The month of October is celebrated for many things and one of them is National Book Month. Therefore, to start the month I decided to highlight a notable figure within the Caribbean, renowned not only for her writing skills but also for her work in activism.
Jamaican writer and activist, Una Marson is a notable character in media and activism.
Get this image on: gettyimages.com | License details
Creator: Fred Ramage
Credit: Getty Images
Copyright: 2007 Getty Images
Here are 7 things to Know About Una Marson
1. She Attended Hampton High School
Una Marson was born in Santa Cruz, St Elizabeth. At the age of 10, Marson was enrolled in Hampton High, a girls' boarding school in Jamaica.
2. She was the first female Broadcaster at British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
After previous trips from Jamaica and the United Kingdom, on one of her return to England in 1938, she started as a scriptwriter in the television studio. During the times of War, she became the producer of ‘Calling the West Indies; a radio program that enjoyed widespread by Jamaicans.
3. She became Jamaica's first female editor and publisher of her own magazine
She established The Cosmopolitan, a monthly magazine (1929 – 1931) that addressed gender issues affecting women. The magazine also featured Jamaican poetry and literature from Marson's fellow members of the Jamaican Poetry League
4. She was a poet
Between 1930 and 1945, between Jamaica and London, she published four collections of poetry: the self-financed Tropic Reveries (1930), Heights and Depths (1931), The Moth and the Stars (1937) and Towards the Stars (1945). To read more about her poems, click here
5. First female to have their play written and staged in Jamaica
Marson’s plays were staged both in Kingston and later, London. At What a Price (Ward Theatre, Kingston 1932, and the Scala Theatre, London 1934) and London Calling (Ward Theatre, 1937) both explore sexual politics in a patriarchal society and satirise colonial policy.
6. She was a Aquarius
Aquarius is the 11th sign of the zodiac (January 20 to February 18). Una was born on February 6.
7. She is buried at the Half Way Tree Parish Cemetery
Una Marson was admitted to the St. Josephs Hospital, Kingston and died there on the 5th May, 1965. She was buried on the 10th of May.
References
British Library. (n.d.). The British Library. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from https://www.bl.uk/people/una-marson
Una Marson. (2022, May 30). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Una_Marson
Una Maud Marson (1905-1965). The National Library of Jamaica. (2017, July 31). Retrieved September 27, 2022, from https://nlj.gov.jm/project/una-maud-marson-1905-1965/
Comments