GUYANA’S folklore was the central focus of this year’s Guyana Annual Magazine and competition, which has continued to provide a platform for people within the local creative scene.

“For me, the Guyana Annual is all about Guyanese creators and their development which is ultimately tied to Guyana’s development,” Editor of the magazine, Danielle Swain, told the Guyana Chronicle in an invited comment.

She later added, “Our ultimate mission is the promotion of Guyanese art and literature, which we believe contributes and builds culture and forges national identity.”

She explained that the magazine strives to highlight all the creative fields- whether writing, art, photography or cartoons- with a keen focus on the “up-and-coming and obscure.”

The Guyana Annual was founded in 1916 with the title, “Chronicle Christmas Annual,” which evolved over the decades and finally became “The Guyana Annual.” The publication strives to keep alive Guyanese art and literary traditions.

In 2018, the competition aspect of the magazine was reintroduced, which saw Guyanese submitting their literary works to be judged and published in the magazine. And this year, the entries across all categories included Guyana’s folklore.

Swain emphasised, “We believe in the power of seeing your name in print, even if it’s a small publication.” But the magazine is just not a space for submissions and highlighting the winning entries. Instead, the team behind the magazine is dedicated to developing quality creative writing and art. The magazine also strives to honour those ‘creative giants’ who have helped to develop Guyana’s local creative sector; this year, it was a tribute to Allan A Fenty, Guyana’s grassroot cultural enthusiast, old story-teller, columnist and amateur folklorist.

The improvement of writers and artists from the 2018 edition, when the competitions were resuscitated to this 2020 edition, shows that the magazine is doing its part, according to the Editor.

Daryll Goodchild was one of this year’s winners. His piece “Lucky Stars” won the Edgar Mittelholzer Prize for Open Short Story. Speaking to the Guyana Chronicle recently, he noted that he was honoured to be able to take part in the competition which he considers Guyana’s “one constant for the literary community.”

This year, the magazine did see a reduction in sponsorship due to the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite a few delays, however, the magazine came to fruition once again this year.

Swain related that this year’s magazine would not be possible without funding from the magazine patron, Dr. Tulsi Dyal Singh, the various sponsors and judges and Vic Insanally of Guyenterprise.