Verandah Poems

Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze (1956-2021) was an internationally-renowned poet. Born in Hanover, Jamaica, she first visited London in 1985 to take part in the International Book Fair of Radical and Third World Books, and she continued to write, perform and teach until a collapsed lung resulted in early retirement to Jamaica. She published eight books of poetry and stories. Answers (Jamaica, 1982), Riddym Ravings (Race Today, UK, 1988), Spring Cleaning (Virago, 1992) were followed by On the Edge of an Island (1997), The Arrival of Brighteye (2000), The Fifth Figure (2006), Third World Girl: Selected Poems (2011, with DVD) and The Verandah Poems (2016) from Bloodaxe. She also released several records, cassettes and CDs, including Tracks and Eena Me Corner with the Dennis Bovell Dub Band and Riding On De Riddym: selected spoken works (57 Productions). She performed her work throughout the world, including tours of the Caribbean, Britain, North America, Europe, South East Asia and Africa, and latterly divided her time between Jamaica and England. She received a NESTA Award in 2003, and an MBE in 2012 for services to literature.

Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze… emerged in the 1980s as the first female dub poet, fusing reggae rhythms and music with the spoken word… Through the use of a variety of women’s voices and contexts, Breeze’s work challenged the usual stances of the dub and performance poetry tradition. Whether on stage, record or page, she spoke for – and to – black female experience, encompassing a wide range of subjects, styles and tonalities.

• 9 The Verandah Matters by Kei Miller 13 Priming16 Stranger18 Homework19 Evening23 Football on the verandah26 The casting of the roof29 Departure of a daughter31 After the World Cup33 A visit from Scotland35 Breakfast surprise38 Birth40 The rocking chair41 Sound system43 Tweet tweet44 Heat47 New men48 Locking the door51 Dorothy53 Rainbow morning54 No ghost57 Tsunami58 Rum59 Visitation61 Red, gold and green62 Piercings63 Christmas Eve65 Chrismus67 Presents69 New Year’s Eve