A poetry collection said to be crafted with narratives of long forgotten migrations and shipwrecks will be launched on Thursday, March 9.

The collection titled, ‘Make Us All Islands’ is penned by writer, editor and lecturer, Dr. Richard Georges.

Dr. Georges said the publication has a history submerged in the currents of the ocean and was inspired by the works of Alphaeus Norman, Derek Walcott and Verna Penn-Moll.

The book will be launched through the collaborative efforts of Dr. Georges and the Department of Culture as the department continues to promote Literary Arts in the Virgin Islands.

Director at the department, Mrs. Luce Hodge-Smith extended congratulations to the author on his first publication.

Mrs. Hodge-Smith said, “When Dr. Georges contacted the department, we were absolutely delighted to know that he had been writing and would be releasing his first publication. As the Department of Culture continues to promote Literary Arts in the Virgin Islands, we are extremely proud of Dr. Georges for finding such an intricate way to highlight Virgin Islands maritime heritage and history through his poetry collection.”

Mrs. Hodge-Smith added, “The department wishes to encourage Dr. Georges to keep writing. He is well attuned with the Caribbean history and heritage and continues to find contemporary ways to illustrate it in a manner that is relatable and vivid enough for everyone.”

Dr.  Georges is a writer, editor, and lecturer in the Virgin Islands. His poetry has appeared in Smartish Pace, sx salon, Barrelhouse, The Caribbean Writer, Wasafiri and elsewhere. He is also a founding editor of Moko, a journal of Caribbean arts and letters. He is the author of the novella ‘The Dragon of Samedi’ (2016).

Recently, the book ‘Make Us All Islands’ was listed as one of the Caribbean books to look out for this year by the Trinidad Guardian. In the feature, St. Lucian poet and winner of the 2015 OCM Bocas Prize, Vladimir Lucien wrote, “The voice is placid, and leaves no print of self-conscious style and ego but rather the poems themselves, rolling softly up the beach and then sucking us into a greater history of the sea and our only and sometimes lonely selves-- our islands."

The official book launch ceremony will be held at J. R. O’Neal Botanical Gardens, Fishlock Hall at 4:30 p.m.

Persons are encouraged to attend and support the book’s launch as the Department of Culture continues to support local authors and develop the Virgin Islands’ cultural heritage and traditions.

For more information, persons should contact the Department of Culture at 468-4379.