...and then there was Light Chapbook

…and then there was Light speaks to the ideas that come from traversing the dark, the brilliance that forms in the womb that is creation itself. The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas invited poets to write from the “void”, which can be thought of as a place of nothingness, everywhere and nowhere, a space ripe for opportunity and growth. This theme was inspired by the artwork produced for the eleventh National Exhibition, NELEVEN: INTO THE VOID, which investigated ideas of hope, renewal, and survival in an environment plagued by the vestiges of colonialism.

Each poem gathered here takes a more personal understanding of this void-womb—navigating the complexities of grief and of hope, bringing lightness to the murky waters of heartbreak, or the pain of losing a loved one. Each poet also brings the knowledge that this grief is a bridge to self-mastery; it is this liminal space that nudges us toward the light at the end of tunnel so that we can create from a space of truth and a more nuanced perspective.

This chapbook compiles the poetry that was included in NAGB’s installation for the FUZE Caribbean Art Fair 2025. Hopefully, this gentle collection serves as a mirror for your own grief, to be looked at, honoured, and healed by the inescapable mother of the void.

Contributors

Ide Amari Thompson
kevanté ac cash
Letitia Marie Pratt
Maelynn Ford
Richardo Barrett
Sonia Farmer
Tanicia Pratt
Xan-Xi
Zearier E. Munroe-Wilkinson