My name is Hazel D. Campbell. I've been writing for a number of years mainly short stories for both adults and children. My stories all come out of my Jamaican experience. If you don't know where Jamaica is, check your atlas. It's the largest of the English-speaking Caribbean islands nestled 90 miles below Cuba. The home of reggae, dancehall and Bob Marley. Tourism is our main industry but we are much more than beach, sun and fun; and that's what I like to write about- the richness of our history and culture and the energy of our people.
One problem with island folk is that too many of us would like to forget our past - immediate and distant. After all, who wants to remember slavery and its various negative influences on our lives - even today? So, apart from the folk tales, we are reluctant to tell our children stories about this past, and write very little about it. But, how are we going to pass on a sense of identity without doing so? I want to encourage Caribbean writers, in particular, to concentrate on writing for our children, and the web is a great place to start publishing these stories.
I also write and produce programmes for radio and television, and I have written commissioned story-texts for UNESCO on social issues such as AIDS, and Drug Abuse.
Writing fiction is a lot of fun. I only wish the financial rewards were enough to pay my bills. Right now I'm the starving writer in the attic (if we had attics in Jamaican houses). It's very difficult breaking into the mainstream when writing from an island perspective. I'd welcome your ideas. |
