A collection of supernatural stories from Jamaica featuring ghosts, gremlins and rolling calves. Some are true', some sinister, some amusing, but all bring to life the underbelly of a country which, while devoutly religious, is very much open to the world of the bush doctor, spirits and, of course, the ubiquitous duppies.'

Paterson Award for Literary Excellence. Milt Kessler Poetry Book Award, finalist. "Dawes's verse has an expressive power and lyric resonance that can be attributed to a trans-Atlantic consciousness weaned on the spiritual sources of reggae."--New York Times Book Review "Raised in Jamaica, Dawes takes some of his cues, and this book's title, from reggae music. But his voice in these long and short poems and sequences selected from each of his many books, which began appearing in the mid-1990s, is crystal clear, accessible and serious, mixing a timeless myth-making energy with a strong contemporary conscience..." --National Public Radio "This first U.S. selection from the Jamaica-bred, Nebraska-based poet (he also has a reputation in Britain) is his 16th book of verse in just 20 years; it reveals a writer syncretic, effusive, affectionate, alert to familial joys, but also sensitive to history, above all to the struggles of African diasporic history--the Middle Passage, sharecropper-era South Carolina, the Kingston of Bob Marley, whose song gives this big book its title. Dawes is at home with cityscape and seascape, patois and transatlantic tradition." --Publishers Weekly " Dawes] is highly original and intelligent, possessing poetic sensibility that is rooted and sound, unshakeable and unstopped, both in its vibrancy and direction. He writes poetry as it ought to be written."--World Literature Today "Dawes asserts himself as man and artist and finally, with grace achieved and grace said, sits down to begin life's tragic feast . . . a writer of major significance."--Brag Book "The notion of a reggae aesthetic--of the language moving to a different rhythm, under different kinds of pressure . . . underpins all Dawes' work as poet."--Stewart Brown Born in Ghana, raised in Jamaica, and educated in Canada, Kwame Dawes is a dynamic and electrifying poet. In this generous collection, new poems appear with the best work from fifteen previous volumes. Deeply nuanced in exploring the human condition, Dawes' poems are filled with complex emotion and consistently remind us what it means to be a global citizen. From "The Lessons": Fingers can be trained to make shapes that, pressed just right on the gleaming keys, will make a sound that can stay tears or cause them to flow for days. Anyone can learn to make some music, but not all have the heart to beat out the tunes that will turn us inside out. . . Kwame Dawes is the author of fifteen collections of poetry, two novels, four anthologies, and numerous essays and plays. In 2009 he won an Emmy Award for his interactive website, LiveHopeLove.com. Since 2011 he has taught at the University of Nebraska, and lives in Lincoln, Nebraska.

This second book in the Nevile series takes the band of companions deeper into the mystery of the evil king's rise to power. Can he be brought to justice? Suspicion looms large and deception rules the day as Nevile plots to depose the evil king of Aribbea in the year 2222. To succeed, the famous bridge builder must convince Nina, A.T. and Hunn Dread to support his mission, but everyone feels torn in different directions. Nina's bond with Hanuman the monkey leads her on a new path in life; A.T. is content with power over his own canton and Hunn Dread emerges as Nevile's rival for Nina's affection. As usual, Pierre the bacoo is sneaking off to stir up trouble with his lies. Success now depends on Nevile questioning the Royal Record Keeper to unlock the mystery of the keys in the treasure chest Nina discovered when she first found land and changed the course of the three bridgers' lives. Nevile's first test comes in Xaymaca's elfin forest where duppies confront Nevile's party. Will Nevile unite his friends, Papa Bois' folk, the bridgers and the salt miners to overthrow the king? Will he feel forced to choose between Nina and Seamstress Number 2, who once saved his life? Will he discover SN2's secret? Excitement mounts and tempers flare as Nevile builds his fighting force joined by a second Guyanese genie, a duppy and a forest creature. Will Nevile win freedom for Aribbea from the king?

"An utterly gorgeous, magical story, rendered with sheer grace and honesty. This book will transport you." -- Daniel Jose Older, New York Times bestselling author of Shadowshaper Way up in the misty island mountains of Jamaica live eleven-year-old twins Pollyread and Jackson Gilmore. Pollyread is smart as a whip and tart as a lime. Jackson's sweet as a mango. Both of them know all the rules of their village -- and how to break them.Then a young thug named Jammy sweeps in to stir up the twins' world. He even seems to be targeting their family. But are Pollyread's smart mouth and Jackson's steadiness enough to take him on -- or will Jammy and his secret change the Gilmore family forever?

This series has been specially written for young children in all Caribbean countries. It is graded into six levels and introduces children to a wide range of reading materials, in both fiction and non-fiction. Stories are designed to be enjoyed, while at the same time improving reading skills. The non-fiction books additionally contain a contents page, index, questions, activities and a glossary of difficult words.

Kingston, Jamaica - the Summer of '78. Three crime lords fight for control using black market guns, potent narcotics, and young mystics called "Obeahman." These children possess the power to control the Duppy - malevolent spirits known throughout Rastafarian culture as a source of mischief and harm. When one of the crime lords is killed, the Jamaican capital is thrown into chaos as the remaining factions vie for control and race to find his now-orphaned Obeahman - rumored to be the most powerful of them all. A re-imagining of Jamaican and Rastafarian ghost stories, told in the context of a 1978 gangland drama. Voodoo, violence and vilification.