I am honoured to have been awarded the Guyana Prize for Literature (Poetry) for my book of poems Not Quite Without A Moon. And I am proud and pleased that my 12 year old grandson, Jacob, on my behalf received the Award from the Prime Minister and impressed that he put the book aside and recited a poem in it from memory.
The Guyana Prize for Literature has resumed its place as an important national institution. In 1987 President Desmond Hoyte launched the Prize with these memorable words:
“It is not only good literature for its own sake that I feel we should celebrate – though that is important – but also recognition of good literature as a spur to making society as a whole aware of the importance of good writing and the effective use of language. We must give stature and status to our makers of words as we do to our makers of things.”
