A dozen or so young men and women gathered at the old colonial bandstand. They talked about life, art and politics - and creative writing.

By the time the group dispersed late in the afternoon, the seed had taken root; had, in fact, begun to grow, with the promise of a fair harvest, at least in the minds and hearts of Ruel Johnson and Kojo McPherson, two President’s College students who shared the dream of a youthful, invigorating literary renaissance in Guyana.

It all started two years earlier at President’s College. Kojo, then a third form student there, had some of his poetry on display at the school’s `Open Day’ exercise. Ruel, then a sixth former, was on the lookout for fresh, young literary talent. Their paths crossed and immediately each found in the other, a kindred spirit. Both were concerned about the dearth of contemporary writings of high quality by young Guyanese, and of the difficulties they faced in getting exposure for their work.

Kojo’s poetry showed promise, and Ruel was impressed. It was an opportune moment for both, and they wasted little time in discussing the idea of establishing an association of young writers.

The first step was collecting material, and the two young men set about doing this, mostly from fellow students at the Golden Grove `School of Excellence’. Soon, they had put together enough to assemble a portfolio. Entitled `Doorways - an Anthology of Young Voices, it signalled the start of a journey, and a search for even more young writers and their work.

The bookstores were visited, book agents and websites canvassed, but there was little positive response at first. They, however, persevered, but had to wait two more years for a break of some consequence.

It was 2000! the millennium year! The gathering in the Gardens had already taken place. It had ended with Ruel distributing some printed forms to be filled out by those who were interested in establishing a more permanent literary body. Many were. Using their interest as a springboard, he and Kojo launched a recruitment drive as part of what was then called `The Janus Project’. As this was being done, Ruel was in the process of seeking sponsorship to attend an Emerging Writers Workshop organised by the Cropper Foundation and a University of the West Indies group at St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago.

The regional furniture and household appliance firm, Courts, provided this sponsorship, and a promotional opportunity for Ruel to plug the Janus Project and its efforts at literary revival. The millennium year was also to provide the young writers with an occasion for further exposure. It took the form of the yearly Christmas Annual publication.

As the group sought to vigorously promote its literary theme, the Christmas Annual 2000 was inviting entries for its creative writing and art competitions. The annual fell right into Janus’ lap. They grabbed the moment. They submitted individual entries in the short story and poetry categories - and swept the field `literally’. They got four Firsts, one Second, and several Honourable Mentions. With Ruel and Kojo leading the field, Janus collectively braced the tape with powerful, emotive images. People began to take notice.

On February 16, 2001, the Janus Young Writers Guild was officially and ceremoniously launched at Castellani House. A clutch of writers, poets and other literary figures was among the persons invited to share in the occasion. They offered congratulations and bestowed their blessings on the group, which used its logo officially for the first time. It was a simple graphic representation of the ancient Roman God of doorways and gates, Janus, who is portrayed as a two-faced entity, with each countenance facing opposite directions. It also symbolises for some people, a composite look at both the past and the future, an interpretation which may have influenced Ruel’s philosophy to some extent; he has had cause on more than one occasion, to severely criticise what he sees as a troubling trend in some literary circles to perpetuate, revere and almost deify the work of some of our older and more established writers here, and in the Guyanese literary diaspora. Other Janus members, however, hold a more conservative view on this issue. In any case, Janus - the opener of doors and the face looking towards the future (if not the past) is an apt symbol for the group’s literary direction.

Ruel Johnson, apart from conceiving the idea of the writers’ guild, was also its first president. As a meditatively-inclined young man, possessed of an incisive and analytical mind, he first gained national recognition as a winner in the 2000 Christmas Annual. Earlier that year, his participation in the young writers workshop in Trinidad and Tobago, had provided him with the opportunity to meet and to interact with some well-known Caribbean literary figures; among them Earl Lovelace, Merle Hodge and Dr. Ian Brotherson, Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the St. Augustine Campus. On his return to Guyana, he continued and redoubled his efforts to build and consolidate the fledgling group’s foundation, and a few months later, stood at the helm as it was formally launched. The presidency has since been taken over by Kojo McPherson.

Virtually the co-founder of the writers’ group, Kojo McPherson was primarily responsible for compiling and cataloguing material submitted by its members. He himself has produced some outstanding verse, cogent yet sensitive, and distinguished himself by winning both the Youth and Open Poetry categories in 2000.

The current President of the guild, Kojo is in the forefront of efforts to compile and publish an anthology of poems by young writers which he hopes will be completed by the end of April. Although pursuing his `A’ level studies as a sixth form pupil at Bishops’ High School, Kojo still finds time to be as actively involved as possible in the work of the organisation. Apart from the compilation of the anthology, Kojo says, there are plans to host a workshop later this year, and to reach out to schools outside of Georgetown and Region Four in order to spread more widely, the gospel of Janus.

Following the successes at the 2000 Christmas Annual competitions, and with the objective of helping to compile and publish young writers’ work, it was perhaps only fitting for the group to be once again intimately involved in the 2001 Christmas Annual. This would include editing and selecting stories and poems for publishing as well as directing the artwork, layout and general presentation of the publication. With marketing and advertising assistance from Guyenterprise, and with a generous cash donation from philanthropist Dr. Tulsi Dyal Singh, an American-based Guyanese, Janus set to work. It was, according to Ruel in his editor’s note prefacing the 2001 annual, an arduous task. In the end, though it was, in the words of the editor, “a triumph… 12 extremely well-written pieces of short fiction” in addition to several good feature stories, poems, recipes and photographs - altogether a very well put together volume with a striking artistic cover design by Kurt Nunes. Selling at $1000 per copy, it was relatively well-received by the Guyanese public; nevertheless, one of the stories published generated a good deal of controversy.

`Coolie Tom Puss’ by Haslyn Parris, a sometimes humourous tale that touches on covert racial prejudice, struck a sour note with some readers who felt the title, if nothing else, was a derogatory allusion to certain negative perceptions some people have about Indo-Guyanese.

Ruel, as editor of the Christmas Annual, had his editorial and evaluative competence challenged in several letters to the editor in the local newspapers. He defended himself and the selection with caustic rebuttals, arguing that its literary merit as a well-written, realistically-crafted short story outweighed any negative, racially-motivated stereotyping that may have been perceived by certain persons.

Ruel feels that one of the functions of literature is to engender discussion and critical analysis especially as they relate to social and class issues. He says that, if nothing else, `Coolie Tom Puss’ has caused some Guyanese to reflect on, and to rethink how they see themselves, and how they are seen by others, ethnically. In so doing, they have validated the argument that literature does indeed function as a medium through which social/class issues can be focused on, and positive change wrought, a contention Ruel has always asserted, unlike the `popular’ idea that `literature is useless … and a poem does nothing.’

He is also critical of the relevance of the work of `old’ writers such as Wilson Harris, to contemporary Guyanese life, and the Guyana Prize’s apparent bias in favour of writers who live outside of Guyana and whose work does not necessarily reflect current Guyanese realities.

Apart from its involvement with the 2001 Christmas Annual, Janus has also organised and/or participated in several other literary events. These include poetry evenings at the residence of British High Commissioner to Guyana, Mr. Edward Glover, poetry readings at Sidewalk Café and the Upscale Guyana Restaurant and a workshop on Poetry Appreciation held earlier this month at the National Library. Kojo explains that as most of the members of Janus are still at school and currently studying for exams, there may be a lull in activities until after exams are completed. By this time, there may well be some new members as application forms for membership were distributed earlier this year. Janus now has less than 20 members.

In the year and a half that the young writers’ guild has come under the national spotlight, it has been the beneficiary, financially and otherwise, of many individuals’ and organisations’ interest. These include the Courts Furniture Store, Guyenterprise, Mr. Ian McDonald, Mr. Glover, Ms Vanda Radzik and Dr. Tulsi Dyal Singh. In addition, the members themselves have also contributed to the group’s strong profile and its several achievements to date. Among them are Sherod Duncan, the current Treasurer, Andrea Bryan, the Secretary (also an actress and television personality) Joel Johnson, a former Treasurer, and Ms. Ruth Osman.

The Janus Young Writers’ Guild is still in its formative stages, though so much has been achieved in such a short time. It has been making its mark in a manner that can only be construed as a good thing for Guyana and for the perpetuation of a vibrant literary tradition in Guyana. And just as important, it is formulating and forging an innovative path for the expression and the preservation of the youthful voice in Guyana - a task it takes very seriously. For, if we are to judge by its past successes and by its present leadership, then the young creative writers of Guyana, and Guyana itself, will benefit in a most progressive and uplifting manner.

The doorway is open - and the Janus group is at the threshold.