Jamaican born Claudette J. Spence is the latest on a growing list of writers who have seen the need to document some of the important issues affecting women in today’s society.
A United States resident for more than 30 years, Ms. Spence has managed to effectively combine an avid interest in public policy, human development and community empowerment to achieve tremendous gains for the diverse constituents she has served in her various professional and personal capacities over the years.
“These experiences among others, some painful, have taught me that we share similar challenges with the way in which we relate honestly with ourselves and with each other,” she told JIS News recently.
Ms. Spence’s first book, Nurturing The Garden Of Joy -Provocative Essays on Relationships, was launched last December 2004 at an event in Queens, New York.
The book is a collection of 39 inspiring and informative essays and short stories that are as insightful and empowering as they are refreshing. “It soon occurred to me,” she said, “to disperse a body of work that would benefit people in examining some relationship issues that pain us and to posit some ideas on how to navigate them, so we can experience the joy I believe God intends for us.” Her hope is that the book will satisfy a need that some people have in creating and sustaining love and satisfying relationships that move them into consistently being their best.
Consul General of Jamaica to New York, Dr. Basil K. Bryan and a guest at the book launch, noted that Ms. Spence was yet another Jamaican doing something that was enlightening and positive and that “we should always embrace the positiveness of ourselves”.
Born in Kingston and raised in St. Ann, Jamaica, Ms. Spence received her B.A. in Political Science and Communications from Queens College and her M.S. in Communications from Brooklyn College, both in New York City.
She is the editor for the New York Conference edition of United Church News, and teaches undergraduates at St. John’s University in the department of English. The author is the founder/president of CSolutions, a company that provides communication solutions to individuals and organizations to move them closer to realizing their potential for wealth and success.
