For Posterity

For Posterity is back and I'm happy to begin this new season with acclaimed Jamaican author and environmental advocate Diana McCaulay. She is with me to discuss her newest novel, A House for Miss Pauline (2025), published by Dialogue Books UK and Algonquin Books USA. McCaulay's newest work of fiction provides fertile ground for discussing the very real subjects of Caribbean history, women's voices, hurricane vulnerability, colonialism, race in the region, reparations, and of course, land. What memory and what knowledge does Jamaica's land hold? What memories and what knowledge will the land not let us forget? To get answers, you'll have to read the novel and listen in. The new episode is ready: Story Come to Bump!

For this episode, I talk with David Katz -- music writer, film producer, dj, vinylist and Lee "Scratch" Perry biographer -- about his multi-decades long relationship with dub music. Tune in to this very special (very trippy) episode of For Posterity.

My guest for the Season 10-opener is Neil Fraser AKA Mad Professor. This Guyanese-born, British dub producer and engineer makes music that is a reflection of how he sees the world, which is to say, he sees people and places as deeply connected, deeply mixed, and he sees that who we are now carries reverberations of our ancestral roots. Press play to learn more!

This episode features my reading of Guyanese poet John Agard's "Pan Recipe" (Oxford Book of Caribbean Verse, ed. Brown & McWatt, 2005), a brief sample of Byron Lee and the Dragonaires' “Jamaica Ska” (Kentone Records label, 1964), and a deep listen to Mad Professor & Jah Shaka’s “Beyond the Realms of Dub” (Ariwa Sound Studio, 1982). 

It is with a heavy heart that I dedicate this episode to Jah Shaka. Rest in Power.

This amazing episode spotlights the life, loss, and art of Katrina Coombs. She is a Jamaican woman and superbly talented textile and fiber artist. For our talk, we sat inside the rich, comfort of soft yellow carpet and suspended red fiber art in an un-doored room on the ground level of the National Gallery of Jamaica. Katrina Coombs’s 2022 Kingston Biennial art installation is titled “Apocalypse: Lifting of the Veil" and it is a full-sensory experience featuring acrylic yarn, paper, metal, music, video projections, testimony, and an olfactory infusion. If you're in Jamaica, please make your way to the National Gallery of Jamaica to see her installation before the exhibit closes on December 31, 2022.

Heads up: This episode comes with a trigger warning. This episode will discuss child loss (abortion, miscarriage, stillbirth).

Follow Katrina Coombs via her website: https://katrinacoombs.wordpress.com or on Instagram at @duchesskcfibres.

*Statistics shared on this episode are sourced from the WHO  https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/abortion

In this episode I speak with Professor Opal Palmer Adisa. She is an acclaimed poet, writer, educator, feminist, mother, and cultural activist. We discuss the power of words  -- in particular the words of Louise Bennett-Coverley -- to inspire voice, critique culture, and uplift the Jamaican people. Opal is building the inaugural Miss Lou Festival in Gordon Town, Jamaica on October 15, 2022. If you or your oganization is keen to contribute talent or financial support, please  write to [email protected]. Much love. This is For Posterity.

In this episode of FOR POSTERITY, I talk with singer/songwriter Navy about her upbringing in Dominica and the weight of being a little Black girl from the Caribbean. Of course we talk too about her love of music, love of country, love of tarot cards, and her commitment to soul healing work. Dubbed the high priestess of hip hop soul, Navy is signed to the Barbados based Pretty Boy Worldwide label. Check her out on this music platform or on YouTube to get a sense of her sound and style. Click here for Navy's IG and here for her FB. I'm sure you'll love Navy as much as I do. And big shout out to Dominican poet Tamara Lowe and RIP to writer Jean Rhys. I'm the Riddim Writer and this is For Posterity. 

I've got three bits to share with you in this Quick Note FOR POSTERITY and Beverley Manley is the thread that connects them all. Tune in then check out the Joelle Simone Powe directed four-part documentary on former First Lady Beverley Manley's life here. Rush over to 10A West Kings House Road in Kingston, Jamaica to see the 50th anniversary of The Harder They Come exhibit before it closes on Aug 28, 2022. And last, you must make sure you check back soon-soon for the full FOR POSTERITY conversation with Opal Palmer Adisa. She's a poet, educator, cultural activist, and champion Miss Lou! Good things to come.

Singer, songwriter Naomi Cowan is back for a solo conversation about her current project and so much more. She joined me back in 2020 with her fellow Rock & Groove Riddim singers — Sevana, Lila Iké, and Jaz Elise — and today she talks with me about the bright star energy she has brought to Star Girl, the first installment of what will be a succession of mixtapes. 

On this episode you will hear “Gun Shot”, “The Voice”, and “Naked” by Naomi Cowan, as well as “Ism Schism” by Naomi’s mother Carlene Davis. Stream Naomi Cowan's entire catalog on Apple or Spotify and follow her on socials @naomicowan.