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The author and her son.
"He's my greatest inspiration and the
love of my life!
I am happy not just to be A mother, but to
be HIS mother!"
March 2006
Published by Macmillan, Joanne’s
children's books:
Go Barefoot;
The
Scottish-Island Girl;
Sally’s Way and
Digger’s Diner
come with read along CDs sold exclusively
through her web site
www.caribbeanchildren.com. Her fifth title,
"Ibis Stew? Oh No!"
about the illegally hunted national bird of
T&T, was released in December 2005 and sold
'like hot bread' over Christmas. Her story,
"Racing the Rain" will be out sometime in
2006, included in the first of Macmillan
Caribbean's new anthology series:
Treasure House
1.
Joanne is editor of a new Caribbean
Sci-fi/ Fantasy series (also Macmillan),
targeting children ages 12 to 15 and
contributing editor to the internationally
distributed, SHE Caribbean magazine. A proud
member of the US based Society of Children's
Book Writers and Illustrators, she is the
founding Regional Advisor of the
SCBWI Caribbean South Chapter.
She has also written, produced, directed
and acted for both stage and television. In
1996 she started her own production company
SUN TV LTD. and
pioneered local, community television on
Cableview's Barker Channel; creating in two
years, over 700 hours of “Organic
Television”© based on community events, arts
and entertainment.
Apprenticing in 1992 to the late Dale
Kolasingh at AVM Television (now NCC 4); she
simultaneously produced two daily shows,
(one live), and a weekly programme;
scripting and producing a number of specials
and documentaries. In 1994 Joanne conceived
and co-created Caribbean Sports Digest
(still seen in ten Caribbean countries) for
senior sports and news anchor, Tony Harford.
She recently completed a 90 minute
documentary, “The Journey Now Start” which covers
the two year football campaign that
culminated in Trinidad and Tobago claiming
its glorious debut at the World Cup in
Germany 2006 - the smallest nation ever to
qualify!
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May 2005
Often involved in a number of creative projects, Joanne
works both as a writer and a television producer and
presenter.
A contributing editor for She Caribbean magazine, (out
of St. Lucia), Joanne's children's books are published
by the internationally respected house, Macmillan Publishers Ltd. (U.K.) This year she adds to her portfolio, her work as an
editor for Macmillan; developing a
New Series of Caribbean
books for boys and
girls ages 12 to 14.
Her fifth children's book,
"Ibis Stew' Oh No!"
about the illegally hunted national bird of Trinidad,
will be her first hard cover book as is due later this
year. Her story, "Racing the Rain" is also contracted by
Macmillan to be included in the first in a planned
series of anthologies of Caribbean children's stories.
A member of the Society for Children's Book Writers and
Illustrators, Joanne was recently appointed Regional
Advisor for a new chapter;
Caribbean South. During her three years as regional Advisor, Her
primary goals are to draw out and develop new Caribbean
talent in the field of children's literature, and to
create a networking resource for writers and artist .
(For information about upcoming events join our mailing
list :
joanne@caribbeanchildren.com)
Joanne began her work in television in 1992, at AVM
Television (now TIC/NCC Channel 4). She was acting
producer for the late Dale Kolasingh. She wrote,
presented and produced both live and pre-recorded
programs; special features and documentaries. Her
portfolio included two daily shows - Good Morning T&T;
The Midday Show (live); a weekly program Words, Books
and Letters; and promotional IDs. "Head Start", her show
preparing children for the Common Entrance exam, was
popular with audiences and sponsors and was rerun for a
number of years. "Rights From the Heart", a series of 90
second vignettes, which she wrote and produced, received
AVM Television an award of recognition from the United
Nations for promoting their International Day of
Broadcasting for Children.
In 1994 Joanne co-created and piloted the still popular
Caribbean Sports Digest for Tony Harford. From 1996 to
1998 she created the first local cable community
broadcast in partnership with Cableview. In two years
with volunteer services and domestic equipment, Sun TV
created over 700 hours of all local, original, community
programming and was the local pioneer of a more
friendly, handheld style of production which is now so
common place in international cable and film culture .
Her company SUN TV LTD.
has produced a number of commercial video features since
then including TTT, Caribbean Sports Digest, Scotia
Bank, Bee Wee's World.
Joanne has also acted for both stage and television;
most notably DerekWalcott's "Remembrance" staged both in
St. Lucia and Trinidad and Earth TV's West Wood Park. In
1997 she portrayed The Madonna for Minshall's carnival
presentation of La Pieta. During her eight years as a
primary school teacher at Maria Goretti Preparatory
School and Blackman's Private School facilitated a
number of Theatre In Education (T.I.E.) Projects. Having
apprenticed to Lorna Mackay at The Center for the
Dramatic Arts, she went on to host workshops for
Trinidad Theater Workshop, UWI's Creative Arts Center
and then founded her own troupe The Hamelyn Players,
which ran theatre workshops for children at community
venues every school term for six years.
July 2004
I don't see myself as "a writer" exclusively. At the
heart of my expression is a desire to communicate my
unique feeling-sense of life. It is so vital that all
People fulfill the human need to see and hear
themselves. I would like to contribute to the
development and reflection of our Caribbean potential.
My books intend to encourage children to believe that
their own stories are worth telling. (This is why we
learn to write essays, not merely to pass some exam!)
I began keeping journals when I was twelve and still
have note books and diaries that date back to 1992. As
a child, I preferred a quiet corner and a book and
often came alive only to act out stories with props and
costumes; trying out my scripts with imaginary
characters.
I was born and bred in Trinidad. Both my parents are
West Indians. My Dad, is originally from Grenada and
now he is one of the most patriotic Trinis I know! He
worked in Guyana, Barbados, Bahamas, and finally
Trinidad, where he met my mother and has lived ever
since. My mother was born here, as were her parents.
When it comes to thinking laterally and solving everyday
problems creatively, she is a master! Together they
have inspired me to respect my own sense of belonging
to the Caribbean. I have traveled to many of our
islands for both work and play, including: Grenada,
Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia,
Antigua, Jamaica, Grand Cayman and of course, our sister
isle Tobago.
As a primary school teacher, I
started the school newsletter at Blackman's Private
School where I taught for many years. During this time I
also became involved in Theater in Education. In 1990 I
began to express my creativity outside the classroom. I
co-created a half-hour pilot for a children's
television programme with Dani Jeffrey (Gemin TV),
called "Rainbow Magic". I then went on to write and
produce "The Island". An interactive play for children.
It addressed the plight of the scarlet ibis, (the
national bird of Trinidad), which is endangered due to
illegal hunting. Sadly, the issue is still relevant
today, and gladly, the book version of this play, "Ibis Stew' Oh
No!" will be
published by Macmillan in 2005.
Macmillan has published my children's stories,
"Go Barefoot",
"The Scottish
Island Girl",
"Sally's Way" and
"Digger's
Diner". Thanks to
my brother Robert and his recording studio
Audio Concepts, these books now come with a read along CD (Kids
turn the page when the PANMAN rolls his tenor) which
adds an exciting new dimension to my work in this
field.
Some
career highlights
-
With cast of "Remembrance" and
playwright Nobel Laureate, Derek Walcott (St. Lucia
1999)
-
As the Madonna in Minshall's
portrayal of La Pieta (Trinidad Carnival 1997)
-
Co-anchor for AVM Television's Good
Morning T&T
I also freelance as a contributing
editor for the women's bi-monthly magazine, She
Caribbean and am often involved in a variety of
creative projects: acting in theater and on television,
writing and performing poetry, and freelancing in
advertising and television production. In 1992 I began
my work in television at AVM Television. In 1994 I
formed my own company
Sun TV Ltd.
SHE Caribbean Magazine
Joanne is also a freelance contributing editor with the
internationally distributed She Caribbean Magazine
which is published in St. Lucia by the husband-wife
team, Rick and Mae Wayne of Star Publishing.
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