Charisse Janine Broome was among the many people who lost their jobs as a result of the covid19 pandemic, but she isn’t unhappy about it. In fact, she said, when she was sent home from the private school at which she taught, it freed up her time to do so many other things she loved, including writing. Earlier this month Broome launched her first children’s book, Awesome Father, at the Tunapuna Library.

“This is not the first book I’ve written, but it’s the first to be published. It has been the number one new release (in Christian poetry) on Amazon.com for the past two weeks in a row,” Broome excitedly told WMN.

She said writing is now her full-time job and she has added "creator" to her long list of skills.

“If I’m not writing I’m creating from my writing by using my work to create worksheets for primary schools students…I remember one time I wanted to write a poem about mangoes and I got a soap opera instead,” she said with a laugh. “Eventually I did write my poem called Mango Mouth Marlon, and from that I created English Language worksheets and Mangomathics, a math worksheet.”

Awesome Father, she said, is a Christian poem that celebrates the wonder of nature in general and, of the beautiful Caribbean landscape in particular – indicative of her great appreciation for nature.

[caption id="attachment_926651" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Charisse Broome says writing in now her full-time job. -[/caption]

“I like to read a lot and spend as much time as possible in nature. I have a garden of Eden in my backyard in Arouca…Awesome Father expresses awe and wonder at the awesomeness of nature’s creator and invites children and adults everywhere to accept and appreciate the awesomeness that they are themselves.”

The self-published book is set in TT and Broome describes it as an good resource for home-schooling parents, primary school teachers, Sunday school teachers, parents and grandparents.

She said it is a “heart-warming, fun-loving” book that can open the door to many discussions, and offers teaching and learning opportunities for young children between the ages of five and seven.

“It’s inspiring, entertaining, colourful and cultural and I hope that the story will touch the souls and lives of children in TT and those around the world, encouraging them to honour, enjoy and take pride in the awesome beauty that surrounds them, and to love and take pride in the awesome people they are themselves.”

Broome, also known as Señora Broome, is a narrator, former part-time UWI lecturer and International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) co-ordinator. CIES is the academic arm of the International Football Federation.

“I started lecturing part time at UWI in 2003, and I left in 2016. I worked at the Sport and Physical Education Centre and then moved to Department of Management Studies to co-ordinate two new sport management programmes.”

[caption id="attachment_926650" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Charisse Broome's children's book Aweso