Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

  Caribbean Writers in the Running and the Road Is Talking Ian Williams April marks the beginning of Book Award season, and this week has seen significant prize announcements from 3 different Canadian awards, impacting Caribbean authors and poets. The $130,000 Griffin Poetry Prize , announced yesterday morning in Toronto, unveiled its 2024 shortlist. This year, no Caribbean Canadian made the list, but Ishion Hutchinson from Port Antonio, Jamaica, is among the five poets vying for the prestigious June 5th poetry prize. Ishion Hutchinson The 40-year-old Jamaican poet is nominated for his book “School of Instructions,” which delves into the experiences of West Indian volunteer soldiers in British regiments during World War I. The poetry collection captures the psychological and physical challenges faced by these Black soldiers in the Middle East theatre of war, refracting their struggle against the colonial power they served. The narratives of the soldiers intertwine with the story of...

Just keep your eyes on the flag sir. Caribbean swimsuits for 2024 Haiti Carnival memories dwindle into nothing in the rear-view mirror. The feathered costumes, the high-heeled shoes, and even the pocket flag doo-rags have been relegated to the storage room. If you are planning to go South once the snow flies, thanks to Etsy, there is no need to worry about not being able to wiggle your flag on the beach! Just in time to winter in the Caribbean, Etsy Canada has just listed on its website almost 800 different men’s and women’s bathing suits that incorporate individual island flags and coats of arms in the product. Their merchants' new Caribbean Swimwear bikinis and one-piece suits are cheap, simple, and sexy—well, maybe not as sexy as what we saw this August 4th going down the road. Whether male or female, think 'Oh la las' and not wolf whistles as you wade into the calm blue Caribbean Sea. And poolside, expect fast, maybe even over-attentive service from the hardworking youn...

 I see a Black & White and I wanted it painted Red, Green and Blue   Here at the Caribbean Camera our photographers are always experimenting with new and emerging technologies. This week our photographer Stephen Weir used the new Artifical Intelligence App called Palette to make everything old look new again. Weir revitalizes historic black and white photographs using Palette, an AI app. Weir experimented with this emerging technology to bring a fresh perspective to old images. Palette, accessible on Twitter through @palettefm_bot,  is  for free for Twitter users. One simply twitter their black and white copyright or public domain pictures to the app and it quickly transforms them into vibrant colour renditions which it tweets back to the sender. 1890 - 1896 by Felix Morin,  shows a young Indian Trinidadian woman  Weir's creative endeavor focused on three captivating historical photographs sourced from The Commons, an online photographic archi...

 Sir David Wants You To Drive In To See His First Show In A Year   By Stephen Weir:   If you are a David Rudder fan and have missed seeing “Sir David” perform during the pandemic, honk your horn this July 31st.  And if you really want to hear some of the new material he has written over the past year or so, honk again and flash your high beams.   On Saturday July 31 st  Soca legend  David Rudder  will be performing live in Toronto for the first time since the shutdown.  He will be outdoors, on stage at the  City View Drive-In  playing for a lot filled with parked cars!  The car-only venue is back this summer since the relaxation of Covid restrictions in the city. The drive-in is located adjacent to the  Rebel Night Club  on Polson Street in the Toronto Harbour District.   Trinidad’s David Rudder is based here in the GTA and has had to quarantine along with the rest of the city.  It has been quiet for a norma...

--> Birthday Message – No Talk of Retirement Until Louis Saldenah wins his 20 th Carnival Band of the Year title. By Stephen Weir Toronto, ON ...  It was a Carnival birthday party for the ages! Louis Saldenah, the most winning bandleader in Canada, used the R word only once while talking to the Caribbean Camera on Friday night at his birthday bash at the Windies Bar and Restaurant in Scarborough.   “ I’m 68 today and I am feeling great but you know I could easily walk away from all of this” he said.” But there are a few things I HAVE to do before I retire and turn it over to my (adult) children.” Louis Saldenah, the Trinidadian born bandleader of the Mas K Camp immigrated to this country 48 years ago. He brought to Canada a family winning tradition of mas. His famous father, Harold ‘Sally’ Saldenah, was one of Trinidad’s most successful bandleaders. 
 40 years ago, Louis Saldenah launched his first Toronto mas costume band (Shangri-La) and promptl...

Etienne Charles on stage in Toronto, photo by Maria Nunes Etienne Charles in Toronto Carnival. The Sound of People Madly Clapping Volume 1 By Stephen Weir with notes from Ken Bruzual Trinidad born jazzman Etienne Charles proved the old adage never listen to the Rumour Mill. Word on the street earlier this month was saying that his big venue concert was going to be cancelled because of slow ticket sales.     Although not a total sell-out thanks to Caribbean Camera support Charles’ concert turned out to be hottest ticket in Toronto last Friday night. Described as one of the most “exciting young jazz artists today” Michigan based  Etienne Charles , launched the new “Jazz at the George Series” at the George Weston Recital Hall (the Sony Centre’s North York Theatre).   Charles, his five sidemen, a guest pan player and three costumed performers, also used their first Toronto performance as the North American launching pad for their brand new CD Carni...