the Dancing Angel', highlights this. "Jamaicans are grounded in their spirituality and even when the odds are stacked against us, we have a way out of terrible situations," she explains.
Ms. Goodison said the material for her stories are not all her own life experiences but she is able to use one small incident to empathise and identify with the entire life of others.
She stil l makes these and other connections from homes in Michigan and Canada. She is happy with life abroad that came out of her invitations to do guest lectures there several years ago. There are no set plans to return home but Ms. Goodison will go where the spirit takes her and where there is work but for now, she states, "The University of Michigan appreciates what I do."
Of her latest book of poetry, Controlling The Silver, the author says she's pleased with the reception but she hopes that readers will feel better after reading the stories in Fool-Fool Rose ...'.
