PHILIPSBURG – Professor Melvin Rahming of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, recently made his inaugural visit to St. Maarten to discuss the prospects with the University of St. Martin (USM) for hosting the 16th International Conference on Caribbean Literature.
Professor Rahming founded the Conference in 1997 and is keen to bring the Conference to the island this year. One of the aims of the Conference is to continue academic linkages between Morehouse College, and the various tertiary level institutions in the Caribbean, such as USM.
During his visit, Professor Rahming met with the President of the Board of USM Valerie Giterson-Pantophlet, as well as President and Dean of USM Dr. Francio Guadeloupe and Genѐve Phillip. Commenting on the outcome of his meeting and site visit to St. Maarten, Professor Rahming remarked, “I already know that ICCL St. Maarten is going to be absolutely transformative!”
In the past, the Conference has featured keynote speakers such as Nobel Prize Laureate Derek Walcott and Earl Lovelace. As the host University, USM will have the autonomy to select three locally acclaimed writers or poets to give special addresses or readings at the Conference. The Conference will also be boosted by a number of cultural and artistic events and seeks to include the local community as much as possible.
USM has pledged its full commitment to be host of the Conference, which is scheduled for November 2-4. Selected conference papers will be published in the January 2017 Issue of USM’s in-house Journal Commentaries. USM’s main task now, is to move swiftly ahead with appointing a steering committee and attracting sponsors and volunteers for this highly anticipated event, which is expected to have at least 200 participants in attendance. For further details or information on how one can contribute, email Francio.guadeloupe@usmonline.net or Geneve.phillip@usmonline.net.
