Amryl Johnson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Amryl Johnson
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| Born | 6 April 1944 Trinidad |
| Died | 1 February 2001 (aged 56) |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Nationality | Trinidadian British |
Amryl Johnson (born April 6, 1944 – died February 1, 2001) was a talented writer. She was born in Trinidad, a beautiful island nation. She spent most of her life living and writing in Britain.
Contents
Her Life Journey
Amryl Johnson was born in Tunapuna, Trinidad. Her grandparents raised her until she was 11 years old. Then, she moved to Britain to live with her parents.
She went to secondary school in London. Later, she studied literature at the University of Kent. She learned about British, African, and Caribbean writing.
Writing About Her Experiences
Much of Amryl's writing explored her life as someone living far from her home country. This is called a diasporic life. She also wrote about the challenges she faced while living in Britain.
For a while, she taught at the University of Warwick. However, she mostly supported herself by writing and performing her work. In the late 1980s, she made her home in Coventry.
A Trip Back Home
In 1988, Amryl wrote a book called Sequins for a Ragged Hem. This book tells the story of her second trip back to Trinidad. She hoped it would feel like a "homecoming." But it was also difficult because the house where she was born had been torn down.
Her Work in Collections
Amryl Johnson's poems and writings were included in many different books. These books are called anthologies. Some of them include:
- News for Babylon: The Chatto Book of Westindian-British Poetry (1984)
- Let It Be Told: Essays by Black Women in Britain (1987)
- Watchers & Seekers: Creative Writing by Black Women in Britain (1987)
- The New British Poetry (1988)
- Daughters of Africa (1992)
Her Books and Recordings
Here are some of the works Amryl Johnson created:
- Shackles, a book of poetry (1983)
- Long Road to Nowhere, another poetry book (published by Virago, 1985)
- Sequins for a Ragged Hem, a travel book (Virago, 1988)
- Blood and Wine, an audio recording of her work (Cofa Press, 1991)
- Gorgons, a poetry collection (Cofa Press, 1992)
- Tread Softly in Paradise (Cofa Press)
- Calling, a poetry book (2000)
