Book relating to an individual, 1988
Published by: Puffin
Year published: 1988
Number of pages: 120
ISBN: 0-14-034200-1
Unpaginated.

James Berry’s book of poetry, When I Dance was illustrated by Sonia Boyce, with a colour cover illustration and eight monochrome drawings at the start of each of the book’s chapters. This edition of the book was published in 1990, the first edition having been published in 1988. The drawings were undertaken at a time when Boyce’s practice was still very much centred on the act of drawing and an attachment to figurative elements, most often taking the form of the human figure, portraiture, and the built environment.

Surprisingly perhaps, given Boyce’s significance as an artist, Berry makes no mention of her or her drawings in his Introduction, which concludes “Distinct as it is in its culture-spirit and speech rhythms, the Caribbean voice has been around for a long time as part of the English-speaking family. Now, here in its new setting, it offers its mainstream contributions in Black British literature.”

Jamaican born poet James Berry has lived in England since 1948.