WRITING since a lad, Tarik Braithwaite has always had a knack for penning his thoughts on paper, and perfecting his craft over the years has now led the young author to the title of an award-winning poet.
Braithwaite’s first publication, a collection of poetry and prose called ‘Trapped in Thought,’ secured second in the TCK publishing readers’ choice awards last year.

‘Trapped in Thought’ is a motivational poetic non-fiction book that offers readers a collection of confessional verses in the form of poetry. Each poem follows a sequence leading up to the ideal poem, which is the very last piece in the book that facilitates readers through a range of stages in the author’s life and offers them a synopsis on how poetry has aided him in becoming the person he is to date.

Last year the book was nominated for the TCK publishing readers’ choice award and it was successful in securing second place in the award under the best general-fictions category.
TCK Publishing is an independent book publisher that publishes mass-market fiction and nonfiction. The company hosts a yearly competition whereby readers are given the choice to select a body of work which they believe is outstanding.

Braithwaite related: “The journey has been wonderful being one of the first Guyanese to make it this far as in being awarded the second-place medal for the best general-fictions category. It has assisted us in so many ways. We were able to put Guyana out there on the international platform for writing.”

In advising up-and-coming young writers, Braithwaite implored them to face fear and doubt head-on and to never let it stop them from sharing their stories.

“This art form is something that is gradually fading away and I want [to] implore those out there who have a passion in pursuing their dreams of writing to go ahead, the sky is the limit,” the young man said, adding: “I have had so many challenges when establishing this publication. I’ve had problems with the bank, I’ve had problems with getting the book out there, internationally, I’ve had problems with marketing and being able to put the book out there, considering I was a Guyanese author.”

Braithwaite further urged potential writers and poets to get themselves affiliated with the knowledge of the publishing world and take that leap of sharing talent with Guyana and the rest of the world.

“However, having done my research and putting together a few strategies with my team, I was able to overcome the process and I just want to implore all you young writers out there who are pursuing a dream or passion to get out there and do whatever it is you set out to do with the aim of one day putting yourself and your work on the map, both internationally and locally.”

Meanwhile, Braithwaite said a new project is in the works and will be available in March of this year.

Without giving too much away, he stated that his second publication will be dedicated to women who persevered and blossomed despite the many challenges of life.
To purchase a copy of the book you can visit Amazon and search ,“Trapped in Thought Tarik Braithwaite or the Book Hub, locally.