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| Prime Minister Denzil Douglas and Dr. Barbara Paul-Emile |
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS (JUNE 3RD 2004) – A Professor of English and Maurice E. Goldman Distinguished Professor of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Barbara Paul-Emile said Monday she has been inspired by the Feature address delivered by St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Denzil L. Douglas at the opening ceremony of the 29th Annual Conference of the Caribbean Studies Association (CSA).
“You present the kind of leadership that will take us to the next level. When you called us to honour culture, to bring our best and present it to the world, I felt the impetus to work for issues larger than ourselves,” said Professor Paul-Emile in a letter to the St. Kitts and Nevis leader.
She hailed Prime Minister Douglas’ address as one that has inspired Caribbean people “to build a community that is a model of good governance.”
“Your call is timely and appropriate. If you represent this level of leadership in the Caribbean, then we are well led. Well led indeed,” said Professor Paul-Emile, who thanked Prime Minister Douglas for his “moving and powerful speech.”
“We felt your commitment to a better tomorrow and your dedication to the principles that will create a better world for all,” said Professor Paul-Emile, whose work centers on 19th century English Literature, Myth and Caribbean literature.
A member of the faculty of Bentley College, Waltham, Massachusetts, Dr. Paul-Emile was named Massachusetts Professor of the Year for 1995 by the Carnegie Foundation and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).
She has published numerous articles on scholarly topics, but has remained true to her first love, creating writing and is completing Mosaic, a Collection of Caribbean Short Stories and a manuscript on the Spirit of the Warrior Woman.
On Monday evening, Dr. Paul-Emile presented Prime Minister Douglas with a copy of her latest publication entitled “Seer.”
“Seer” tells a magical tale of redemption. Set against the lush landscape and spicy aromas of the Caribbean. Her fiction, set in Jamaica, and inspired by the rich mystical heritage of her Jamaican culture, has appeared in American and Canadian journals.
Her voice in Caribbean literature is an original one with strong cross-cultural appeal. Using language rich in lyricism and mythic symbolism, she captures the cadence of West Indian life and the magical interplay between the physical and non-physical worlds traversed by the Seer in serving the needs of the villagers.
