Rosalie A single mother, Rosalie was recently laid-off from her job and needed to find some source of income. Her first love, writing, quickly became a focal point for her and on the advice of her thirteen year old daughter she joined the Artista Network and entered the Poets' Rendezvous. With much hesitation, she posted a poem and waited. What she later found in her inbox was totally unexpected. DeCarlo A professor of Black American Literature at a prestigious university on the eastern seaboard of the United States, DeCarlo had recently lost his only son in a tragic biking accident. DeCarlo buried himself in his work and his research for his new book. He had been advised, by his students no less, to troll the social media, especially Artista Network and get a feel for the many poetry groups and their activities. He signed into the first poetry group he came upon - The Poets' Rendezvous. What he found there would prove to send him off kilter for quite some time.
About the Author: CHER-ANTOINETTE CORBIN: WRITER & VISUAL ARTIST This Barbadian daughter is a mother of two, a forensic scientist and is a silver and bronze award winner at the National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA). An Honours Graduate in Chemistry from UWI Cave Hill Campus, in 1989 Cher gained the recognition of being the first Forensic Scientist in Barbados having achieved her Masters in Forensic Science from Kings College, University of London. She has since had a long and rewarding career in the field and is presently the Director of the Forensic Sciences Centre, Office of the Attorney General. Cher prides herself in being both left and right brained and demonstrates her creativity as an artist in many different areas. In 2011 she added to her awards by receiving two silver medals in the Literary Arts at NIFCA for her prose pieces "INTERVENTION" and "THE PINK SLIP". The latter also won her the Incentive Award for the Most Promising Adult Prose Piece. She was awarded a bronze in 2012 with "THE ANNUAL CHRISTMAS CUSS-OUT" and in 2014 two Bronzes for Poetry - "FOREVER I WON'T" & "RE-EVOLUTION". In the Fine Arts category another bronze for her Watercolour "BRIDGE AT THE HOLE". In 2013 her Acrylic painting "GEM OF SPEIGHTSTOWN" was awarded a Bronze award and in 2014 "ST. JOSEPH PARISH CHURCH" another Bronze. Cher's works have been published in St. Somewhere Online Literary Journal, Blackberry: The Magazine, and in four anthologies - Bamboo Press -'She Sex', The National Cultural Foundation's - 'Winning Words', 'She Speaks - Woman's Journal', 'Senseisha' - An Anthology on the sensuality of the Barbadian Woman, 'The Caribbean Writer 2014" and POUI 2014. She is presently working on two novellas, "SILVERED MIRRORS" and "THE PINK SLIP". In December 2013, Cher self-published an anthology of poetry called MY SOUL CRIES and in 2014 VIRTUALIS: A New-Age Love Story and VIRTUALIS: The Anthology, and in 2015 ARCHITECTS OF DESTINY: An Anthology of Poetry & Prose. In March 2017 Cher-Antoinette was invited by the Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination, UWI Cave Hill Campus to exhibit her works to celebrate International Woman's Day/Month. JUST CALL ME SARAH: The Colours of a Woman showcased 28 pieces of artwork and sculpture inspired by the tragic life of Saartjie Baartman in juxtaposition with the wholesomeness of the Caribbean Woman as exemplified in Cher's life's journey. Each piece of art was paired with poetry written by the artist.