The Brooklyn Arts Council in conjunction with the Guyana Cultural Association – organizers of the Annual Folk Festival will present a full moon storytelling, scheduled on Wednesday, June 1 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
The St. Stephens Church yard on 28th St. and Newkirk Avenue in East Flatbush will come alive with traditional stories and folk tales told by one of Guyana’s best-known storytellers and folklorist, Grace Chapman.
Titled “Once Upon A Time,” the evening will bring into focus Guyana’s cultural heritage that would include spirited drumming by veteran drummer Winston “jaggae” Hoppie, and others from the Guyanese community.
Special guest,Tommy Hall one of Brooklyn’s best tale tellers, promises to transfix his audience with stirring tales of the past.
Celebrating its 10th year anniversary under the theme “Aal Baady Waan Baady,” GCA will on Sunday, June 5, unveil “Tastes Like Home,” a Caribbean cook book by Guyanese author Cynthia Nelson.
The book launch will be held at the organization’s 5th Annual Literary Hang scheduled from 12:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the garden of St. John’s Episcopal Church.
Student Alim Hoseim expressed sentiments by saying that he reads Cynthia Nelson’s ‘Tastes Like Home’ cooking page every Saturday. “I enjoy it because of a shared interest in food, but also because I am glad that someone capable is writing regularly on Caribbean cooking and staying close to the essence of everyday cooking, rather than trying to gloss it up to look like some fancy cuisine for a non-Caribbean audience.
“Ms. Nelson is doing a good job in validating the foods and cooking of ordinary people, and so she is establishing Caribbean cooking as worthwhile area of our culture.”
Nelson will join authors, Cyril Brown, Rosalind Kilkenny-McLymont, William Lloyd Andries, Lelyand Hazelwood, Conrad Tauylor and Yvonne McCallum Peters who will read from their writings.
