House of Nehesi Publishers. “Made In St. Martin Gifts” for the holidays : books, art, handcrafted jewelry

The shortlist of HNP’s annual Made In St. Martin Gifts® is in. Attractively designed, quality content books published in St. Martin remain at the center of this near 20-year feature announced every December, said Jacqueline Sample, president of House of Nehesi Publishers (HNP).

The 2013 publishing list from HNP makes for an ideal gift pack of books but let’s unwrap that idea and present the titles one by one. According to Sample, for children, ages 4 to 9, for the young at heart, and book collectors, there’s the gift of the colorful, bestselling hardcover storybook, Lizzy Lizard by Robin Boasman.

For the multilingual buffs—and in St. Martin that ranges from roots culture to highbrow—the classy gift is Haïti et l’identité littéraire trans-caribéenne (Haiti and Trans-Caribbean Literary Identity) by Emilio Jorge Rodriguez. This fine collection of “missing link” essays on Haitian/Caribbean literature with connections to Latin America also has an earlier English/Spanish edition from HNP.

The gift prize for the budding thinker or revolutionary activist in your family, among your friends and co-workers, and for “you self,” is Maroon Lives – Tribute to Maurice Bishop & Grenadian Freedom Fighters by Lasana M. Sekou; Revolution As Poetic Inspiration: Grenada in ‘Maroon Lives’ by Fabian Adekunle Badejo. P.S., Don’t underestimate the value of the Jason deCaires Taylor undersea sculptures that illustrate  this book of poetry by Sekou, with an extensive critical essay by Badejo.

Okay, what’s for the writer you’ve been telling to publish his or her own book? HNP suggests, Where I See The Sun – Contemporary Poetry in St. Martin. The new collection includes 25 mostly young poets from both parts of the island.

The books on the holiday gift list are available at Van Dorp, Arnia’s, Amazon.com, spdbooks.org, and other bookstores.

Art is a recurring favorite of the Made In St. Martin Gifts® list, said Sample, who is also a curator that has collaborated with the New York State Museum. The very recent exhibit of paintings by Max Phelipa is the treasure trove to raid for high-end gifts of St. Martin art for holiday giving, art investment, and decor. Phelipa’s “Art in the Garden Gallery” is on Frontstreet.

How about Made In St. Martin Gifts® as fashion accessories, especially for the hugely popular New Year’s Eve? Ask for the handcrafted necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and anklets at Beverly’s Fashion Jewelry. “Beverly’s creations range from stylishly casual to museum-like quality fashion and costume jewelry that you might find at a Bloomingdale’s store,” said Sample. Beverly can be seen making her jewelry at kiosk #15-A, Philipsburg Marketplace, Backstreet, where she also has a select costume jewelry repair service.

The “Made in St. Martin Gifts” long list can be heard on Conscious Lyrics, SOS radio, 95.9 FM, Saturday, December 21, at 12 noon, said program host Shujah Reiph.