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Marion Bethel

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Marion Bethel (born July 31,1953) is an attorney, poet, essayist, filmmaker, human and and gender rights activist, and writer from Nassau, The Bahamas.[1][2]

Bethel is best known for her anthologies of poems, Guanahani, My Love and Bougainvillea Ringplay, both of which have appeared in The Caribbean Writer, Autumn Winter, and Junction, among others.[3] She is also recognized for her documentary film on the women's suffrage movement in The Bahamas called Womanish Ways: Freedom, Human Rights & Democracy 1934 to 1962 which received the 2012 Award in Documentary at the Urban Suburban International Film Festival[4]. Her passion in her involvement in the Women's Movement in the Caribbean has awarded her the 11th Caribbean Community (CARICOM) award in 2014. [2][5]. Bethel has also received the Casa de Las Americas Prize for poetry, and has spoken at many events including The IV International Poetry Festival of Granada.[3][6]

She currently resides with her husband Alfred Sears in The Bahamas where she is a managing partner at Sears & Co.[4] She now focuses on political activism in civil society in The Bahamas and began serving on the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) on January 1, 2017. [3][7]

Early Life and Education

After receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish with honors at McGill University, Bethel received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Law at Wolfson College, Cambridge University.[7] While in England, she pursued her certificate of legal education at the Council of Legal Education and later pursued her Master of Arts Degree at Columbia University.[7] Before taking her bar examinations in 1987, Bethel spent a summer writing a collections of poems later to be published as Guanahani, My Love (originally Guanahani, mi amor: Y otros poemas) which won the prestigious Casa de Las Americas Prize of Poetry, making her one of the few Caribbean writers to receive this award .[5][6][7]

Later Life

Career

Bibliography

Poetry

Before finishing her bar examinations, Bethel spent a full summer writing poetry during which her first poetry collection Guanahani, My Love was written.[6]

Films

Her documentary film on the women's suffrage movement in The Bahamas called Womanish Ways: Freedom, Human Rights & Democracy 1934 to 1962 was showcased by Bahamas Consulate Office of Atlanta at Spelman College after Southern Christian Leadership Conference founder and civil rights pioneer Evelyn Lowery passed.[8]

Awards

On July 1991, Bethel received a James Michener Fellowship in the Department of English at the University of Miami by the Caribbean Writers Summer Institute.[3] Bethel was one of few Caribbean writers to receive the Casa de Las Americas Prize for her collection of poems in Guanahani, mi amor: Y otros poemas.[5][6] Additionally, Bethel is also the first Bahamian to receive the CARICOM award and was given this award in 2014 for her contribution towards gender justice and culture and the socio-economic development of the Caribbean. [2] One way she has contributed to gender justice and culture is through her documentaryWomanish Ways: Freedom, Human Rights & Democracy 1934 to 1962, which received the 2012 Award in Documentary at the Urban Suburban International Film Festival in Philidephia. despite interventions on behalf of female members of parliament Hope Strachan and Loretta Butler. One way she has contributed to However, representative for Englerston Glenys Hanna-Martin states that Bethel's documentary was a "beautiful, powerful piece of work."[2]

Further reading

She was born there and was educated at the University of Valencia, at McGill University and at Columbia University. Bethel began teaching in the Bahamas and became a lecturer at the College of The Bahamas. She studied law at Cambridge University, passed her bar exams in September 1984, was admitted to the Bar of England and Wales in 1985 and has practised law in the Bahamas since 1986.

Her collection of poems Guanahani, My Love received the Casa de las Américas Prize in 1995. In 1997, Bethel was named the Alice Proskauer Poetry Fellow at the Mary Ingraham Bunting Institute of Radcliffe College.[9] In 2009, the second edition of Guanahani, My Love by Marion Bethel[10] was published by House of Nehesi Publishers in 2009. Her second collection of poems Bougainvillea Ringplay was published in 2009.[1]

In 2012, she directed Womanish Ways: Freedom, Human Rights & Democracy, the Women’s Suffrage Movement in The Bahamas 1948 to 1962, a documentary on the struggle to gain women the right to vote in the Bahamas.[9] The film won the 2012 Award in Documentary at the Urban Suburban International Film Festival in Philadelphia.[11]

References

  1. ^ a b "Marion Bethel". Congrès des écrivains de la Caraïbe (in French). Associations des écrivains de la Caraïbe.
  2. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference :4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b c d Adisa, Opal Palmer (2016-03-29). "Marion Bethel, Bahamian Poet: Caribbean Sensibilities". Opal Palmer Adisa. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
  7. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference :6 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ a b "Citation In Honour Of Ms. Marion Bethel On The Occasion Of The Presentation Of The Eleventh CARICOM Triennial Award For Women ..." Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat. July 9, 2014.
  10. ^ http://www.bajanreporter.com/2010/03/barbadian-poet-praises-guanahani-my-love-by-marion-bethel-for-magical-realism-as-author-continues-her-book-tour/
  11. ^ "'Womanish Ways' snags award at U.S. film festival". Nassau Guardian. July 20, 2013.

[1] [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]

  1. ^ Bethel, Marion. Guanahani, My Love. Philipsburg, St. Martin, Caribbean: House of Nehesi, 2009. Print.
  2. ^ Aguilo, Maria Del Carmen Quintero. "Review: Bougainvillea Ringplay." Caribbean Studies 42.1 (2014): 291-96. JSTOR.
  3. ^ Poynting, Jeremy. "Marion Bethel." Marion Bethel. Peepal Tree Press, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 05 Apr. 2017.
  4. ^ "Marion Bethel." Bahamas 2017 IWES. IWES, 23 Oct. 1970. Web. 06 Apr. 2017. 
  5. ^ Mitchell, Fredrick. "BETHEL ELECTED TO CEDAW FOUR-YEAR TERM." Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration - Bahamas. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 22 June 2016. Web. 06 Apr. 2017.    
  6. ^ The Government of the Bahamas. Bahama Information Services. Marion Bethel to Receive 'prestigious Regional Award' for Women - Government - News. N.p., 16 June 2016. Web. 05 Apr. 2017. 
  7. ^ Wells, Ricardo. "Marion Bethel 'ready' for Responsibilities as Husband Challenges for PLP Leadership." Tribune 242. Ellington, 11 Aug. 2016. Web. 06 Apr. 2017. 
  8. ^ Nixon, Arthia. "Bahamas Consulate & Marion Bethel Enlighten Atlanta on Women’s Suffrage Movement at Spelman College and Allen Institute." Bahamas Press (28 Oct. 2013). Bahama Press, 20 Oct. 2013. Web. 05 Aug. 2017. 
  9. ^ Farmer, Sonia. "Profile: Marion Bethel." The Nassau Guardian. Nassau Guardian, 05 Mar. 2012. Web. 05 Apr. 2017.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference :5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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