Issue date: 3/28/07 Section: Special Issue

Marcia Douglas

Marcia Douglas, 45, has been a writer for as long as she can remember.

Growing up in Kingston, Jamaica, she was raised in a culture of storytelling. She loved language, words and storytelling growing up and has taken the Caribbean culture of oral storytelling and put it on paper.

She will bring her love of story-telling to DMACC on Wednesday April 18 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Ankeny Campus Student Center during the Celebration of the Literary Arts festival.

Born in the United Kingdom, Douglas now teaches Creative Writing at Colorado University and writes fiction and poetry. Since her work comes out of oral tradition, she enjoys speaking at events such as DMACC's Literary Festival and brings "somewhat of a full story when I read."

"I'm in love with language and what you can do with it. It's that physical reaction that's almost a shiver you get when you read something that sparks your imagination and you enjoy immensely," Douglas said.

Her advice for aspiring writers is to be persistent and keep writing until they find their voice.

"Writers will always struggle with rejection and doubt. It's important to write just because you love to write," she said.
Some of her favorite writers are Patrick Chamoiseau and Olive Senior although she says she is influenced by everything that she reads, good or bad.

She identifies herself as Jamaican or Caribbean American and many of her stories are based in Jamaica or on Caribbean migrants. Some of her works include "Madam Fate," "Electricity Comes to Cocoa Bottom," and "Notes from a Writer's Book of Cures and Spells."

She has received various fellowship awards and her poetry received recognition from the Poetry Society.

She grew up in Jamaica, but her U.K. connection has been beneficial, she says, because Caribbean literature gets more attention there than in the United States. Douglas has an master's degree in Creative Writing and a doctorate in English.

Related stories in this issue:
In the beginning - Xaymaca--Jamaica by Marcia Douglas

The Language of Snails by Marcia Douglas

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