For Posterity

Voice Notes to Self (part 2): Just as the previous episode did, this episode is in response to the many news articles written about women during the pandemic and it is inspired by Jah9's song "Note to Self." This episode is here to intentionally record and amplify women's uncensored experiences over the last year. Women have been doing an unequal share of the work of caring for family members, schooling children, keeping house, and nursing patients back to health, all while appearing composed and full of grace. What a difficult facade to keep up all of the time. Recognizing this as a woman myself, I offer this episode as a space for women to be heard, for you to listen, and a space that will hopefully encourage you to check in on yourself and the women and girls that you love. This episode listens to women who have been navigating, coping, and surviving a global pandemic. As you listen to S3/ Ep5 and S3/ Ep4, please hear their voices with an open heart and find yourself amongst their stories.

Thank you to the women who shared their voice notes to self so publicly: Nicole Fields, Karen Thaxter-Nesbeth, Patricia V., Moji A., and Lizzy Brown. And thank you to the music makers whose songs have been my salve. Enjoy their songs on Spotify or wherever you stream music: Jah9 feat Chronixx "Note to Self", Alanna Stuart "Black Voices Matter", Jaz Elise "Good over Evil", Gavsborg "Domestic Termites Love Rock Music", and Sevana "Phone a Friend". All of the music featured on this episode was released between March 2020 and March 2021, year one of the coronavirus global pandemic. Listen deeply.

Please click here for more information about the collaborative partnerships made possible by Level Fields.

This episode celebrates the 1 year anniversary of Jah9’s third studio album Note to Self (March 2020). We discuss how Jah9 has grown from living in Tanzania for a year, we deconstruct race identity, she shares how she has continued to work on herself and how you can surrender to yourself via a Note to Self reboot that will be a Feel Good retreat hosted in Zanzibar this year (details at Jah9.com). We wrap-up with a chat about how the music of both East and West Africa are influencing the future of her musical sound. Don't miss this conversation. Join me #ForPosterity. You may stream Jah9’s music on all music platforms and watch her live performance at the Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival, virtual edition, on March 5, 2021. Details are available at jamaicajazzandblues.com and on their social media accounts. Music notes: "Hey You" from Jah9's Note to Self (2020).  Reading notes: Vincent Carretta's Unchained Voices: An Anthology of Black Authors in the English-Speaking World of the Eighteenth Century (2003 is the updated edition). 

My guest is Mr. Christopher Creary and our conversation is about plants that are mistakenly believed to be native to or indigenous to the Caribbean. This conversation was recorded at the former Hope Experimental Garden (now the Royal Hope Botanic Gardens).  If you’re ever at the Gardens, pay Mr. Creary a visit. You will be glad you did. For now, enjoy this episode about how plants, communities, and street names reveal Jamaica's colonial history. Reader’s reference: William Fawcett’s “The Public Gardens and Plantations of Jamaica” published in The Botanical Gazette (1897), the novels and poetry collections of Jamaica Kincaid, Olive Senior, and Lorna Goodison. Musical references: “Over the Hills and Far Away” performed by Hilary James and Simon Mayer (via YouTube) and “Where Is My Home” by Aisha (via Bandcamp).

As a public figure who has, for some forty years, inspired Jamaican people and encouraged Caribbean and global businesses to make better investments in their employees, my season 3 opening guest is none other than Chief Ideator of Above or Beyond, Dr. Leahcim Semaj, my father. This episode is a collection of his lived experiences, which prove that the personal is the universal and that community can be found in a neighborhood or in a book. And the amalgamation of his stories is best summed up by the Jamaican proverb "Nuh One Way duh fe Heng Daag," which translates from the Jamaican to the English to mean “there isn’t just one way to hang a dog.” If we are to survive in this world, we may sometimes have to find alternative means to the ends we seek. This episode is a celebration of the power of words to uplift people, define identity, and shift one's perspective. This is For Posterity.

New season for the new year! This episode's title is a metaphor that translates from the Jamaican to the English to say “there isn’t just one way to hang a dog.” This title is meant to highlight two realities: the power of words and the power of pivoting.  This new season is a conversation with Dr. Leahcim Semaj, my father.  Dr. Semaj is the Founder and Chief Ideator at Above or Beyond and in this episode he plays the part of the griot, telling stories that have helped to define him as a man and as a Jamaican.  We discuss the power of words to communicate effectively, shape identity, and build cultural community and national development. This one is for Jamaica.

My guest for this episode is the one and only poet-professor-Portlander, Ishion Hutchinson.  We recorded this conversation via video conferencing as we each lazed in our yards, feeling tethered by the hammock of history and comforted by thoughts of home. Hear macaws and other birds endemic to Jamaica, sing meaningfully as a kind of soundtrack to our chat. Hear how our audio sometimes sizzles and our voices sometimes glitch, and think of how the digital creates a kind of dub-like recording.  Think of sound and imagination as you listen to this one. Think of home, homecoming, and returns. Think of maroons and coves. Think of yourself and your nation and know that we're always home. ***Recommended reading: Ishion Hutchinson's House of Lords and Commons (2016) and Far District (2010), and any and all poems by Derek Walcott.