"Jacinth Browne-Howard's poetry collection, The Mother Island, reveals an astute choice of word, image and metaphor that reflects her own peculiar insight and budding wisdom into the woman's everyday but also complex life experiences. In addition, this poet possesses a noticeably keen ear for the rhythm and meter that best enhance her themes and subject matter. A talented young poet." -Esther Phillips, Poet Laureate of Barbados
"In four orchestrated sections of The Mother Island, Jacinth Howard presents a rich compilation of poems in which she explores a wide range of themes related to motherhood, nature, love, the complexities of life, issues of womanhood. Some poems express the reverence one might feel when witnessing the "orange plumes / villainous smoke / rumbling earth" from an island volcano; others convey the awe that observation of animals in their natural habitats can bestir. Her use of figurative language is evocative, and her choice of metaphors conjure graphic images that linger long after reading. Howard's tone varies from elation to subdued self-assertion as she deftly navigates the thematic intricacies reflected in this, her first collection. She leaves us with eager expectation for future publications."
-Hazel Simmons-McDonald, Professor Emerita, The University of the West Indies
The Mother Island examines, in four parts, issues frequently encountered by women including abuse, silencing, exhaustion, illness, loss, loneliness and impossibilities. Equally, it is an exploration of life, growth and the natural world infused with the history and language of the Anglophone Caribbean. It confronts both the domestic and public expectations of the Caribbean female and maternal self in order to offer support in navigating them. This voyage is defined by the preservation of both traditional and alternative knowledge through polyvocal experiences to express the numerous, diverse experiences of womanhood and humanity in the West Indies.
