Jamaica Kincaid

In this conversation, Jamaica Kincaid, an acclaimed Antiguan-American writer, reflects on her literary journey and cultural identity. She shares poignant memories of the West Indian-American Day Parade and her immigrant upbringing. Kincaid discusses her unique narrative style, using parentheses to weave complex timelines. She also explores the tension between personal indulgence and societal issues, like malnutrition, and ties her gardening passion to broader historical contexts, revealing deeper meanings within nature.

Writer Jamaica Kincaid is one of the best known writers on race and colonialism in the US. Her writing is biting and fearless, and she’s been a keen observer of her native Antigua and the US since publishing her first essay in 1973. This week she joins Lilah together with the FT’s Enuma Okoro in a recording made at the recent FT Weekend Festival in London. Then we share some conversations we had in person with listeners during the festival.-------Here’s the link to leave us a message for our listener callout: https://sayhi.chat/6gci2We’re challenging you to challenge us with a topic that most people would think is boring, and that you want us to make interesting on the podcast!—---- Want to stay in touch? We love hearing from you. Email us at ftweekendpodcast@ft.com. We’re on Twitter @ftweekendpod, and Lilah is on Instagram and Twitter @lilahrap.-------Links and mentions from the episode:– Full recording of the conversation with Jamaica and Enuma: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOB10hGIhwM&t=2s-Jamaica’s classic book A Small Place about Antigua: https://tinyurl.com/mshm32ha-A great recent essay by Jamaica Kincaid on gardening: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/09/07/the-disturbances-of-the-garden-Enuma’s essay on pleasure: https://tinyurl.com/59eda3vm-And another on how our spaces shape us: https://tinyurl.com/ycxt2uv4 -------Special offers for FT Weekend listeners, from 50% off a digital subscription to a $1/£1/€1 trial can be found here: http://ft.com/weekendpodcast-------Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam GiovincoRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jamaica Kincaid, a celebrated writer known for her incisive explorations of race and colonialism, chats with Enuma Okoro, a skilled essayist who navigates themes of pleasure and grief. They dive into the complexities of identity, sharing personal narratives from their literary journeys and the significance of freedom of expression. The conversation also highlights the role of friendship in creative life and the cultural heritage that shapes their stories, enriching our understanding of women's voices in literature.