For many years I heard about to kill a mockingbird but never had the opportunity to read the book itself. A couple months ago I decided to read literature books that I never read in school and were just laying around the house. I came across to kill a mockingbird and fell in love from the very first page. Harper Lee use of imagery and creativity with words captivated me from the very start to the end. The book has motivated me as a writer to learn to step out of the box and now allows me to learn how to make every single character's story as intriguing as the other. The talented Harper Lee's work is what is needed in writing today. Many authors have fallen into just grabbing any attention first and foremost rather than bringing a beautiful story to life. If you haven't yet read this beautiful book I encourage to do so now. The young characters in the book showed me that the youngest of individuals strength can capture the hearts of an entire community. Thank you Harpe

  Amongst the numerous accounts of the negative behaviour of young people in Jamaica, several Jamaican young people continue to stand out and are making their mark being felt both locally and internationally. Today, I sat down with poet and author Christena Williams to get some insight into her life and how much poetry means to her.    -Christena Williams What was your family background like growing up?   I grew up in Portmore otherwise known as “ sunshine city ” in a small community with my mother and three brothers as my dad left us when I was about one or two years old. He moved out to live with another woman leaving us practically in an unpaid house, bills unpaid, no furniture and such so you know we were what you would call poor. I however didn’t know that we were poor because my mom a disciplinarian was very strict with us. We were not allowed to visit neghbours   house as I think she wanted to protect us. She  didn’t want  us  to feel ashamed of ourselves and our circumstances.

For majority of us everyday we log into a social media platform or several social media platforms. We use these platforms to get entertainment, information and to communicate with people. However, are we placing too much importance on the lives that we see on display on these sites. It's very troubling when I see young people making people who they know nothing about their relationship goals, family goals and whatever else kind of goals. A beautiful picture can hide the most horrifying realities. I mean it's okay to look up to people but it's not okay to mirror your life entirely off the life of another. What happens when that individual or individual breaks up or faces some serious family crisis will your life also fall apart? Are you unable to stand alone without the perceived fairytale concepts you believe in on social media sites? We complain from time to time about how self absorbed people are in the world yet we are the ones who continue to feed the desire that they h