September 30, 2008 Literary Arts

Video Light is no poppyshow, fe real

Caribbean-Canadians get a good word in

by Bonnie Zehavi

Video Light: Urban Toronto Tales
Stacey Marie Robinson
Kya Publishing
September 2008
130 pp
$14.95

Delia Chinn is a beautiful dancehall vixen. Ryan Wright is a humble high school history teacher. Although both first generation Caribbean-Canadians, they come from dissimilar backgrounds and in many ways couldn’t be more different.

Stacey Marie Robinson’s Video Light, her first published work and the first novel in her Urban Toronto Tales series, is the story of Ryan and Delia, two unlikely lovers brought together on one Caribana weekend.

The novel chronicles their brief courtship and the resistance they face from loved ones—as well as from each other—as they grow to understand one another in a whirlwind romance.

Much more than a love story, however, Video Light and the Urban Toronto Tales are in many ways, according to the author, a “social mission” to educate and broaden the knowledge of Canadian readership about the “urban” experience.

One of the most remarkable qualities of Robinson’s writing is how she employs a Caribbean-Canadian vernacular throughout. It’s an absolute joy to read for anyone familiar with the distinctly musical and humorous properties of Caribbean speech when transmuted through a Canadian identity.

Robinson acknowledges that while the dialogue might initially limit an external audience from the story, for readers less familiar, Video Light provides entry into a “lifestyle and experience they might not otherwise encounter,” thereby simultaneously educating and entertaining readers.

The novel is also rich in cultural signifiers that enhance the realism of the story, the depth of the characters and provide further enjoyment for readers particularly of Ryan and Delia’s generation.

“I am committed to documenting the specific experience of ‘urban’ Canadians and details such as clothing, language and activities are what make the story personal,” maintains Robinson. “I want to make sure that my stories are authentically Canadian.”

Readers already familiar with Robinson’s previously disseminated works—printed at the author’s own expense and distributed freely—commonly respond to her use of real places and events, and of believable characters that could easily be people they know.

“While many can relate to African-American or Caribbean-African tales, there is something priceless about the urban experience in Canada that needs to be acknowledged and consumed,” says Robinson. “It is very rare to pick up a novel and hear about the 401, particular malls and restaurants, and even events like Caribana,” she explains.

While contemporary Canadian literature in many ways successfully reflects the diversity of experience in this country, Video Light effortlessly punctuates where representations of that diversity have previously fallen short in published fiction.

“Naturally, publishers are looking to find authors and literature that will generate sales, and appeal to a large audience. Unfortunately, at a glance ‘urban’ Canadian fiction may not appear to have that type of power,” concedes Robinson.

That is why she chose to release Video Light through her own publishing company, Kya Publishing, to make sure that characters like Ryan and Delia have a place in Canadian fiction, “even if they are not accepted by the mainstream and powerful publishing houses.”

“I hope to document and celebrate the lives of urban Canadians and ensure that we are written in history, acknowledged for our experiences, and that our depictions in society exist beyond negative news reports and public misconceptions,” says Robinson.

“The Urban Toronto Tales are my attempt at promoting the lifestyle and showing a balanced picture of our current experience in Canada.”

To order Video Light, log on to http://kyapublishing.com