Antilles: the weblog of the CRB

"If you're going to smoke..."

Though there are no Jamaican writers on the bill this year (Channer says that writers only get a chance to appear "when they're ready"), there is a buzz of enthusiasm among the mainly Jamaican audience. People come from a range of age groups and social backgrounds--from teens in baggy skate jeans to rastas to smartly dressed elderly couples. This creates a lively ambience; indeed, it'll be a strange day when the audience at the Hay festival is told: "If you're going to smoke spliff, please do so outside the tent."

--Three weeks later, Calabash 2007 is still popping up in the press. The latest: a report by Daniel Trilling in the New Statesman.