Philip Nanton

Last updated
Philip Nanton
Born1947 (age 76–77)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Alma mater University of Sussex
Occupation(s)Writer, poet, spoken-word performer, broadcaster and academic
Partner Jane Bryce [1]
Website philipnanton.com

Philip Nanton (born 1947) is a Vincentian writer, poet and spoken-word performer, based in Barbados. [2] A sociologist by training, who also teaches cultural studies, he is Honorary Research Associate at the University of Birmingham, and lectures at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill. [3] He has been a contributor on Caribbean culture and literature to journals and magazines such as The Caribbean Review of Books , Shibboleths: a Journal of Theory and Criticism and Caribbean Quarterly , [3] and as a spoken-word artist has performed his work at festivals internationally. [4] [5] [6] In 2012, he represented St. Vincent & the Grenadines at Poetry Parnassus in London. [7] [8]

Contents

Nanton's published books include Island Voices: From St Christopher to the Barracudas and Frontiers of the Caribbean (2014), Canouan Suite and Other Pieces (2016), and Riff: The Shake Keane Story (2021).

Biography

Born in St Vincent & the Grenadines, Philip Nanton studied and lived in England between 1960 and 2000, when he relocated to Barbados. [3] [9] He began his career in British local government policymaking, and completed his D.Phil at the University of Sussex (1986), following which he combined academic work with being a creative writer. [3] Among his publications are two edited anthologies of literary criticism. He has written of his "personal journey, away from conventional disciplinary analysis, primarily sociological, to the use of creative expression for social analysis in the context of the Caribbean." [10]

Among universities where he has taught, as well as performed work, are the University of Birmingham in England, St. Georges University in Grenada, the University of Missouri-St. Louis and, currently, the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, in Barbados. [11]

Also a broadcaster, Nanton has made radio documentaries on Caribbean literature and culture, including presenting for BBC Radio 4 in 1998 What Does Mr Swanzy Want?, the story of Caribbean Voices , an influential programme of the 1940s and '50s, and its producer Henry Swanzy. [12]

In 2008, Nanton produced a spoken-word CD entitled Island Voices from St Christopher & the Barracudas, which was the basis of a 2014 book of the same name published by Papillote Press. [13]

His collection of creative writings Canouan Suite and Other Pieces, a finalist for the 2014 Hollick Arvon Prize for Caribbean Writers (now the Emerging Caribbean Writers Prize) at the Bocas Lit Fest, [14] was published in 2016 by Papillote Press, and was highly recommended for a 2018 Casa de las Américas Prize for Anglophone Caribbean Literature. [3] In 2017, Nanton published Frontiers of the Caribbean (Manchester University Press), described by Robert Edison Sandiford as a "blend of the 'scholarly' and the 'creative'." [15]

Nanton's most recently published book is Riff: The Shake Keane Story (2021), a biography of the Vincentian jazz musician and poet Shake Keane. [3] [16] [17] Reviewing Riff (which Nanton dedicates to photojournalist and historian Val Wilmer), jazz critic John Fordham wrote: "Nanton is closely attuned to the expressiveness of the local Creole-derived dialect's vowel-stretches and musicality, and to those issues of migration, masculinity and nationalism that profoundly shaped his subject's life. ...Philip Nanton's fine book opens a window on both a jazz story and a literary story that the chroniclers of both fields have largely bypassed." [18] In Caribbean Intelligence, John Stevenson's review concluded: "Nanton admirably succeeds in writing a highly engaging account of one of the Caribbean’s legendary creative forces." [19]

Honours and recognition

In 2012, Nanton's poem "Punctuation Marks" – from The Heinemann Book of Caribbean Poetry (edited by Ian McDonald and Stewart Brown, 1992) – represented Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the project Poetry 2012: The Written World, in which a poem was chosen to capture the spirit of each nation competing in the 2012 Olympic Games in a collaboration with BBC Radio Scotland. [20] [21]

Bibliography

Books

Selected shorter writings

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Vincent and the Grenadines</span> Country in the Caribbean

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is an island country in the eastern Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies, at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea, where the latter meets the Atlantic Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canouan</span> Island in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Canouan is an island in the Grenadines. It is a small island, measuring only 5.6 by 2 km and has a surface of 7.6 km2. It lies approximately 40 km (25 mi) south of the island of St. Vincent. The population is about 1,700.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Collymore</span> Barbadian poet (1893–1980)

Frank Appleton Collymore MBE was a Barbadian literary editor, writer, poet, stage performer and painter. His nickname was "Barbadian Man of the Arts". He also taught for 50 years at Combermere School, where he sought out and encouraged prospective writers in his classes, notably George Lamming and Austin Clarke. Collymore was the founder and long-time editor of pioneering Caribbean literary magazine BIM.

Ebenezer Theodore Joshua was a Vincentian politician and the first chief minister of Saint Vincent from 1960 to 1967. He was the Leader of the Legislative Council from 1956 to 1961.

Caribbean literature is the literature of the various territories of the Caribbean region. Literature in English from the former British West Indies may be referred to as Anglo-Caribbean or, in historical contexts, as West Indian literature. Most of these territories have become independent nations since the 1960s, though some retain colonial ties to the United Kingdom. They share, apart from the English language, a number of political, cultural, and social ties which make it useful to consider their literary output in a single category. The more wide-ranging term "Caribbean literature" generally refers to the literature of all Caribbean territories regardless of language—whether written in English, Spanish, French, Hindustani, or Dutch, or one of numerous creoles.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It is considered a Tier 3 rugby nation by World Rugby of which it is a full member. It is also a member of the Rugby Americas North (RAN). Saint Vincent and the Grenadines men's and women's teams compete regionally against other teams in this group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shake Keane</span> Vincentian jazz musician and poet (1927–1997)

Ellsworth McGranahan "Shake" Keane was a Vincentian jazz musician and poet. He is best known today for his role as a jazz trumpeter, principally his work as a member of the ground-breaking Joe Harriott Quintet (1959–65).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canouan Airport</span> Airport in Charlestown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Canouan Airport is the airport located on the island of Canouan in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The airport serves the surrounding tourist areas and environs of the Grenadines and is a major destination during the Caribbean winter leisure season. Aside from facilitating regular passenger flights, the airport is also open for international corporate jet operations and charter flights. Canouan Airport was the main business aviation airport in St. Vincent and the Grenadines before the opening of Argyle International Airport. The terminal has a CIP lounge and other facilities for international passengers and a domestic hub for St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It is the second largest airport in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, after Argyle International Airport. The airport often served as the alternate airport for E.T. Joshua Airport, now a decommissioned airport in St. Vincent and other Grenadines airports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caribbean poetry</span> Poem, rhyme, or lyric that derives from the Caribbean region

Caribbean poetry is vast and rapidly evolving field of poetry written by people from the Caribbean region and the diaspora.

Myron Samuel is a Vincentian international footballer who last played for Seattle Sounders FC 2 in the USL. Samuel is one of the youngest players to play and to score for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. F. Mitchell Airport</span> Airport in Paget Farm

J. F. Mitchell Airport, also known as Bequia Airport, is the airport serving Bequia island, Grenadines Parish, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, including Grenadines Parish's capital Port Elizabeth. It is named after Sir James Fitz-Allen Mitchell, KCMG, PC, MP, former Premier (1972-1974) and Prime Minister (1984-2000) of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. In 1990, a land reclamation project was undertaken in Paget Farm for the construction of the island's J.F. Mitchell Airport.

<i>Caribbean Voices</i> BBC World Service radio programme

Caribbean Voices was a radio programme broadcast by the BBC World Service from Bush House in London, England, between 1943 and 1958. It is considered "the programme in which West Indian literary talents first found their voice, in the early 1950s." Caribbean Voices nurtured many writers who went on to wider acclaim, including Samuel Selvon, Edward Kamau Brathwaite, V. S. Naipaul, Derek Walcott, John Figueroa, Andrew Salkey, Michael Anthony, Edgar Mittelholzer, Sylvia Wynter, and others.

BIM is a distinguished "little magazine" first published in Barbados in 1942. It was one of two pioneering Caribbean literary journals to have been established in the 1940s, the other being A. J. Seymour's Kyk-Over-Al in British Guiana in 1945. According to the Barbados National Register, on the submission of 16 volumes of BIM magazine together with the associated Frank Collymore Collection of correspondence in 2008:

Henry Swanzy was an Anglo-Irish radio producer in Britain's BBC General Overseas Service who is best known for his role in promoting West Indian literature particularly through the programme Caribbean Voices, where in 1946 he took over from Una Marson, the programme's first producer. Swanzy introduced unpublished writers and continued the magazine programme "with energy, critical insight and generosity". It is widely acknowledged that "his influence on the development of Caribbean literature has been tremendous".

Vincentian Americans are Americans of full or partial Vincentian origin or ancestry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Vincent Girls' High School</span> Public secondary school in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

St. Vincent Girls' High School is a secondary education facility opened in Kingstown on the island of St. Vincent in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The school was founded by Mary L. Ince in 1911 at the corner of Linley and Tyrell Street in Kingstown. In 1914, the government took over operation of the school and made Ince the headmistress. The following year, students began participating for the first time in the Cambridge Examinations. By 1918, the school had a staff of 3 teachers and 16 students and functioned as a secondary school for middle-class pupils, who were able to afford the £6 per year fee, as elites could afford to send their children to Barbados or Britain for higher education. In 1935, the school relocated to its present location on Murray Road in Kingstown to a site known as the Judges Lodge. The school's students consistently rank highly in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examinations, with pass rates over 95%. In every year since 2000, the school has had the highest rate of students passing the examination in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 pandemic in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines</span> Ongoing COVID-19 viral pandemic in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

The COVID-19 pandemic in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was a part of the ongoing global viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which was confirmed to have reached Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in March 2020. The first confirmed case was discovered on 11 March 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Vincent and the Grenadines–Turkey relations</span> Bilateral relations

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines–Turkey relations are foreign relations between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Turkey.

The Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Coast Guard is the maritime security and search and rescue element of the Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force. It was founded on 2 December 1980, when eight Police Force officers underwent training at the Royal Naval Engineering College in the United Kingdom.

Jane Bryce is a British writer, journalist, literary and cultural critic, as well as an academic. She was born and raised in Tanzania, has lived in Italy, the UK and Nigeria, and since 1992 has been based in Barbados. Her writing for a wide range of publications has focused on contemporary African and Caribbean fiction, postcolonial cinema and creative writing, and she is Professor Emerita of African Literature and Cinema at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill.

References

  1. ↑ Nanton, Philip (30 January 2017). "Acknowledgements". Frontiers of the Caribbean. Manchester University Press. ISBN   9781526114921.
  2. ↑ "5 Vincentian authors you should know". Loop. 10 September 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Philip Nanton | Biography". Writers Mosaic. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  4. ↑ "Philip Nanton". BIM magazine . Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  5. ↑ "Philip Nanton", Bocas LitFest.
  6. ↑ "The Nature Island Literary Festival and Book Fair 2013" (PDF). 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  7. ↑ "POUi: Editorial Committee". University of the West Indies at Cave Hill, Barbados. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  8. ↑ "Poetry Parnassus: Douglas' Dinky Death (Saint Vincent & The Grenadines)". Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silvery Tay. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  9. ↑ "Philip Nanton". Papillote Press. 25 March 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  10. ↑ Nanton, Philip (30 January 2017). "Introduction". Frontiers of the Caribbean. Manchester University Press. ISBN   9781526114921 . Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  11. ↑ Shafferkoetter, Kylie (2 February 2010). "Performance artist gives voice to Caribbean at UMSL". UMSL Daily. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  12. ↑ "What Does Mr Swanzy Want? BBC Radio 4 FM, 22 November 1998", Radio Times, Issue 3902, 19 November 1998, p. 137.
  13. ↑ "About Philip Nanton". 17 February 2017. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  14. ↑ "Finalists announced for 2014 Hollick Arvon Prize". Bocas Lit Fest. 19 March 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  15. ↑ Sandiford, Robert Edison (2 January 2023). "A Review of Frontiers of the Caribbean". ArtsEtc.
  16. ↑ "Riff". Papillote Press. 25 March 2021.
  17. ↑ Stevenson, John. "Riff: The Shake Keane Story, By Philip Nanton (Book review)". Caribbean Intelligence. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  18. ↑ Fordham, John (18 February 2021). "Philip Nanton – 'Riff: The Shake Keane Story'". London Jazz News. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  19. ↑ Stevenson, John. "Riff: The Shake Keane Story, by Philip Nanton". Caribbean Intelligence. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  20. ↑ "Punctuation Marks". Scottish Poetry Library. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  21. ↑ "Poetry 2012: The Written World". BBC Radio Scotland. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  22. ↑ Nanton, Philip (March 2000). "What Does Mr. Swanzy Want – Shaping or Reflecting? An assessment of Henry Swanzy's contribution to the development of Caribbean Literature". Caribbean Quarterly. 46 (1): 61–72. doi:10.1080/00086495.2000.11672109. JSTOR   40654114. S2CID   163625808 . Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  23. ↑ Nanton, Philip, "Shake Keane's Poetic Legacy", in Sandra Courtman (ed.), The Society for Caribbean Studies Annual Conference Papers, Vol. 1, 2000. ISSN 1471-2024.
  24. ↑ "The man who loved to have fun". Caribbean Beat Magazine (65). Caribbean Airlines. January–February 2004. Archived from the original on 25 December 2005.
  25. ↑ "Power of one". The Caribbean Reiew of Books. August 2007.
  26. ↑ "Caribbean 'frontier societies' like St Vincent are defined by the ever-present interplay between the civilised and the wild". LSE. 10 December 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  27. ↑ Nanton, Philip (2021). "Belonging and a Sense of Place" (PDF). Writers Mosaic. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  28. ↑ Nanton, Philip (30 December 2022). "Seeing Slantwise". Arts Etc. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.