Mangoes in the Sea … and other memories from Cayman past is a collection of poems recalling the innocence, beauty and simplicity of Cayman from a time when yours could be the lone set of footprints on seven miles of beach.
This nostalgic journey recaptures the humour and depth of all things Caymanian, author Joey Solomon Everest tells us, from the dress code that required matching curlers to the daily chores done with grace and love. Woven through every piece is the breathtaking beauty and serenity of this jewelled isle.
Joey lived in Cayman for 18 years and both her children were born and raised here.
“I began writing as a young girl,” she said. “Mostly poetry but some science fiction) and my dream was to become a novelist not a poet. I put aside my writing ambitions for a long time and by chance met up with four ladies in a writing seminar.
“We formed our own writer’s group In Our Write Minds and it was these fellow writers who persuaded me to write poetry again,” she said. “The concept for Mangoes in the Sea came by chance from a poem I wrote about the Caribbean sea. That poem stirred a flood of memories and longings and little by little Mangoes (the collection) emerged.”
Sterling work
The writing group, she adds, ‘lacks discipline’ unless they have guest writers, with talking and eating sometimes taking priority. Nonetheless, such thinking time can lead to sterling work.
“When properly motivated, we do try to write at for at least a minimum of three 20 minute sessions at each gathering,” she said. “When we host or participate in marathons we write from 9 am to noon and from 1pm to whenever so as you can imagine there are lots of stories produced. We often use prompts as fuel and they can be words, objects, stories from the news, et cetera.” Life often can get in the way and between starting new businesses and raising children, Joey’s writing got pushed somewhat to the back burner, before she signed up to a creative class, which she said brought overwhelming joy in putting pen back to paper.
The collection is inspired by Cayman and indeed the Florida-based author is still a big fan of the destination.
“I go back to Cayman as often as I can. I still have many close friends there and, in so many ways, my heart is always there. It is in my will to have my ashes brought to Cayman. Every time I step off a plane on Cayman ground my heart calms. There is something tantalizingly familiar in the scent of the air.
“I am working on another collection of poetry about Cayman. There is so much to say, so much that needs to be remembered. Caymanians are wonderful, complicated, delightful people and [as for] the expats from back in the day … oh my, the stories.” We look forward to it, Joey. Welcome home.
Joey Solomon’s collection of poems is presented at Books & Books at 7pm on Thursday, 24 November.
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