Philip Nanton (born 1947) is a Vincentian writer, poet and spoken-word performer, based in Barbados. A sociologist by training, who also teaches cultural studies, he is Honorary Research Associate at the

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

, and lectures at the

University of the West Indies, Cave Hill University of the West Indies at Cave Hill is a public research university in Cave Hill, Barbados. It is one of five general campuses in the University of the West Indies system. It was the third campus to be established by the UWI System, follow ...

. He has been a contributor on Caribbean culture and literature to journals and magazines such as the ''

Caribbean Review of Books ''The Caribbean Review of Books'', or ''CRB'', is a literary magazine based in Port of Spain, Trinidad, reviewing books of Caribbean interest—by Caribbean authors or about the Caribbean—and publishing original fiction, poetry, and other liter ...

'', ''Shibboleths: a Journal of Theory and Criticism'' and '' Caribbean Quarterly'', and as a spoken-word artist has performed his work at festivals internationally. In 2012, he represented St. Vincent & the Grenadines at Poetry Parnassus in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Nanton's published books include ''Island Voices: From St Christopher to the Barracudas and Frontiers of the Caribbean'' (2014), ''Canouan Suite and Other Pieces'' (2016), and ''Riff: The Shake Keane Story'' (2021).

Biography

Born in St Vincent & the Grenadines, Philip Nanton studied and lived in England between 1960 and 2000, when he relocated to Barbados. He began his career in British local government policymaking, and completed his D.Phil at the

University of Sussex , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil , ...

(1986), following which he combined academic work with being a creative writer. Among his publications are two edited anthologies of literary criticism. He has written of his "personal journey, away from conventional disciplinary analysis, primarily sociological, to the use of creative expression for social analysis in the context of the Caribbean." Among universities where he has taught, as well as performed work, are the

in England, St. Georges University in Grenada, the University of Missouri-St. Louis and, currently, the

, in Barbados. Also a broadcaster, Nanton has made radio documentaries on Caribbean literature and culture, including presenting for

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

in 1998 ''What Does Mr Swanzy Want?'', the story of '' Caribbean Voices'', an influential programme of the 1940s and '50s, and its producer

Henry Swanzy Henry Swanzy (14 June 1915 – 19 March 2004) was an Anglo-Irish radio producer in Britain's BBC General Overseas Service who is best known for his role in promoting West Indian literature particularly through the programme ''Caribbean Voices'' ...

. In 2008, Nanton produced a spoken-word CD entitled ''Island Voices from St Christopher & the Barracudas'', which was the basis of a 2014 book of the same name published by

Papillote Press Polly Pattullo Hon. FRSL is a British author, journalist, editor and publisher, who co-founded in 1998 the independent publishing company Papillote Press, His collection of creative writings ''Canouan Suite and Other Pieces'', a finalist for the 2014 Hollick Arvon Prize for Caribbean Writers (now the Emerging Caribbean Writers Prize) at the

Bocas Lit Fest The NGC Bocas Lit Fest is the Trinidad and Tobago literary festival that takes place annually during the last weekend of April in Port of Spain. Inaugurated in 2011, it is the first major literary festival in the southern Caribbean and largest li ...

, was published in 2016 by Papillote Press, and was highly recommended for a 2018

Casa de las Américas Prize The Casa de las Américas Prize (''Premio Literario Casa de las Américas'') is a literary award given by the Cuban Casa de las Américas. Established in 1959, it is one of Latin America’s oldest and most prestigious literary prizes. The award ...

for Anglophone Caribbean Literature. In 2017, Nanton published ''Frontiers of the Caribbean'' (

Manchester University Press Manchester University Press is the university press of the University of Manchester, England and a publisher of academic books and journals. Manchester University Press has developed into an international publisher. It maintains its links with th ...

), described by Robert Edison Sandiford as a "blend of the 'scholarly' and the 'creative'." Nanton's most recently published book is ''Riff: The Shake Keane Story'' (2021), a biography of the Vincentian jazz musician and poet

Shake Keane Ellsworth McGranahan "Shake" Keane (30 May 1927 – 11 November 1997) was a Vincentian jazz musician and poet. He is best known today for his role as a jazz trumpeter, principally his work as a member of the ground-breaking Joe Harriott Quintet ...

. Reviewing ''Riff'' (which Nanton dedicates to photojournalist and historian

Val Wilmer Valerie Sybil Wilmer (born 7 December 1941) is a British photographer and writer specialising in jazz, gospel, blues, and British African-Caribbean music and culture. Her notable books include ''Jazz People'' (1970) and ''As Serious As Your Lif ...

), jazz critic

John Fordham John Fordham (died 1425) was Bishop of Durham and Bishop of Ely. Fordham was keeper of the privy seal of Prince Richard from 1376 to 1377 and Dean of Wells before being named Lord Privy Seal in June 1377. He held that office until December 1381. ...

wrote: "Nanton is closely attuned to the expressiveness of the local Creole-derived dialect's vowel-stretches and musicality, and to those issues of migration, masculinity and nationalism that profoundly shaped his subject's life. ...Philip Nanton's fine book opens a window on both a jazz story and a literary story that the chroniclers of both fields have largely bypassed." In ''Caribbean Intelligence'', John Stevenson's review concluded: "Nanton admirably succeeds in writing a highly engaging account of one of the Caribbean’s legendary creative forces."

Bibliography

Books

* (As editor) ''Remembering the Sea: An Introduction to Frank A. Collymore'' (2004) * ''Island Voices from St. Christopher and the Barracudas'' (

Papillote Press Polly Pattullo Hon. FRSL is a British author, journalist, editor and publisher, who co-founded in 1998 the independent publishing company Papillote Press,Manchester University Press Manchester University Press is the university press of the University of Manchester, England and a publisher of academic books and journals. Manchester University Press has developed into an international publisher. It maintains its links with th ...

, 2017, ) * ''Riff: The Shake Keane Story'', biography (Papillote Press, 2021, )

Selected articles

* "What Does Mr. Swanzy Want – Shaping or Reflecting? An Assessment of Henry Swanzy's Contribution to the Development of Caribbean Literature", '' Caribbean Quarterly'', Vol. 46, No. 1 (March 2000), pp. 61–72. Originally in ''Kunapipi'' Vol. XX, No. 1 (1998).
"London Calling"
''

Caribbean Beat ''Caribbean Beat'', founded in 1992, is a bimonthly magazine, published in Port of Spain, Trinidad, covering the arts, culture and society of the Caribbean, with a focus on the region's English-speaking territories. It is distributed in-flight by C ...

'', Issue 63, September/October 2003.
"Frank A. Collymore: A Man of the Threshold"
''

Kunapipi Kunapipi, also spelt Gunabibi, ('womb') is a mother goddess and the patron deity of many heroes in Australian Aboriginal mythology. Story Kunapipi gave birth to human beings as well as to most animals and plants. Now a vague, otiose, spiritu ...

'', Vol. 26, Issue 1, 2004. * "The man who loved to have fun" (on

Frank Collymore Frank Appleton Collymore MBE (7 January 1893 – 17 July 1980) was a Barbadian literary editor, writer, poet, stage performer and painter. His nickname was "Barbadian Man of the Arts". He also taught for 50 years at Combermere School, where he ...

). ''

'' (65), January–February 2004. * "Caribbean 'frontier societies' like St Vincent are defined by the ever-present interplay between the civilised and the wild",

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...

, 10 December 2018. * "Belonging and a Sense of Place", ''Writers Mosaic'', 2021.

References

External links

Official website

Audios and Videos

"The Power of Caribbean Poetry: Word & Sound , Poetry Entertainment: Philip Nanton"
Sounds – Arts, literature & performance,

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

, 20 September 2012.
Philip Nanton
at ''Writers Mosaic'', an initiative of the

Royal Literary Fund The Royal Literary Fund (RLF) is a benevolent fund that gives assistance to published British writers in financial difficulties. Founded in 1790, and granted a royal charter in 1818, the Fund has helped an extensive roll of authors through its long ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Nanton, Philip Alumni of the University of Sussex Living people Saint Vincent and the Grenadines expatriates in Barbados Saint Vincent and the Grenadines writers Spoken word artists 1947 births University of the West Indies academics Academics of the University of Birmingham