Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

Gwyneth Barber Wood. - Contributed

Before October's serving of 'Contem-porary Literature' at RedBones The Blues Café' on Wednesday evening, host Evon Williams read some of the name of the over 80 poets who have read there.

Those who have delivered verse at the Braemar Avenue, New Kingston, venue include Dingo, Evelyn Nathan, De I Am, Ishon Hutchinson, Marsha Hall and Gina Rey Forrest, with Colin Channer, Marlon James and Anthony Winkler among those whose books have been launched there, as well as the first of the evening's three poets, Gwyneth Barber-Wood.

She started out with Surviving Survival, which dealt with the aftermath of a bout with breast cancer, where "no one tells you how your dreams will change". The Blank Screen of writer's block came "too early for breakfast, too late for regret" and Dolphins ended with the request "father, forgive me for wanting more than love".

Employing a calm, measured delivery throughout her reading, Barber-Wood read No Contest, inspired by Ann-Margaret Lim's winning poem at last year's Literary Awards competition at RedBones, and there was further reference to Lim for Your Song, which Barber-Wood said was a favourite of the other writers. There was another brush with death on Elegy (for Uncle Maasa) before she ended with near misses in a matter of the heart with Spring.

Osakwe took the evening occasionally into dub territory, going from Now Man to A Poem and Bouyant without much break in between. Loveable came from his experiences going to New York, a city which he loves immensely. It delved into riding the underground "with Tubman" and ended "I am conscience" to applause.

Us to cuba

From the U.S. he went south to Cuba, saying "viva en Jamaica, me corozon esta en Havana" and ending with a repeated "esperanza". Osakwe went to another kind of affinity with Admirer, for the women, before tipping his hat to Linton Kwesei Johnson with Top Notch Poet.

Phineas, thumbs hooked in the front pockets of his jeans, ended the 'Evening of Contemporary Literature' with a rhythm of another kind, his rhymes moving to the hip-hop beat and laced with experience of adversity. He introduced himself as "kinda like a thug poet/who knows his mind is his greatest wealth," then commented "these days a lot of the music is demonic/But the words coming from my mouth are supersonic."

Prison experience

There was a prison experience where in the beginning "I was still a knucklehead/What changed me was some books I read," before he moved on to his favourite experience with "I am a little addicted to sex/Out of all the things I tried in life it was probably the best."

It would have been his last poem, but he was recalled to the stage by Williams, Phineas declaring his completeness with "I am four in one, mother, father, son and daughter." It was a brawta on a brawta as he did one more, declaring at the end "to a CD player near you I am coming real soon."

On the last Wednesday of next month there will be several poets at RedBones for the 2006 staging of the annual Literary Awards.