Meet Annette Pateman

Annette Pateman

I joined NOWW for the first time in 2018.

I write poetry, which I perform with percussion instruments. I also write short stories. My work is mostly fiction. I am interested in YA and in writing for adults.
 
 I really enjoyed the book ‘ Small Island’ by Andrea Levy as it tells the story of Jamaican immigrants to London, UK and my parents were Jamaican immigrants. I have lived in Thunder Bay and in Canada for eight years. I also enjoy the work of Octavia Butler the Black sci fi speculative fiction writer. Nalo Hopkinson, a speculative fiction writer who I enjoy reading. I enjoy the writing of Audre Lorde who writes from a Black feminist perspective. I enjoy the use of  African American dialect of Zora Neale Hurston. Of course the writing of Nobel laureate for literature Toni Morrison and also writers such as Maya Angelou, her poem ‘ Still I Rise’ is iconic. The writing of Alice Walker. The writing of James Baldwin and the writing of Frantz Fanon, the Caribbean psychiatrist and political philosopher is inspired g and informative.
 
I have taken part in NOWW readings in the past and will be doing a reading on November 10, 2020.
 
One way to learn more about me would be to read my book of poetry ’Spectrum’. The book talks about race and identity. I use many of my own experiences of being a Black woman living in Ontario. The book is available locally in Indigo. The Groggy Toad Coffee shop, and The Bodymind Centre. It is also available on Amazon.
 
When I was young I used to be able to do the limbo dance and It was my party trick.    
I am interested in calligraphy and like to practice this sometimes     
 
I was born and grew up in the UK to Jamaican parents. I use patois in my poetry and storytelling. I have always loved fairytales. I have received a grant from the Ontario Arts Council to study fairytales and folklore with a view to incorporating these aspects into my own writing. I use percussion instruments and some African and Caribbean dance in my poetry and storytelling performance. I admire the Jamaican folklorist Louise Bennett who lived in Canada.

I enjoy walking in the beautiful nature of Northern Ontario, yoga, music and film.
 
 
My first collection of poetry ‘Spectrum’ was published in May 2020 during the COVID19 lockdown. The book seeks to raise awareness of what it is like to be a Black person. The poetry focuses on race and identity. My first piece of published writing was a short story published in 1996. It was about Black hair. I am currently researching fairytales and African Caribbean folklore and hope to produce some stories and poetry around that. 
 
‘Spectrum’ Amazon link,
 https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1714041549/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_-MYMFbWHYTJN7
 
 

 I am very inspired by the Jamaican folklorist Louise Bennett. I like her use of Jamaican patois and how she describes this as a language in its own right. My favourite writers tend to be Black women writers whose written characters have strength and resilience. This is because I recognize their struggle, as it mirrors my own.
 
 I like to incorporate the magic of fairytales and folklore in my writing. Writers such as Toni Morrison, speculative fiction writers Octavia Butler and Nalo Hopkinson also incorporate lyricism and imagination in their work. I do recommend these writers. I am inspired by the wish to improve understanding between groups. To promote anti racism themes. I also like to bring more awareness of African and Caribbean folklore and worldview to the public. I am inspired to write by the people I meet, experiences I have, and the natural world.
I enjoy participating in things like Nanowrimo and Camp Nanowrimo.

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​I have just taken delivery of a world poetry anthology I collaborated on with four other authors from South Africa, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and India. The book contains some of my new poems including  ‘Xenophobia’ and ‘Minneapolis.’ The book is available on  Amazon and is entitled, "Mercy and Poetic Healing.’ The book is available on Amazon.
 
‘Mercy and Poetic Healing’ Amazon Link
 
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KJ72798?ref=myi_title_dp
 
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