Dr Kwame Dawes will stage LIVE! HOPE! LOVE! at the Phillip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts at the University of the West Indies on Sunday at 11 a.m.

Born in Ghana and raised in Jamaica, Dawes is the author of 13 books of poetry and many books of fiction, non-fiction and drama, including the critically acclaimed Wisteria: Poems from the Swamp County, and Hope's Hospice. He is also the author of Bob Marley: Lyrical Genius. He is distinguished poet in residence at the University of South Carolina where he directs the SC Poetry Initiative and the University of South Carolina Arts Institute. Dawes is also the programming director of the Calabash International Literary Festival that takes place each May in Jamaica.

Moving story

LIVE! HOPE! LOVE! is a production based on the award-winning website livehopelove.com, that uses photography, videography and music to tell the moving story of Jamaicans living with HIV and AIDS. The LIVE! HOPE! LOVE! project grew out of a Pulitzer Center commission to document the human face of HIV and AIDS on the island of Jamaica.

Dawes will use poetry from his book, Hope's Hospice, a collection of poetry from the project, with images by Joshua Cogan, andweave this intricately into the photography, videography and music to create a moving and powerful presentation, exploring and unmasking the issues surrounding HIV and AIDS in Jamaica.

The reading will be followed by a panel discussion designed to begin the conversations that will sensitise people and facilitate increased knowledge of the many factors driving this epidemic.

From this reading, the organisers hope to interest sponsors in a full-length production, HOPE, drawn from Dawes' poetry and the music of Kevin Simmonds. HOPE is a multimedia music/spoken word performance that opens up the struggles and grace of individuals dealing with HIV/AIDS. The staging of this production is planned to coincide with World AIDS day in December.

LIVE! HOPE! LOVE!