Dear Editor,
I’ve been too engaged with personal work to respond as comprehensively as I’ve wanted to regarding the latest interventions on the Guyana Prize. At this point, addressing the specifics of all that has been written would be tedious although I believe that this is a conversation that needs to be had, and not just in the newspapers.
If we are to fix/enhance the Guyana Prize, the Caribbean Press, and the literary development environment as a whole, it will not be done by ad hoc cross-talking every time an issue is raised, almost invariably by yours truly. If people are serious about contributing to the development and production of Guyanese writing, it has to be done by bringing serious, knowledgeable persons together to chart the course forward.
I am happy to note that the Guyana Prize for Literature Management Committee has taken my advice to extend the deadline for submissions, moving it from February 28 to now April 7. My suggestion to resident writers is to now take advantage of the opportunity to revise, network and workshop wherever you are. If anyone needs basic advice, feel free to e-mail me at ruel.johnson@gmail.com.
Moving forward, when the dust settles after May 11, and hopefully we have in place a political regime that is not hostile to intellectual development, we can have a mechanism in place to ensure that our best literary minds can express themselves free from fear of victimisation in an environment that respects their talent and right to creatively comment upon the society in which they live.
Yours faithfully,
Ruel Johnson
Janus Cultural Policy Initiative