By: Staff Writer
October 1, 2021
Caribbean Magazine Plus is pleased to announce it top three finishers for the Caribbean Magazine Plus 2021 Poetry Contest sponsored by Arawak Media.
The selection of winners for the inaugural Poetry Contest was difficult from the many entries we had, but we were able to narrow it down to the top three as well as now posting with that the overall top six.
The top three finishers are:
1st place, Candice Dianne Skerrette- “Let Girls be Girls”
2nd place, Zenna Lewis- “Madam Anxiety”
3rd place, Ysanna John- “From Corona’s Diary”
The 1st place finisher, Candice Dianne Skerrette, is from Trinidad and Tobago with the entry, “Let Girls be Girls.”
Candice was raised in Sangre Grande, Trinidad and Tobago and is a proud alumni of Northeastern College. Growing up as an avid reader led Candice to writing poetry as a hobby and she favours writing on themes related to her upbringing as well as the twists and turns of life. When she is not spending time with family and friends, she works in the fields of research, project management and human rights. Candice has a M.Sc. in Project Management from the University of the West Indies and graduated with distinction. She loves hiking, gardening and relaxing at the beach.
Let-girls-be-girls-pdf-docxThe 2nd place finisher, Zenna Lewis, is from St Vincent and the Grenadines with the entry, “Madam Anxiety.”
Zenna describes herself as junior educator, Performing Artist, and Poet and says she exhibits keenly what it means to be an educated young woman, choosing to challenge 21st century St. Vincent and the Grenadines and by extension the Caribbean region.
Zenna is an innovative, self-assured, goal-oriented, and enthusiastic modern day feminist and lover of all things national, women, youth, and personal development and against that backdrop, she has and continues to confidently add her voice and opinion on local, regional or global issues rising specifically within her interest areas.
A product of the fishing community of Barrouallie, Zenna’s educational pursuit began at the Barrouallie Government Primary School, after her successful completion of the then Common Entrance Examinations she then became enrolled at the St. Vincent Girls’ High School. Notably, during her stint at the prestigious secondary institution, her stellar leadership capabilities became apparent and she functioned in varying leadership positions within the varying extracurricular clubs at the school. She then attended St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College’s arts, science, and general studies division- it was at that juncture that her thrust for women in leadership and politics began, moreover, her creative talent and involvement within the arts were further heightened. Notably, to date, she has participated in and organized several creative and dramatic arts productions at the community and national levels and she has written several creative pieces and has also served on St. Vincent and the Grenadines CARICOM Youth Ambassadors’ Committee.
Madam-anxiety-poemThe 3rd place finisher, Ysanna John, from The British Virgin Islands, with the entry “From Corona’s Diary.”
Mrs. Ysanna John is a Vincentian national, who lives in Tortola, British Virgin Islands. She teaches middle school English at The BVI Seventh-day Adventist School, and enjoys writing, reading, art and craft and computing.
Mrs. John is a member of Alumni Epsilon Chapter of The International English Honour Society-Sigma Tau Delta. Ysanna is married and has three children. Her mantra is “Don’t quit on learning “.
From-Coronas-Diary-1Honourable mentions
Cynclair Musgrove, from the Turks and Caicos Islands for her entry, Special needs people; Christianna Sahadeo, from Trinidad and Tobago for her entry, Thrive; and Vera Patterson from Canada for her entry, Mama’s Children.
Thanks to everyone who participated in our inaugural Poetry Contest. Please do tune in for our award ceremony next week Saturday, October 9 at 1pm EST that will be streamed live on our Facebook and Youtube pages.
Congratulations Mrs. John!!! You have done us proud again! 👏👏👏