The establishment of a government subsidised publishing house was the main call last weekend as the Association of Guyanese Writers and Artists (AGWA) started a two-day literary symposium at the Guyoil Conference Hall in Kitty, Georgetown.

Visiting lecturer and author, Mohamed Fazloor Yasin, of the North Carolina University in the United States also stressed the need for a creative writing course to guide young people, as well as the establishment of writing scholarships. But columnist and author, Ian McDonald pointed out that “at the end of the day, literature has to look after itself and can’t depend on other people.”

McDonald’s advice to the young gathering was to read continuously, write everyday, revise and improve work previously written and use language sparingly.

“Specify, do not generalise...try to get the specifics of how humans exist, and kill clichés. Do not go over old ground when you write,” McDonald said prior to sharing three of his earlier poems.

The conference, held under the theme ‘Literature is Life’, was aimed at creating more awareness among local writers. The role of writers was examined, as well as their responsibilities and contribution to a better world. It attracted overseas-based and local writers such as attorney-at-law and poet, Anande Trotman, playwright and poet Paloma Mohamed, university lecturer Al Creighton, as well as Guyana Prize Winner Ruel Johnson.

“Many of us do not realise that literature is important. At least we do not behave as if we believe so. But the truth is, literature is the foundation of culture. Like history, it remains behind as a record for posterity, except that it fictionalises truth while it captures the spirit of the times,” AGWA president, Roopnandan Singh said.

He added that the neglect of literature results in the decadence of the moral and spiritual fibre of the nation.

“We don’t have to look very far for evidence of that. Right here in Guyana, it seems many people don’t have any respect for life...the beauty of stories is that they can provide a sense of meaning. They can help to reinforce the conviction that life itself is a story...an explanation of our struggles and sufferings. By giving us a larger vision, a story may help us find meaning in experiences that might otherwise seem chaotic and pointless...We need to harness literature for the good of humanity. After all, literature is life.”

According to Yasin, writers play a major role in helping to shape a society’s thinking and their contributions are needed for the psychosocial development of the country:

“Most of them use their writing talents and skills responsibly...[but] we need a government-subsidised publishing house like the one in Jamaica. We need to make available writing scholarships for promising youths. I believe that Guyana currently has the potential to produce the next crop of influential Caribbean creative writers and poets. But in this regard, the questions I ask myself are: from a national perspective are we adequately recognising and nurturing this latent talent? Are we motivating and preparing our gifted writers? I think not.”

The visiting author commended Singh, as well as Between the Lines host, Petamber Persaud, for their efforts to promote and help institutionalise creative writing in Guyana. But he cautioned that their diligence and determination would not be enough.

“We need to organise creative writing courses like the ones offered annually by the Cropper Foundation in Trinidad. At these workshops, emergent writers are taught the craft of writing. Line by line individual work is analysed by published authors. Solutions are offered. Weak areas are strengthened. It is a total learning experience for young writers. The Cropper instructors believe that the fundamentals of the craft are of the utmost importance. They impress upon you the absolute necessity of reading widely. And when inspirational magic comes, you would have prepared fertile ground to take full advantage of it.”

One of the things most presenters recognised was that there were hardly any tangible rewards in Guyana for local writers. Yasin also pointed out that there were some who had been very harsh in their appraisal of the efforts of aspiring homebound Guyanese writers.

“Many of these writers are very young. Some see their work in print for the very first time - thanks to Mr Singh. Severe negative criticism is extremely disheartening. Critics should bear in mind that creative writing is a very personal and highly subjective art form; and that there does exist a diversification of rhetorical styles. I think these critics should be a little more sensitive when attacking the work of youthful creative minds.”

The symposium continued on Saturday with readings of poetry and prose from members of the audience.