GGR Book Club: The Black Man Drought by Lorraine Jonelle Stephens

Farah Valentina Bates, who was recently crowned the first Miss Berbice 2017, hails from the smallest Town in Guyana, Rose Hall, but she has big dreams of making it on an international pageant stage and being her own boss someday. Born in July 1999, this tenacious 18-year-old is a second-year student at the University of Guyana pursuing her diploma in Public Management. She is the first born for her parents and has one sibling. This…

A woman of distinction, US-based Guyanese Holly Veal, a prosecutor, public defender and private defence attorney, recently announced her candidacy for Henry County District Attorney in Henry County in the U.S. State of Georgia. Holly originally hails from Wismar, Linden. She emigrated from Guyana in December 1995 to St Albans, New York. More than eleven years ago, she began her legal career as an assistant public defender. In that capacity she worked tirelessly to ensure…

Guyanese  gospel singer/songwriter, Trenacia Esseboom-McKend, is known for her powerful vocals which set her apart from many in the local gospel music industry. She is the first born of two children to Bishop Terrence Esseboom (University of Guyana Print Journalism Lecturer) and Vanessa Esseboom, who both Pastor at the Light of Lights New Testament Church in Georgetown. She acknowledged in the past that growing up with parents who are Pastors has helped her walk with…

“A queen is wise. She has earned her serenity, not having had it bestowed on her but having passer her tests. She has suffered and grown more beautiful because of it. She has proved she can hold her kingdom together. She has become its vision. She cares deeply about something bigger than herself. She rules with authentic power.” ― Marianne Williamson .

Dr. Karen Ann King-Aribisala is a Guyanese-born novelist and short story writer who was raised in Nigeria. She is the daughter of the late Dr Kenneth, the former Minister of Economic Development, and Guyana’s Ambassador to the European Union, and  Joyce Miller King. Dr. King-Aribisala  left Guyana as a young child, moving with her parents to Nigeria.   She received an international education in Guyana, Barbados, Italy and at the London Academy for the Dramatic Arts in…

Bishops: My Turbulent Colonial Youth More books by Mona Williams:  Her list of books include: How we made a colour television show (1973); The turtle who longed to be a bird (1973); Christmas in Guyana (1974); The day I swam the river (1974); How the goat lost his voice (1974); Old Medicine (1974); The ant who refused titles (1975); Granny (1975); Father Martin Heale (1975); Old Bell (1975); When I went to the pictures (1975);…

 It was out of the need to connect with Guyanese who were interested in seeing films by Guyanese and Caribbean filmmakers that the Timehri Film Festival was born three years ago, according to Romola Lucas, one of its founders. And while the business community and the government And while the business community and the government have not fully bought in to the festival financially, Lucas is heartened by the response at the community level, in…

Guyanese Singer Charmayne (Maxee) Maxwell of the 1990s R&B group Brownstone, mysteriously died Saturday, members of her family have confirmed.  Maxee was born Charmayne Maxwell on January 11, 1969 in Guyana.  She was best known for her work with Grammy-nominated band Brownstone and her 2000 solo single “When I Look into Your eyes.” She was 46 years old. Brownstone was  popular during the mid-1990s. Their  1995 hit single “If You Love Me”,  was nominated for…

Rochelle Porter has never met a blank surface she didn’t want to draw on. A lifelong lover of global design traditions, the Atlanta-based artist takes cues from the breezy hues of her Caribbean roots, the stark simplicity of Scandinavian prints and the bold geometrics of West African weaves to create vibrant, eye-catching textiles for the home décor and apparel markets. Her travel-inspired patterns feature joyful, unexpected burst of color and classic motifs with a fresh,…

Meet the Guyana Girls Squash Team! This past July these lovely young ladies retained the Overall Team Title during the 2015 Junior Caribbean Squash Championships in Barbados for the 11th consecutive time.  Guyana was the defending champions having won both the boys and girls’ team titles at last year’s championships in Bermuda. Guyana Girls Squash Champions – 11th Win Guyana females crowned Caribbean Squash Champs – Stabroek News

Maureen Bunyan is an Emmy Award winning Anchor at WJLA TV 7, ABC Affiliate in Washington D.C.  She is of  Guyanese and Aruban heritage.  Her parents moved from Guyana to Aruba in the 1930s, where Maureen was born.  The eldest of three daughters,  immigrated with her family to the United States when she was just eleven years old, after her father, Arthur Bunyan, accepted a job with a company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her mother Wilhelmina was…

Alyson Cambridge is an accomplished soprano opera singer, born in 1980 to a Guyanese father (Richard Cambridge) and Danish-American mother. At age 23, while a first-year student at the Curtis Institute of Music, she was the Grand Prize Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Nine months later she debuted at the MET as Frasquita in Carmen under renowned music conductor/director James Levine; a performance that earned her praises from many news outlets including…

Abigail Wade is a Guyanese Professional Makeup Artist and Stylist who currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. A creative being, Abigail is working hard to achieve the “American Dream” through her craft. The quality of her work speaks for itself and has even attracted the attention of some big retailers in New York like Macy’s.  She’s also the go-to makeup artist for Love and Hip-Hop Atlanta cast member Grace Hamilton popularly known as Spice, whenever…

The Slipper is a classic tale of love and loss portrayed in the most unconventional style. Included are lovable, colorful characters such as Meetu, Vishnu, maa and baap who’s humor infuses a serious subject matter in a very unique, warm and touching manner. What happens when a headstrong teen falls for an unsuitable suitor? What becomes of her future when her strict parents desire another path? And what ensues years later when Meetu’s past catches…

Many of you will agree that Deborah Cox is one of the music industry’s most notable voices.   A multi-platinum selling artist and self-proclaimed diva, Deborah was born on born July 13, 1974 in Toronto to Guyanese parents.   She began singing for TV commercials at age 12, and entered various talent shows with the help of her mother. She performed in nightclubs as a teenager, and began to write music around the same time. Deborah entered the music…