MARLENE   NOURBESE   PHILIP

DATE OF BIRTH: 1947
PLACE OF BIRTH: Moriah, Tobago
EDUCATION:
  • Bishop Anstey High School
  • University of the West Indies (B.Sc. in Economics)
  • University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada (M.A. in Political Science - 1970; L.L.B. - 1973)
  • CAREER:                                 Philip won the Cipriani Memorial Scholarship in 1965 after topping the list of students who took the Caribbean-wide high school examination. Upon completing law school, she practiced law in Canada for ten years while completing two books of poetry. She terminated her law practice in 1983 and concentrated on a career in writing. The following is a list of her books of poetry:
    • 1980 - Thorns
    • 1983 - Salmon Courage
    • 1988 - She Tries Her Tongue; Her Silence Softly Breaks
                                                       In addition to writing poetry, Philip also wrote two novels: "Harriet's Daughter" (1988); and "Looking for Livingstone: An Odyssey of Silence" (1991). She was made a Guggenheim Fellow in 1990 and a McDowell Fellow in 1991. She wrote numerous articles and short stories, and her short story "Stop Frame" was published in 1994. She wrote the play "Coups and Calypsos" in 1999.
    AWARDS:
    • 1965 - Cipriani Memorial Scholarship
    • 1988 - Casa de Las Americas Prize (for the manuscript version of "She Tries Her Tongue; Her Silence Softly Breaks")
    • 1988 - Tradewinds Collective Prize (in both Poetry and Short Stories Categories)
    • 1994 - The Prairie Schooner Journal 'Lawrence Foundation Award' (for the short story "Stop Frame")
    • 1995 - Toronto Arts Award (for writing and publishing)
    • 2001 - YWCA Woman of Distinction Award in the Arts
    Compiled by Ronald C. Emrit