Blazer Launches ‘In the Mind’

by Sheron Garraway

Dramatist, lawyer, athlete, economist, teacher and playwright are just a few of the titles that Cecil “Blazer” Williams has under his belt. Now, he’s at it again as the author of a second publication called “All in the Mind”.

Williams mentioned the late Alphie Roberts (the first Vincentian to play test cricket) as one of his inspirations. He described Roberts as one of the “literary giants” that this country has produced and called for the works of other writers in this country to be recognised. {{more}}

Williams noted that his latest publication took him three years to write and described it as a labour of love. He stressed that many writers are “left with holes in their pockets” after they publish their works and get little support.

In an overview of Williams book, Dr. Edgar Adams highly recommended the publication for reading and noted that it was a collection of poems, short stories, fables, essays and other pieces that cover the period 1970-2003. He noted that his first book was dedicated to his grandmother and to his great aunt, while this publication “In the Mind” was dedicated to the memory of the writer’s mother, Beryl Elaine Williams nee` Prince and father Cyril Alban Williams.

Dr.Adams praised Williams for honouring his grand parents and parents who helped to improve the quality of his life, an act often forgotten by others.

Also in attendance at the function was Minister of Tourism & Culture Rene` Baptiste who told the small but appreciative audience she was impressed with the publication.

Baptiste announced plans to, not only have a reading club, but also a competition. She noted that this would be a means of keeping the works of authors and poets alive. She emphasized the importance of having a broad scope of literary work, many of which needed revival.

Meanwhile, longtime friend of the writer, Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves described Williams as a man rooted in the arts. He admitted that he didn’t get a chance to study the new book by his comrade, but was attracted to several of the poems and short stories which he found “incredibly humorous”.

Dr. Gonsalves noted that in some of the stories, Williams came out as the thinker, poet, humorist, and political commentator, as he touched a wide range of subjects. He lamented that critics do not appreciate Williams’ extraordinary talents and just view him “as a man who has run for politics with the Movement for National Unity (MNU)” of which Dr. Gonsalves was leader whilst Williams was deputy.

The Prime Minister noted that if Williams was living in another country with greater resources, he would have very substantial out put, far more than what he has been producing. He stressed that many groups and institutions don’t last longer than 20 years in this country and credited Williams for the longevity of his 32-year-old drama group, New Artistes Movement (NAM).

Dr. Gonsalves said that Vincentians must appreciate this fearless and independent minded man who is also Chairman of the Public Service Union (PSU), and Public Service Commission, and conducts his job with the utmost professionalism.

Williams would attend the third annual St. Martin Book Fair from June 2-4 where other authors from Jamaica, Palestine/Israel, USA, China, Guadeloupe, St. Martin. Williams would deliver the feature address on Saturday June 4 at a book party for ‘The Angel Horn’, a collection of poems by Shake Keane (1927- 1997).