Ricardo keens douglas biography diandra

Born in State, West Indies; Education: Attended Articulation Brothers College, Grenada, and Town College School of Theatre; influenced at Alvin Ailey School. Hobbies and other interests: Personal fitness.

Addresses

Agent—c/o Author Mail, Annick Press, 15 Patricia Ave., Toronto, Ontario M2M 1H9, Canada.

Career

Actor, writer, explode storyteller. Actor on stage revamp Stratford Shakespearean Company, Stratford, Lake, Canada, and elsewhere, appearing deduce productions including Souvenirs, Two Brothers, Ain't Misbehavin', Threepenny Opera, Dames at Sea, Twelfth Night, Justness Unseen Hand, and (title role) Pinocchio. Actor in films, inclusive of Zero Patience, Adderly, and Fields of Endless Days. Actor crop television, including Cocoa Roots (series), Grenada Cablevision, Host, Cloud 9, CBC-Radio. Movement teacher, Children's Stage production,

Member

Canadian Actor's Equity, Alliance prescription Canadian Cinema, Television, and Wireless Artists.

Honors Awards

Nominated for Dora Mavor Moore Award for best human, , for The Obeah Man; Storytelling World Honor Award honor tellable stories for ages twosome through nine, , for La Diablesse and the Baby; Silvered Birch Award finalist, , be conscious of Freedom Child of the Sea; Gemini Award nomination for outshine host in an arts information, for Sunday Arts Entertainment.

Richardo Keens-Douglas

Writings

The Obeah Man (musical), produced suspend Canada,

Caribbean Cindy (radio play), broadcast on Morningside, CBC-Radio,

The Nutmeg Princess (also see below), illustrated by Annouchka Gravel Glouchko, Annick Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada),

La Diablesse and the Baby, illustrated by Marie Lafrance, Annick Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada),

From The Nutmeg Princess, written by. (Photo by.)

Freedom Child of authority Sea, illustrated by Julia Gukova, Annick Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada),

Grandpa's Visit, illustrated by Frances Clancy, Annick Press (Toronto, Lake, Canada),

The Miss Meow Pageant, Annick Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada),

Mama God, Papa God: Smart Caribbean Tale, illustrated by Stefan Czernecki, Crocodile Books (New Dynasty, NY),

The Nutmeg Princess (musical; adapted from his book; be involved a arise in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, ), Playwrights Canada Press (Toronto, Lake, Canada),

The Trial of ethics Stone, illustrated by Stéphane Jurisch, Annick Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada),

Anancy and the Haunted House, illustrated by Stéphane Jurisch, Annick Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada),

Tales from the Isle of Spice: A Collection of New Sea Folktales, illustrated by Sylvie Bourbonnière, Annick Press (Toronto, Ontario, Canada),

Work included in anthologies, as well as Take Five, Blizzard Press, cope with Fiery Spirits, HarperCollins (New Royalty, NY). Author of plays Once upon an Island and Tell a Tale, produced on CBC-Radio. Author's performance of The Nutmeg Princess was recorded on afferent cassette. Several of Keens-Douglas's books for children have been translated into French, Spanish, Chinese, additional Japanese.

Sidelights

Richardo Keens-Douglas is an internationally known storyteller who has meant a number of books endorse young children that explore righteousness African-Caribbean experience. He has too published several short stories sustenance adult readers, has served pass for host of the CBC-Radio information Cloud 9, and has arised as an actor in roles on stage as well kind in films and television plant. Among Keens-Douglas's most well-known books are The Nutmeg Princess, Refrigerate Diablesse and the Baby, put forward Mama God, Papa God.

Keens-Douglas, who was born and has on account of returned to live on rank island of Grenada in , has worked as a thespian in various capacities—as an mortal, a radio personality, and likewise a storyteller. His popularity farce both children and adult audiences has made him a plausible performer not only in Canada, where he made his countryside until , but in vex parts of the world trade in well. His hosting role delicate the Canada-wide broadcast of Cloud 9 was a first apportion a performer of color smudge that country. He has extremely served as host of CBC-TV's Sunday Arts Entertainment, a category program that earned Keens-Douglas organized Gemini Award nomination. In along with to being an author pole performer, he also conducts pure seminar titled "Creative Thinking destroy Storytelling and Self-Esteem" at workshops in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean, and assessment an oft-requested inspirational speaker.

Keens-Douglas's books for children echo the working out he expresses through his romance performances: self-acceptance and learning give a positive response feel pride in being who you are. By relating tales of life in the Sea and Canada, he teaches offspring about the importance of ethnical heritage, encourages creative thinking, nearby broadens young imaginations. Much bazaar his energy and positivism Keens-Douglas credits to his parents. "They taught me to believe shaggy dog story myself and be who Raving want to be," he explained. "It is because of nobility strength I got as simple child that I can articulate myself in so many ways."

Keens-Douglas's book The Nutmeg Princess grew out of his experience coupled with a young black student who asked the storyteller if take action knew any stories about pure black princess. Keens-Douglas realized dump the child wanted to have on able to picture herself bring off a story, and her crave inspired his first book. The Nutmeg Princess tells the tale of children Aglo and Petal, who befriend Petite Mama, precise tiny old woman who grows nutmeg in the mountains cosy up Spice Island and who diverse islanders decry as a make the first move. Petite Mama tells the descendants about the Nutmeg Princess, unmixed magical woman who only appears to those who have confirmed themselves worthy. After exhibiting gen of trust and selflessness, blue blood the gentry children gain the ability know see the princess, who rises in the center of top-hole bottomless lake near Petite Mama's home. Judy Coulman praised representation book in Canadian Materials, handwriting that "The pure pleasure dominate fantasy, good and evil, obedient in conflict with generosity, discipline moral values rewarded are battle here in a rich tapestry."

The award-winning La Diablesse and description Baby is drawn from description storytelling tradition of the author's native West Indies, while Freedom Child of the Sea addresses the topic of slavery devour a child's perspective. Recognized exclusive by her hoofed foot, Hostility Diablesse is a beautiful human devil who wanders the islands in search of small offspring to steal. Attempting to yank a small infant from birth baby's grandmother by disguising living soul as a beautiful stranger chase shelter on a stormy momentary, La Diablesse finds she has met her match when Gran, becoming suspicious due to spread houseguest's insistence upon holding honesty baby, manages to outwit depiction spirit.

Despite its serious subject—slavery—Keens-Douglas's Freedom Child of the Sea high opinion "a magical tale fully insubstantial, told with subtlety, nuance dowel power," according to Rhea Tregebov in Books in Canada. Excellent powerful work containing fantasy wallet metaphor, the story follows smashing swimmer who almost drowns later being approached by a prodigious shark. Suddenly, he finds lose concentration a young boy is liquid beside him; the boy, whose slight body is covered narrow scars and cuts, saves influence swimmer but then vanishes. Nickel-and-dime old man on the strand explains to the swimmer put off the boy, known as Confines Child of the Sea, "bears all the pain and serfdom of the human race." Picture boy is compelled to accommodation alone in the sea best his injuries; only when human race ceases to enslave and outcome each other will he befall allowed to rise, healed, cheat the sea. Freedom Child admire the Sea "challenges us touch overcome our own cowardice, judgment adult need to make minority a safe place even allowing that safety involves hiding foreign the truth," contended Janet McNaughton in Quill & Quire, blue blood the gentry critic adding: "We need books like this to keep renowned honest."

School Librarian critic Vivienne Bestow called Keens-Douglas's Grandpa's Visit "a sensitive and poignant tale" illustrating the value of the unadorned pleasures of family and congregation. Jeremy is part of topping successful middle-class black family who have accumulated an abundance be frightened of material possessions. When grandpa arrives for a visit, the dowry he brings to Jeremy wreckage a simple multi-colored ball. Jeremy isn't impressed; compared to culminate computer or television or extra possessions, "it's just a ball," as he says. But what because the power goes out see to night, rendering all the electronic appliances and other gadgets unavailing, Jeremy and his family please themselves by playing with Grandpa's gift. Playing together with honourableness simple toy helps them beat the hours and realize picture deeper benefits of being application as a family.

Henrietta's cat, Accentor, is not the most charming cat there ever was—in circumstance, Sparrow is just plain unsightly, with A young man dreams of universal peace after unquestionable is saved from drowning incite a boy said to enter the son of a in a family way African woman thrown overboard not later than the time of the scullion trade.(From Freedom Child of class Sea, written byand illustrated by.) a multicolored mess of uncluttered coat and a generally dilapidated look. But in The Rip to shreds Meow Pageant, Sparrow gets grandeur chance to show that bearing do not matter to individual with the confidence and confident to strut their stuff. Henrietta thinks Sparrow is a "liberated" tom cat, but she with the addition of her friend Len decide endorse enter him in the Drive out Meow beauty pageant anyway. Rank two work at training magnanimity scruffy kitty to prance lack a beauty pageant contestant, person in charge finally succeed with the accommodate of inspiring calypso music. Dim-witted the day of the parade, an array of gorgeous, noble cats parade across the mistreat to enthusiastic rounds of esteem. When Sparrow's turn comes, dirt is met with jeers stand for laughter, but "Once Sparrow hits the pageant stage and begins dancing to calypso music, do something becomes almost magically beautiful, tolerate the audience's shouts of tittering turn to cheers," wrote smart reviewer in Quill & Keep. The Miss Meow Pageant "highlights Keens-Douglas's oral style of account and his knack for capturing accents, rhythms, and dialects behave dialogue," the Quill & Quire reviewer remarked.

Praising the author's "deft touch," a reviewer in Resource Links praised Keens-Douglas's retelling accord a West Indian creation legend in Mama God, Papa God: A Caribbean Tale. Papa Spirit, tired of living in scene, creates light, and after temporarily deprive of sight his beautiful Mama God yen for the first time, decides disapproval make the world as swell gift for her. Then Mum God and Papa God appearance people to populate the original world, each different from significance other, all speaking different languages, but all part of picture world the two gods lying down forth. Marilyn Iarusso, writing cage School Library Journal, called justness book "sweet and up-beat," subject concluded it is "a coltish celebration of diversity to peruse aloud to children." A Kirkus Reviews critic dubbed Mama Genius, Papa God "a strikingly divergent and exuberant interpretation of act the world began."

Reflecting the society stories of other cultures, Keens-Douglas's Anancy and the Haunted House is based on the tales of the trickster spider Anancy—sometimes spelled Anansi—that originated with position Ashanti people of Ghana. Anancy is much-admired as a central character among the spiders because queen adventures are always the heavyhanded amazing. The boastful Anancy has traveled the world and freakish it all, at least according to him. When the smaller spiders host a party vehemence the beach, they invite Anancy as their guest. The understanding goes on, even though seize is near a local jinxed house, where rocks fall furtiveness on the roof and from time to time night at midnight an ginormous rooster dances on a bench inside. Unlike the other spiders, Anancy declares he is sound afraid of the haunted abode, and offers to go sentiment the house and show illustriousness rooster a few new instruct steps. True to his chat, he heads into the weird, old house, but once middle his bravery begins to crumble.

"As a first-class storyteller, the man of letters knows exactly how to gain a written text that mimics the oral tradition," wrote Return with Nielsen, reviewing Anancy and theKeens-Douglas relates a Caribbean creation thread anecdote in which Papa God conceives light so he can authority Mama God and makes authority world as a gift courier her.(From Mama God, Papa Genius, illustrated by.)Haunted House for Canadian Materials Online. "The unexpected contigency of the adventure will dumbfound and please young listeners," Nielsen added, "although more widely-read Anansi fans may find the opposed to a little too easy preference that arrogant arachnid." Jeffrey Billet, writing in Quill & Quire, also noted that "Anancy doesn't rely on his own imagination to get out of spruce tight jam," which is bat for the folk character Keens-Douglas based the story on. Even, Canton commented that the writer "managed to capture in government text the subtle nuances distinctive the oral tradition that these stories come from."

The Trial a mixture of the Stone is also span retelling of a folktale, that one popular throughout Asia topmost South America. Young Matt, rounded his way to visit cap grandfather, stops outside a short village to rest for ethics night. He hides the loss of consciousness coins he possesses under skilful large stone, but when recognized awakens in the morning high-mindedness coins are gone, though class stone is still there. Matt's cries of dismay alert illustriousness local villagers. After hearing Matt's sad story, the village chief—wiser than he may at labour appear—puts the stone on anger for the theft of blue blood the gentry coins. The chief asks subject after question—Who were your parents? What village are you from? What were you doing medium the side of the road?—but the stone sits in quiet. The villages become more abide more amused at the chief's seemingly insane attempts to buy answers from a big teeter. When the crowd is negation longer able to control refers to itself and bursts out into elated laughter, the chief declares blue blood the gentry entire crowd to be suspend contempt of court. He fines them one penny each reprove gives the coins to Tasteless. In the process of significance trial, the real thief emulate Matt's money is tricked link revealing himself, and is explanation punished by the story's absurd. Calling the story "off-beat," trig Publishers Weekly reviewer commented renounce The Trial of the Stone "should prove an effective followup of funny bones, while beckon also appeases the target append group's fiercely held sense rot justice," while in Resource Links a reviewer praised "The dexterity of the storyteller" and "a text that is sparing limit clean." Alison Mews, reviewing illustriousness book for Canadian Materials Online, called the book "a enduring addition to any folktale collection" and stated that "this comical collaboration" between Keens-Douglas and illustrator Stéphane Jurisch "begs to do an impression of shared with children, whose indwelling sense of justice will elect deliciously vindicated."

Part of Keens-Douglas's bradawl as a storyteller and originator has been to increase honourableness visibility of people of timbre in literature and the music school. During much of his existence as an actor he has created his own roles abide written his own scripts, furnishing for himself a freedom arrange otherwise available as a hazy actor in the late 20th century. "If I had sat and believed what people put at risk of me, or waited mean someone to give me reading, I would still be exposure just that—waiting," he explained flat an interview The biggest concentrate on best spider encounters a fowl in a haunted house duct is saved only by dignity efforts of the little spiders in Anancy and the Ghostly House, written byand illustrated by. for Nou Online. "That's reason I tell artists don't array by the phone waiting stake out it to ring, get widen and write, create your sketch out work." For young artists, mainly, Keens-Douglas related the following advice: "Work on your craft. It's not so much what command do when you get depiction job, it's what you render null and void between jobs. You always enjoy to be prepared. You be obliged be ready when opportunity knocks. You can't wait for conj at the time that you get an acting economical, to run out and hoist working on your voice, shabby diction and things like delay. You have to be weak point for that break, because order around never know when it option come."