Tamara Lowe

Tamara Lowe

Dominican Poet, Tamara Lowe, ‘To You Who Love Him’ At 2021 Bocas Lit Fest

Written by: Ayeola George

Tamara Lowe, a poet from the Eastern Caribbean island of Dominica, kicked off the annual Bocas Lit Fest on Friday 23rd April, with her poem “To You Who Love Him.” She was the first in a packed lineup of Regional authors, poets and spoken word artists to perform at the 2021 staging of the annual three-day event presented by the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago.

“This is so surreal for me,” says Lowe, who made her Festival debut this year and was encouraged to enter by Dominican author/poet and 2020 Bocas participant Celia Sorhaindo. “I submitted the poem with no real expectations and to be selected, and then to participate – it is just a great feeling. I was blown away! I am grateful to the organisers of the Bocas Lit Festival for this amazing opportunity.”

Lowe said she knew that she had a gift for writing poems when, at 13 years old, she wrote one about death. “My mom said it was really good,” she recalls. Over the years, she has performed at the Nature Island Literary Festival, at events held by the Dominica Reading Association, at the Dominica Festival of Arts -Domfesta (she will again be performing at the 2021 staging) and at poetry events held locally and online.

Lowe, who serves as the Country Manager of Tropical Shipping, an international shipping company, says despite her love of poetry, she never considered a career in the arts, because she did not understand back then the possibility of what it could become. Now with her performance at Bocas, she is truly owning her gift.

“I have referred to myself as a poet, but have experienced a little bit of impostor syndrome. When I was informed that my piece was chosen for the Festival, I felt like I finally owned that title, even more so when I found out that my poem was the piece kicking off the Festival! I felt so honored and it thoroughly quenched my thirst for the ‘validation’ that I secretly craved as an artist!”

She says her poems are inspired by “everyone and everything” around her. “I read a lot and do extensive research on topics that interest me, and also read and listen to inspiring poets like Maya Angelou, Dionne Brand, Canisia Lubrin and Aja Monet, to name a few. I live with a sense of discovery and wonderment that allows me to find content in the most unexpected places. It is a beautiful experience.”

“To You Who Love Him,” the poem which she delivered at Bocas Lit Fest, speaks to the need for our black men to be loved and emphasises that this love is worth fighting for. Another of her poems, “A Mother and Son” examines the beauty revealed in that unconditional bond between a mother and her son, while “To Little Black Girls Who May Never Be Told” is a motivation piece for Black women and girls to understand and own their power and #blackgirlmagic.

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