REREADING some of the shorter comments describing the impact of the work of John Agard set me to wondering if, in the not too distant future, we would be able to ride a minibus… belting out poetry!

John Agard has taken poetry to newer levels. He was performing dub poetry and spoken word poetry long before those labels were recognised and accepted. Agard has fashioned a protracted trail of his efforts with numerous signposts along the way that have  us coming up for air every now and then.
The most recent signpost is the announcement that Agard was awarded the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry, 2012.
This award was made on the basis of Agard’s extensive corpus of work, spanning several decades and in particular his most recent published volume, ‘Alternative Anthem: Selected Poems’ (2009), as well as his book of children’s poems, ‘Goldilocks on CCTV’ (2011).
John Agard was selected by current Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, on recommendations made by “a committee of eminent men and women of letters.” The Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry was established in 1933 by King George V. The only other Caribbean writer to earn that recognition is Derek Walcott.
This is not a critical appreciation of Agard’s work, but it would be useful here to follow the writer’s trail chronologically.
John was born in 1949 in British Guiana, where he started his writing career during his High School days. His poetry and short fiction surfaced in a literary magazine, ‘Expression’, which was launched in 1966. He continued to fine-tune his writing skills as a feature writer and subeditor at the Guyana Sunday Chronicle.
In 1977, Agard migrated to the UK, and immediately hitched himself to the literary circuit, first as a touring lecturer for the Commonwealth Institute, then as Writer in Residence at the South Bank Centre, London, and later Poet in Residence at the BBC in London.
From that central area of the literary world, Agard was able to move from land to land, making landfall at various places, including Guyana, his land of birth and his backyard in the Caribbean.
As mentioned earlier, Agard hitched himself to the literary circuit, which included his partner, Grace Nichols, who is a celebrated poet, editor and anthologist. Grace Nichols won the Commonwealth Prize with her collection of poems, ‘I is a Long-Memoried Woman’.
Together John Agard and Grace Nichols have produced a number of books especially children books. This represents only part of Agard’s activities and activism.
The more tangible landmarks are the books he authored, co-authored and edited (and the recognition and awards he achieved).
In 1982, Agard won the Casa de las Americas Literary Prize for his book of poems, ‘Man to Pan’. In 1983, he published ‘Limbo Dancer in Dark Glasses’;  in 1985 ‘Mangoes and Bullets: Selected and New Poems 1972-84’; and 1987 ‘Lend Me Your Wings’, which was shortlisted for the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize.
Wherever he goes, Agard continues to write and perform his work. In 1997, he won the Paul Hamlyn Award for Poetry. Also in 1997, he produced ‘From the Devil’s Pulpit’.
The following year, 1998, he won the Guyana Prize for Literature with ‘From the Devil’s Pulpit’, and followed that up with a consecutive win of The Guyana Prize with another collection of poems, ‘Weblines’ in 2000.
Some of the books he published in the new millennium include ‘Come Back to Me My Boomerang’ (2001); ‘Another Day on Your Foot and I Would Have Died’ (2003); ‘Half-caste and other poems’ (2005); ‘We Brits’ (2007); ‘Clever Backbone’ (2009); and ‘Young Inferno’ (2011).
The collection, ‘We Brits’, was shortlisted for the British Book Awards Decibel Writer of the Year Award 2007, while ‘Young Inferno’ won the 2009 CLPE (Centre for Literacy in Primary Education) Poetry Award.
And, of course, we could expect more from the pen of John Agard as he continues to play with words and to weave stories from different angles. Honoured by the Queen’s Gold Medal is just another signpost in the very productive life of John Agard as a writer and performer.

(To respond to this author, either call him on (592) 226-0065 or send him an email: oraltradition2002@yahoo.com)