ST. MARTIN, Caribbean — The Anticanon Project (Proyecto Anticanon), dedicated to promoting the literary works and women writers of the Dominican Republic, presented its first Anticanon Lifetime Achievement Award for Literary Women to Sherezada Chiqui Vicioso, on October 22, 2022. The award ceremony was held at the elegantly restored Casa Mella-Russo in Zona Colonial, the old historic city center of Santo Domingo, said Jacqueline Sample, Vicioso’s publisher here at HNP.
Dominican Republic author Chiqui Vicioso (center) with Lauristely Peña (L), executive board member, Fundacion Proyecto Anticanon, and St. Martin author Fabian Badejo at the Anticanon literary award ceremony, Zona Colonial, Dominican Republic. (© LSV photo)In attendance were writers, family, dignitaries, and personalities such as Xiomara Fortuna, singer; Fabian Adekunle Badejo, former Nigerian diplomat and St. Martin poet; Ambassador Eric Fondeur, France; Dagoberto Tejeda, director of Folklore, Dominican Republic; Regina LaBega, tourism expert, St. Martin; and Melody De la Cruz, cultural organizer, Dominican Republic, among others.
As an award-winning poet, playwright, essayist, and novelist, Vicioso’s work spans over 20 books and she is well known beyond her country, said HNP’s project director Lasana M. Sekou. On October 3, she was a guest presenter at the event to honor the Puerto Rican poet Julia de Burgos at Hostos Community College, New York City.
In St. Martin, HNP published Vicioso’s Atlantic World epic poem Eva/Sión/Es – Eva/Sion/s – Éva/Sion/s, the first book by this important Caribbean writer to be published simultaneously in three languages, said Sekou.
In May 2022, according to the Embassy of the Dominican Republic in Canada, Vicioso, who is a former ambassador of her country, was the guest speaker at the cultural conference “Rosa Duarte: Madre de la Patria,” which was held at the embassy. In April 2022, Vicioso was featured as an “international poet” in Contratiempo, the US literary magazine edition in which her long poem, “Camden,” appeared.
Vicioso and Badejo were among the Dominican and international poets invited to the National Palace of the republic on October 21 to meet with President Luis Abinader for the National Day of the Poet (Día Nacional del Poeta) of the Dominican Republic. The meeting was an event of the International Poetry Week Festival of Santo Domingo to which Badejo, who is also an HNP author, is the representative poet of St. Martin, said Sekou.
At last Saturday’s Anticanon award ceremony, Badejo was both guest of the noted Dominican Republic writer and a representative of HNP as one of Chiqui Vicioso’s Caribbean publishers, said Sample.
