Dawn Forde Arno
holds an earned doctorate and is a frequent contributor to conferences and texts. Currently teaching at Columbia University, she continues to investigate the myriad forces that affect the Diaspora and to assess global issues.

Aubrey W. Bonnett
is a professor in the department of American Studies at SUNY College at Old Westbury. He has also served as Vice President for Academic Affairs at Old Westbury; Dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at California State University, San Bernardino; Chair of the department of Sociology at Hunter College /CUNY; and deputy Head of the PhD program in Sociology at The CUNY Graduate School and University center.

In 1966, for a short period prior to attending graduate School in Canada, he was an Administrative Cadet in the Office of the Prime Minister and worked on the independence and post independence projects of a cultural and social nature.

Maurice Braithwaite
Over the years Maurice Brathwaite has come to exemplify the “compleat citizen.”  From his  days spent successfully at a tertiary academic institution in Guyana and later in the corporate world in the USA, he has maintained his deep interest and love of the theatre.  A recognized stage director and set designer, he is also an excellent actor who has appeared in plays such as Francis Farrier’s trilogy about the town of Susanburg, Essequibo.  Active in the life of the community in which he resides, he shares his many talents with a large inter generational group.

Calvin Brutus
Has worked extensively  in the broad area of democratization through civic-social education and development across Wisconsin.  Currently he is “reinventing his swing,” transitioning to the East Coast of the USA, and refocusing his  scholarship to apply areas of work mainly to the Caribbean region.  He holds degrees in telecommunications management from Syracuse University, and in communications and political science from the Milwaukee and Madison campuses of the University of Wisconsin.

Vibert Cambridge
A professor in the School of Telecommunications, Dr. Cambridge is the Chair of the Department of African American Studies at Ohio University. His research interests include immigration and broadcasting in the United States, entertainment-education in global Africa, the social history of broadcasting in the Commonwealth Caribbean, music in Guyana’s twentieth century social history, and cultural expressions, strategic communication and social change in the African Diaspora in the Americas.  Among his more than ten publications is Immigration, Diversity, and Broadcasting in the United States, 1990-2001, published by Ohio UP, 2005.

He has coordinated many conferences including the important Entertainment-Education and the Global African Experience, 2004, at Ohio U..

An innovative instructor, he brings to all of his academic interactions a vitality and egalitarian stance that are noteworthy.  His current research project involves the African American presence on the Ohio River .  He is writing a book on music in Guyana’s twentieth century social history.

Dudley Charles
He calls the mythopoetic renderings that are his interpretations of the environment, spiritual and  physical, by a simple and wholly expressive term, ‘ a Guyanese cookup.”  This icon of art is one of Guyana’s treasures.  As one of the pioneering painters of Carifesta 1972, he helped, in theory and in practice, to set a standard that has become a benchmark for excellence.

Ken Corsbie
Storyteller, humorist, journalist, radio announcer and producer, theatre designer, director and actor, Ken Corsbie brings these and other abilities to his performances and workshops.  Home is still Guyana and although he lives in Long Island, NY, he infuses his many performances, live and recorded with the flavor of the English speaking Caribbean.  With more than ten awards for the arts and culture of the region, he is an icon in his field.

Cyril Dabydeen
Was born in Guyana, South America where he became a gold medallist in poetry at an early age.

His work has been published in literary magazines and anthologies around the world.  He is the author of numerous books of poetry and fiction, including Coastland: New and Selected Poems (1989), Dark Swirl (1989),  Stoning the Wind (1994) and My Brahmin Days and Other Stories (2000).  A former Poet Laureate of Ottawa, Canada this accomplished voice in Caribbean letters is reading during September in New York from his latest works, Drums of My Flesh: a novel and Imaginary Origins: New and Selected Poems.

Juliet Emanuel
Is a member of the Symposium team.

Ramabai Espinet
Writing in multple genres, Ramabai Espinet captures the essence of the extended  Caribbean community in her works.  Her latest prose, the award winning novel, The Swinging Bridge, has been hailed as ‘an extraordinary achievement in the exercise of remembering.” 

Born in Trinidad, she divides her time between Canada and the Caribbean.  She holds a doctorate in English.

Meredith Gadsby
Holds a doctorate in Comparative Literature from SUNY Binghampton.  The author of the recently published Sucking Salt: Caribbean Women Writers, Migration and Survival,  she is the President of the Association of Caribbean Women Writers and Scholars.  Dr. Gadsby teaches at Oberlin.

Joyce Harte
Holds an earned doctorate from NYU in English.  Her interests, on which she has published, lie in the area of post-colonialism, autobiography, biography, issues of loss and mourning and explications of “home.”  Within her several  affiliations, she serves as  the Chair of the Women’s Caucus/NEMLA. She  is currently the Deputy Chairperson, English Department, BMCC/CUNY.

Peter L. Kempadoo
With interests including research on religion, education, medicine, food and nature, the production of media presentations such as Carifesta Khondoi, with far flung cultural experiences ,Peter L. Kempadoo, author of works among which are Young Guyana and Guyana, is an example of the multidisciplinary voices of Guyana.

A better reading of his works is at peterkempadoo-oldkaie.co.uk. 

Ronald H. Lammy
When Ronald Lammy moved to Boston one of the challenges his family faced was the lack of West Indian cultural products. Music recordings were few, and where available, reggae was predominant.  He soon tired of trekking to New York City to shop and applied his management and business skills to this social issue. Over the next seventeen years he would become involved in Caribbean radio, retail record store management, sit on community and cultural boards, establish the first Caribbean ‘click and brick’ business and present a new way for marketing and selling steelband music. An on-line Steelpan music literacy program is on the horizon for 2007.

Ron joined the weekly Caribbean Connection radio broadcast and his Caribbean news program expanded to ‘The Pan Corner & More’ which changed to Ron’s Rendezvous – a name copy of a Guyana radio program of the 1970s. The wider range of West Indian genre was also introduced to the community through  investment in the most popular West Indian record store. The store’s catalog was expanded to carry scores of titles of steelband,  folk and jazz. eCaroh.com was established in 1997, and its “bricks and mortar” incarnation, eCaroh Caribbean Emporium, soon followed. By 2001, one could hear the music on radio – Ron’s Rendezvous; listen to samples and buy online – SweetSOCA.com; and come to the newest on-land store in Boston – eCaroh Caribbean Emporium.   

There were other notable actions of social value including the design, editing and production management of the 1999 Boston Carnival Magazine. Its content was comparatively comprehensive and the first of its kind in the organization’s 25-year existence. It featured the broader cultural heritage of West Indians – their foods – through the work of a Guyanese gourmet cook and cultural historian; their musical genius through Steelpan; and the familial, cross-generation socialization methods of thrift. 

The presentations of calypso and steelband concerts through the Celebrity Series at Symphony Hall were also firsts in Boston. eCaroh organized the 1997 show – Caribbean Voices – Mighty Sparrow & Panazz Players - and the Lammy family sponsored the 1998 Pan Fest – Panazz Players & Ken ‘Professor’ Philmore. Ron served three consecutive terms on the Celebrity Series board and helped influence its community outreach program. Panazz Players conducted the first steelband master class for Boston’s urban school.  Another major sponsorship was the 2004 Guyana Folk Festival’s Symposium at Columbia University in New York City, Ron’s alma mater. At that event, eCaroh donated 100 titles of Guyanese and West Indian CDs to Columbia’s Ethnomusicology Center.  A year earlier, the DRUM program at the University of Guyana received a similar contribution of twenty-five CDs.

Showcasing Guyanese and West Indian talent has become Ron’s passion.  He marks as a highlight of his Guyanese pride his role as coordinator /producer of the 2003 Guyanese music compilation Is We Ting. Another concept and production of note is the 2001 commemorative compilation: Sweet Sounds of Caribbean Artistes: Our Happy Music – Calypso, Reggae, Salsa, Steelband, Soca, Meringue. It celebrates the 10^th year anniversary of the legislation requiring the governor to annually proclaim the last week of August as Caribbean Week in Massachusetts. BourdaMarketPlace.com is the Internet place where such historical actions are acknowledged. It also reflects the distinct and distinguishing social characteristics of the English speaking Caribbean and identifies exemplars of leadership and commendable action. Ron is the editor.

In the last decade, there have been other innovative approaches to disseminating information about cultural products. Under his leadership, eCaroh produced and published the first full color carnival and steelband video brochures and the first full color brochure of West Indian genre featuring 48 CDs. The first 60-minute promotional audiocassette sampler of 25 CDs (1,800) in six genres was distributed worldwide in 1996. Subsequent CD productions include two of contemporary gospel, one of parang and soca salsa, and three of Spoken Word and comedy. All are published on the eCaroh label.

In the age of the World Wide Web, eCaroh took an early leadership position - . eCaroh.com established July 1997. It launched www.PanOnTheWeb.com thus becoming the first entity to promote and sell steelband music through the Internet This action defined the Internet space for the presentation of steelband music. To date eCaroh has the largest and most varied collection of steelband music and several thousands of promotional clips of Caribbean music including folk, calypso, chutney, rapso, parang, and jazz.

Currently in development is the Steelpan literacy project that Ron expects will provide training to school age children who will experience a sense of success and achievement. The Pan in Education video is the first Internet presentation to describe how steelpan artistry can be enhanced through music literacy.  Steelpan educators and instructors can boost learning of the art form through a simplified, electronic system. PanOnTheWeb.com introduced the Pan in Education music CD and its complementary disc of music scores in 2004. Ray Holman, composer and steelpan innovator released the latest steelpan teaching tool in July 2006 through eCaroh. ‘Changing Time’ is designed to increase steelpan playing and music literacy.

Mildred Lowe
Has been teaching music in the New York Public School system for the last five years.  Before that time she worked in the Ministries of Education and Culture in Guyana as Music Director, Chairman Department of Culture and Director of Music in the Allied Arts Department.  In New York she teaches piano in her spare time, write music and is an amateur techi.  Her three sons all share her love for music and the Arts.

Kimani Nehusi
Dr. Kimani Nehusi, formerly of the University of Guyana, is now based in London.  A true son of Guyana’s soil, his expertise focuses on the intrinsic African experience.  His research in this area ranges wide and deep. 

Rose October-Edun
Is well accomplished not only in the artistic arena, but also, in educational and professional arenas.

 A social worker, she is a licensed Master Social Worker and holds a Public School Teacher Certificate for School Social Work.  She is Site Director of a prominent Social Service Agency in Nassau County.

In addition, as a free lance dancer, a choreographer,  a stage actress,  costume and set designer and community activist, Rose October- Edun is readily acknowledged to be not only a true daughter of Guyana’s soil but also as  a Renaissance woman.

Esther Phillips
Is a Barbadian who holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Miami where she won the Alfred Baos Poetry Prize of the Academy of American Poets in 1999.  She is also a winner of the prestigious Frank Collymore Literary Endowment Award.  Her chapbook, La Montee, was published by UWI, Cave Hill, and in 2003, a collection of her poems, When Ground Doves Fly, was published by Ian Randle Publishers, Jamaica.  Esther Phillips’ work appears in several journals and anthologies in the Caribbean, the USA and the UK.  Among these are The Whistling Bird: Caribbean Women Writers and most recently, Blue Latitudes: Caribbean Women Writers at Home and Abroad, eds. Elizabeth Nunez and Jennifer Sparrow.  Ms. Phillips is currently working on completing another poetry manuscript.  She is currently Head of the Division of Liberal Arts of the Barbados Community College.

Indrani Rampersad
Pandita Indrani Rampersad wears several complementary hats. As a priest, a practicing journalist, teacher, high school English and journalism teacher and assistant professor at university, she exemplifies the Caribbean woman.  Her experiences in community work stared early in Trinidad, her home.

Carmen A Barclay Subryan
An instructor Howard U, Dr. Subryan has written among other well received prose and poetry, a trilogy that explores the fortunes of her family in Guyana.  This well received series is evocative in its rendering of place, self and legacy within the context of family, society and culture.

Frank Thomasson
His continued interest in the theatre has been one of the motivations in the penning of History of Theatre in Guyana 1800-2000, a seminal text on the field and its practitioners.  Closely involved in the theatre in Guyana while he lived there, in the 195’s and 60’s, he was one of the enthusiasts forging Theatre Guild.

Chezia Thompson-Cager
As one of the contributors and as the editor of When Divas Dance, Chezia Thompson Cager exemplifies a talent for making words soar beyond their apparent meaning. The current Director of Spectrum of Poetic Fire, Reading Series, she has also written In the Presence of Things Unseen: Giant Talk.  Her latest work available as a CD: Teaching Jean Toomer’s 1923 Cane.