Natalie Corthesy

Sky Juice: Poems Natalie Corthesy

Inspired by her birthplace, Jamaica, the author has assembled a diverse collection poems that recounts familiar stories with a distinctive feminine voice. The title Sky Juice entreats the reader to recall a most treasured delight enjoyed by Jamaican children on hot days, which is every day! The imagery of a push cart vendor, selling ice and syrup in a plastic bag to schoolchildren, eager to relish the sweet sip. The narrative is a reminder that telling our own stories is priceless. Evocative cultural memories from Jamaica's yesteryear and witty call and answer between the vendor and the school girl personas provoke ire and laughter. The musings that follow are whimsical descriptions of loved ones and love lost. The denouement is picturesque and sincere.

Sky Juice is Natalie Corthésy's second collection of poems after her debut anthology Fried Green Plantains (2017). "The Watchman", "Swansea", "Siren" and "Ritual" have been published in The Caribbean Writer Volume 33, 2019. "The Helper Experiment", "Where are you from?", "The School Girl", and "Free" have been published in The Caribbean Writer Volume 34, 2020. "Up" was published in the writing and visual art journal, We Are Goodgenough Magazine, 2020. "Plantation fringe" was contributed to a special commemorative edition of Interviewing the Caribbean honouring the work and life of Kamau Brathwaite, 2020.