WomanzVue Publishing
WomanzVue Books
A Home for Mr No-Roach is a children’s picture book. Set in rural Jamaica, the main character is a retired shoemaker named Mr No-Roach. It is the rainy season, and he is anxious to find a place for himself and his mule, Penny. She is a gift from a local man named Mr Florin. It is the 1960s. Like the Windrush generation, he leaves his wife, Mrs Florin, and children, Bissy and Nola, in rural Jamaica to find a better life abroad.
Mr No-Roach is the only Rastafarian in the village where he has no family. He loses his home during a recent hurricane and is forced to seek temporary shelter in a ruined castle that is damp and mouldy. In this picture book, the narrative and images celebrate the West African oral storytelling tradition in the Caribbean. Hence Mr No-Roach is befriended by Brer Anancy, who tries to keep him from leaving the castle by telling old time stories, especially the story of “Brer Anancy in Bird-Cherry Island”. European children’s stories are also mentioned…
The other key character is News-Bug. She is a large black beetle, and the village gossip. She loves to fly about the village eavesdropping on characters such as Queen-Bee, Mr and Mrs Mange, and Afro-Mermaid (Miriam). Upon her return to the castle, News-Bug tells Mr No-Roach the stories that she has overheard on her travels. She, like Brer Anancy, is eager to find a proper home for Mr No-Roach and Penny.
The story ends with News-Bug reminding Mr No-Roach that he has got friends in the village: the Florin family. Brer Anancy tells Mr No-Roach about his Bird-Cherry Island escape. The emphasis on Anancy story is a subversive act. In other words, the narrative hinges on remembering not to forget the stories of the past. Mr No-Roach is based on a childhood story about a bogeyman. It was said that he would kidnap naughty children at dusk if they refused to go to bed early.
Overall, the book is 32 pages and is roughly 1,000 words.
WomanzVue Books
Walk-Foot woman and Other Poems (hereafter Walk-Foot Woman) is the first of five collections of poetry by Dr. Velma McClymont. Written over a period of twenty years (and some during the Covid pandemic when the world was in lockdown), the poems reflect the poet’s journey from her rural Jamaican childhood to growing up in London during the Windrush era.
Carving out a space for herself in the literary world, McClymont is proud of her Caribbean heritage (orature/the West African storytelling tradition), which is explored in the title poem, “Walk-Foot Woman”. In this ‘lyric poem’ that captures another time and place, the poet charts her journey and ends thus: “I left a trail for those who’d come after. I, the walk-foot woman, tied seven strips/Of my plaid headtie on random branches.”
Throughout the collection, McClymont’s poetry relies on different forms: free verse, sonnet, haiku (Jamaican-style), elegy, ode, pastoral – and rhyming schemes too! Her style is often lyrical (“Bread Basket: Ode to Maya Angelou”), humorous (“Garden Statuary”, “Celebrity Fridge”, “Scenes from Gatwick Airport”), gossipy (“Black Forest Gateaux”, “The Reaper’s Garden”, “Yabba Pot: The Good Old Days” – Jamaican labrish), serious (“Sea Breeze”, “Footprints Upon Our Souls”, “Fossils in Rocks”, “Watery Wealth”) and haunting (“The Yellow Butterfly”, “Enemies of the Empire”, “The Stone-Breakers”, “Black Ivory: Call and Response”, “I Shall Return”), especially when exploring transatlantic slavery (“Archway of No Return”, “Merchant City”, “The Imperialist Yoke”), nature (“On the Brink”, “The Fickle Weather”) and the Jamaican landscape of her childhood (“Compulsive Walkers”, ”Jamaican Talls”, “Drumilly Remembered” et al).
WomanzVue Books
WomanzVue Books is an extension of WomanzVue Publishing. The bookshop will enable customers to purchase our books directly, and other products. Feel free to browse and support by buying a copy of Little River: Volume 1.
Between 2022-23, WomanzVue hopes to publish 2-3 books. Ideally, the plan is to publish an adult novel, a picture book, and a collection of poetry. The focus will be on creating positive representations of children and families, on telling the history of the Transatlantic slave trade and the black experience in the African Caribbean diaspora while highlighting our contributions to the cultural life in Britain and to world history.
WomanzVue Publishing
WomanzVue Publishing (known as WomanzVue) is a new independent publisher specialising in fiction (historical novels), children’s picture books and poetry written by Black women (several projects in the pipeline). We are currently working with an experienced team of people, who have been in the publishing industry for many years, to bring you good quality writing. Our first book, Little River: Volume 1, will be launched on 17th October 2022.
WomanzVue Bookshop
WomanzVue bookshop has been set up to enable supporters to purchase our books and other products as they become available. Feel free to visit, browse and buy our first publication (Little River: Volume 1).