In a recent interview with Rawle Frederick the award winning author and college lecturer openly expressed his thoughts on education in Bermuda, his work in the community, and what inspired him to become a writer. According to Mr. Frederick if it weren’t for literature, he wouldn’t be where he is today.

“Reading influenced my desire to become a writer— that and living in the world as a black person. It was an outlet, a means for me to deal with the racism I encountered at school in Canada. It was literature or incarceration, maybe even death,” he explained.

The Trinidad native has published two collections of short stories,The Vendors Dreams, and A Ballad of Orange Valley as well as two collections of poetry, Transatlantic Cargo, a book that focuses on colonialism and slavery, and Seasons the Antilles, poems that highlight the Caribbean peoples and exploitation. He has been awarded numerous prizes for his writing including the National Prize for Fiction in Trinidad (1997).

A graduate of Concordia and McGill universities, Mr. Frederick also possesses a Diploma in Education specializing in teaching English as a second language. After completing his studies Mr. Frederick traveled to Tanzania, East Africa where he taught English and African Literature at Mkwawa Secondary School from 1973-1976.

In 1968, Mr. Frederick married the former Dr. Gloria Simmons. He beamed with pride as he spoke one of his wife’s greatest achievements: “My wife was the first woman to get her degree in chemistry in the Island.”

Also an avid gardener and jazz enthusiast, Mr. Frederick has lived in Bermuda for the last 29 years. He revealed that though he was not born in Bermuda he considers himself to be a homegrown onion of the highest caliber - organic.

Since 1987, Mr. Frederick has worked as a lecturer at the Bermuda College teaching African and Caribbean Literature and as a writing tutor in the Academic Resource Center.

Of his teaching life, he added, “In my family there were many teachers, an aunt and cousins; it was natural for me to choose teaching as a vocation. My aunt instilled in me a desire to read, and up until today I prefer to read than watch television with the exception of NFL Monday Night Football.”

On the rare occasions when he goes to the bank and the lines are short and service is swift, he gets annoyed, he said, because, “I lose an opportunity to read.”

Mr. Frederick is involved with teaching the craft of writing and has taught writing courses at the Seniors Learning Center at the Bermuda College and currently teaches a course for the Institute for Talented Youth (ITY), an affiliate of John Hopkins University.

He talked about the programme: “I work with gifted high school students and the course, Literature & The Imagination, is enjoyed by most students. There are some talented young people here in the Island but they must be encouraged. The really good students enjoy reading and are expected to read at home.”

As the founding member and president of the Bermuda Writers Collective, Mr. Frederick was the first Bermudian to be awarded not one, but two James Michenor Fellowships for Creative Writing and Caribbean Literature at the University of Miami, Florida.

He has also been a special invitee at the Miami Book Fair on three occasions.

“Miami exposed me to many writers who are good friends of mine,” he said. “Like Kamau Braithwaithe, Edwidge Danticat, Zee Edghill, Earl Lovelace and George Lamming, to name a few.”

His advice to youngsters today is to turn off the TV and read: “Join reading groups, book clubs, read as much as you can and then read some more.”

Mr. Frederick stated that raising the school leaving age in the public education system was a step in the right direction and as he added that he felt that Bermuda relies too much on foreign experts and programmes that fail in other countries.

“High school is not an assembly line turning out BMW’s,” he cautioned.

Mr. Frederick went on to say, “There are good teachers here but too often they are transferred to the Department (of Education) to become administrators— a good teacher is not necessarily a good administrator or education officer.”

I find it unfathomable that so many teachers who work in the public school system insist on sending their children to private schools.”

As chairperson of the Bermuda Public Service Union, (Division 14) as well as president of Paget Community Garden Mr. Frederick keeps himself busy. He was a member of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries for four years where he became aware of chemical practices that can cause havoc to the immune system.

Although Mr. Frederick is currently working on a new collection of short stories, his priority is getting the Paget garden project up and running again.

Located at the bottom of Trimingham Hill in Paget, the community garden originated out of the need for fresh, affordable organic produce.

“We were concerned that Bermudians were not eating enough vegetables. It all started about eight years ago while I was on the board of Agriculture and Fisheries. Mr. Francis Eddy was very instrumental in getting the project underway and being the garden lover that I am I was very enthusiastic to get the ball rolling,” Mr. Frederick recalled.

The property comprises of 24 lots, at for the minimal cost of $50 a year, anyone is eligible to own up two plots for a two-year period as long as they are properly maintained.

As the president of the community garden, Mr. Frederick is responsible for ensuring that people adhere to the rules and regulation of the project.

“I give advice to newcomers on how to tend their garden and make sure that the water is in working condition. Also we follow the Bermuda growing season producing potatoes, onions, carrots, lettuce and tomatoes, but on a much smaller level.”

Mr. Frederick also insists that the garden is fertilized in accordance with international growing regulations concerning organic production.

Mr. and Dr. Frederick have two sons, Esan, who works at the Department of Immigration, and Dapo who is a teacher at the Dellwood Middle School.

In his spare time, Mr. Fredrick loves to travel, cook, and, of course, growing vegetables in his garden.

“The garden is therapeutic,” he concluded.