Kimberly-Ann Robinson-Walcott (born 1956) is a Jamaican poet and editor. She has been the editor-in-chief of the Jamaica Journal since 2004 and editor-in-chief of the Caribbean Quarterly since 2010. Robinson-Walcott is the author of a study of the white Jamaican novelist Anthony Winkler, called Out of Order! (2006).

Biography edit

Robinson-Walcott was born in 1956[1] and earned a bachelor's degree in English from McGill University in 1977.[2] In 1979, she earned a master's degree in town planning from University College London.[2] She earned her PhD in English from the University of the West Indies (UWI) in 2001.[2] She married Harclyde Walcott and had two children, Miles and Sidney.[1]

Work edit

In 1981, Robinson-Walcott began her career as the director of editing for Kingston Publishing, but left in 1986.[2] Until 1994, she was the strategic planning director of Kingston Restoration Company, planning the renovation of historic properties in Kingston.[1][3] That year, she started her own publishing consulting business, Editors Ink, and returned to Kingston Publishers as the director of editing,[1] focusing her work on children's books and fiction. In 2000, she became the book editor at the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies, UWI and would continue in that post for a decade.[2]

Robinson-Walcott became the editor-in-chief of the Jamaica Journal, the primary publication of the Institute of Jamaica in 2004.[4][5] Her work there focused on gathering contemporary scholarly work on the arts, history, medicine and science from colleagues at the University of the West Indies and sharing those with the public. Issues might focus on a mix biographical studies of important figures in Jamaican history, dancehall culture, sculpture, medicinal plants, historic landmarks, aerial photography, as well as book reviews and other topics.[6]

Robinson-Walcott's book, Out of Order! (2006), was called "a brilliant exercise in literary criticism" by Caribbean Quarterly.[7] The book examines the work of the white Jamaican novelist Anthony Winkler.[7] It discusses the issue of race in the Caribbean and in his work.[7] The Jamaica Gleaner called it "A smart and crackling engagement with West Indian whiteness."[8] Robinson-Walcott knew Winkler personally and he has said that she "discovered" him.[9] In addition, she was his first editor.[9]

Robinson-Walcott has also done work on John Hearne and challenged his placement in the canon of Caribbean literature.[10] She wrote the introduction for the short story collection, John Hearne's Short Fiction.[11] She has been a fixture on the cultural lecture circuit, giving many presentations on important figures in Jamaica's history and cultural acquisitions, such as Anthony Winkler's archive.[12][13]

In October 2010, Robinson-Walcott became the editor-in-chief of Caribbean Quarterly,[2][14] simultaneously continuing her work with the Jamaica Journal.[2] She also writes poetry.[15]

Selected bibliography edit

  • Out of Order! : Anthony Winkler and white West Indian writing. UWI Press. 2006. ISBN 9789766401726.

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d Bogle, Marjo (18 April 1994). "In the Kitchen with Kim Robinson-Walcott…A multi-faceted Jamaican woman". The Gleaner. Kingston, Jamaica. p. 43. Retrieved 9 August 2019 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "About the Editor". The University of the West Indies. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  3. ^ "KRC upgrading program: Duke Street project underway". The Gleaner. Kingston, Jamaica. 3 January 1991. p. 2. Retrieved 9 August 2019 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
  4. ^ "Creative offerings". Jamaica Gleaner. 6 August 2006. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
  5. ^ Hartley, Neita (2 May 2004). "Review: Jamaica Journal". The Gleaner. Kingston, Jamaica. p. 78. Retrieved 9 August 2019 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
  6. ^ Hanna, Mary (6 August 2006). "Creative Offerings". The Gleaner. Kingston, Jamaica. p. F2. Retrieved 9 August 2019 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
  7. ^ a b c Chevannes, Barry (2007). "Out of Order! Anthony Winkler and White West Indian Writing". Caribbean Quarterly. 53 (3): 83–88. doi:10.1080/00086495.2007.11672329. S2CID 218622257.
  8. ^ Hanna, Mary (7 January 2007). "Gripping, engaging, amusing". Jamaica Gleaner. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
  9. ^ a b Lakhan, Anu (2007). "Whitewash". Caribbean Review of Books (12): 10–15 – via EBSCOhost.
  10. ^ Brennan, K. Brisley (2018). "Beyond Windrush: Rethinking Postwar Anglophone Caribbean Literature ed. by J. Dillon Brown and Leah Reade Rosenberg". Ariel: A Review of International English Literature. 49 (4): 202–204. doi:10.1353/ari.2018.0038. ISSN 1920-1222. S2CID 166093674 – via Project MUSE.
  11. ^ Ashby, Glenville (16 April 2017). "Book renews interest in Jamaican icon". Jamaica Gleaner. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  12. ^ Cooke, Mel (26 November 2013). "Ja Journal launched at National Gallery". The Gleaner. Kingston, Jamaica. p. 19. Retrieved 9 August 2019 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
  13. ^ Reckord, Michael (5 May 2017). "Serious welcome for Winkler's archives". The Gleaner. Kingston, Jamaica. p. 24. Retrieved 9 August 2019 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
  14. ^ "Dr. Kim Robinson-Walcott". The Gleaner. Kingston, Jamaica. 17 June 2018. p. 26. Retrieved 9 August 2019 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
  15. ^ Smith, Karina; Smith, Lou (2018). "'The Sound of Unknowing': Theorizing Race, Gender, and 'Illegitimacy' through Jamaican Family Photography". Journal of Women's History. 30 (1): 107–128. doi:10.1353/jowh.2018.0005. ISSN 1527-2036 – via Project MUSE.