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arolyn Ali is the mother of four
daughters, Jo-Ann, Tammy,
Patti and Judi, and grandmother of
Liam, Izabel and Abigail. She has
been teaching and writing for over
forty years, and still teaches part
time.
Over the years, she has written
seven books as well as hundreds
of short stories which were
published in both the Express
and the Guardian. In 2000 (2nd
quarter), one of her stories was
actually featured in the TTARP
magazine. The title of the story
was “Symphony in Sea”. That story
won a prize in the EMA short story
competition.
In 2011, the Author expanded
the traditional appeal of her work
to include adult readers with the
creation of “Stories and Recipes
from the Egg Lady”. Each original
story was accompanied by a
range of delicious family recipes,
as well as original art-work from
the internationally renowned
Trinidadian artist, the late Ian Ali.
Published by Hansib Publications,
London, UK, the book generated
much interest, locally, regionally
and internationally.
In 2014, Carolyn Ali challenged
herself to expand the scope of
her work even further and so
Stories and Recipes from The
Indian Dancer was born. Like its
predecessor, this book is a unique
entity that unites words, recipes
and images taking the reader on yet
another inspiring and unforgettable
journey.
Through the initiatives of Safari
Publications, “Stories and Recipes
from the Indian Dancer” was
submitted to this year’s Caribbean
Advertising Federation (CAF)
Awards for the Book design
category, and it won the Silver
Addy Award.
“The Caribbean Advertising
Federation (CAF) is the first and
only non-American member of the
American Advertising Federation
(AAF) and represents thousands
of advertising companies in the
United States and the Caribbean.
The ADDY Awards are sponsored
by the AAF and are the advertising
industry’s most comprehensive and
prestigious competition recognizing
creative excellence in numerous
categories of various media types.”
She recalls that the first time she
ever won a prize for story writing
was as a student at Mausica
Teachers’ College. The prize was
dinner for her family at the Hilton.
Carolyn is very excited for this
recognition and is particularly
proud that this book was produced
by a local publishing company. Her
hope is that the reader will enjoy
the stories, try the recipes and view
the art work of a truly gifted artist –
Ian Ali, her late husband.
Illustrated stories carry a further
insight into the written word, and
she is happy to share Ian’s legacy
of art of his powerful, creative and
stimulating work. There is this
saying, “An artist or writer never
dies. As long as the work is read
or seen, the artist or writer remains
alive.” This is her way of keeping
his memory alive.
The recipes came from many
countries, and she encourages
readers to journey with the Indian
Dancer to many corners of the
world and enjoy the delicious
offerings of friends and family. The
ingredients are easy to get, so go
ahead, be adventurous!
As a member of the Reading
Association, she has attended many
International Conferences, travelling
to California, Tampa, Minnesota,
Toronto, Bermuda and Jamaica.
The benefit gained from those
experiences has been tremendous,
since to breathe the same air as
some of the successful writers who
attended, was considered quite a
privilege. Her other interests are
travelling, the theatre and playing
board games such as Scrabble,
Mexican Train and Rummikub.
She is also involved in the Inner
Wheel Club of St. Augustine, which
is made up of close female relatives
of Rotarians, who at the moment
are assisting the Blood Bank
with a Blood Drive.
As a member of TTARP,
Carolyn has attended many
Mothers’ Day functions and
Christmas luncheons. She
adds that she makes very
good use of her TTARP
discount card. As a
loyal TTARP member
for ____ years, we at
TTARP are proud of her
accomplishments, and
want to encourage all
our members to follow
your dreams.
The books are
available at
Charran’s Book
stores, Metropolitan
Book store Port of Spain, Rainy
Days at Ellerslie Plaza and Paper
Based at the Normandie.
“Indian Dancer”
takes the Spotlight”
PHOTOS: RENE BOATSWAIN
