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Anyone can be a writer, anyone can be a poet, but not everyone will excel at what they do. One must be passionate and dedicated to reap the fruits of their God-given talents. Adele Ramos (a.k.a. Black Orchid) has demonstrated how one can accomplish that. She had been known for several years across her home country Belize as a leading print journalist, but in 2005, the nation also came to know her as an outstanding poet. Many of those who had followed her work on the pages the country’s leading newspaper, the Amandala, were surprised to know that there was a softer side to this hard-hitting, prolific, analytical and thorough writer. Her first release, a self-published work, was a well-received love anthology dubbed PHASES.

Even as she was establishing a name for herself on the Belizean poetry scene, Adele led the national poetic renaissance of 2005-2007, as the founding president of the Belizean Poets Society (BPS, since renamed the Belizean Poets and Writers Society.) Her collaborators in this venture were poets Erwin X, Edward Broaster, Orson Elrington, Ansel West and Margaret Arana. In the capacity of BPS president, Adele spearheaded poetry readings, the first of the annual Lik It Poetry Festival, September Celebrations Poetry Contests, workshops on dramatizing poetry, publishing, and copyright, as well as a national exhibition of the best of Belize’s poets - among them Evan X Hyde, George Gabb, Leroy “The Grandmaster” Young, Erwin X, Angela Gegg (A to the G), Kalilah Enriquez, Myrna Manzanares and Carrie Fairweather, to name a few.

On a personal level, tremendous success has followed her initiation into the hall of fame of Belizean poets, because Black Orchid - choosing her stage name in honor of the national flower of Belize - writes unabashedly from the heart. Crafting her words in a style all her own, she touches on themes and topics that find a mutual chord with a growing number of fans. In the years following the release of PHASES, those whose interest she captivated came to appreciate her as a poet whose lyrically artistic works don’t stay stuck on love’s ups and downs, but which run the full gamut of topical issues, including politics, abortion, and crime.

Her colleagues in the media were extremely supportive, and she has been allowed the opportunity to appear on all the nation’s major radio and television stations, as well as on the pages of the country’s four most widely circulated newspapers and da Net-Work magazine, published by Stamina and Aziatic of Los Angeles, CA, USA. The reviews have been very positive and encouraging.

By and large, Black Orchid’s work has been warmly embraced by a wide range of Belizeans, regardless of race, age and gender – people happy to see another side of her, and the sincere humanity of which her poetry testifies. As soon as she introduced her debut production, PHASES, Adele began receiving numerous invitations to perform at public events, and students and staff from community groups and educational institutions, from primary school all the way to the University of Belize, began engaging her as judge for poetry contests and as a guest speaker at events ranging from career days and culture days to formal ceremonies. Adele has presented some of her most inspirational pieces at formal events, including a Mother’s Day fundraiser dinner for WIN-Belize, where she read from her unpublished collection, Magnificent Mother.

Adele’s passion for poetry catapulted her among the most luminous of stars, and in 2006, she was listed among the top five poets in Belize, nominated for the Best Poet Award in a Global Promotions red carpet extravaganza. It was a privilege for Adele to be selected that same year by the Institute of Creative Arts to appear alongside a range of well-established Belizean and foreign poets who performed for She Means We – a well-organized poetry show produced during Women’s Week in collaboration with Atallah Shabazz, Malcolm X’s eldest daughter. Black Orchid felt it a humble honor to perform along with Belizean icons – Dr. Corinth Morter-Lewis, Carol Fonseca, Yvette Holland, and Felene Cayetano, as well as the internationally acclaimed Suheir Hammad of Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry.

At the end of December 2006, Adele appeared on the Poor and Famous riddim driven album, with her anti-violence song, Shattered Hearts, penned only minutes before the recording was made inside the Heights of Vibes studio in Belize City. Later that same month, she returned with the first production by a Belizean artist to intermarry poetry and music into an eclectic blend so masterfully crafted that none of them lost their flavor. Black Orchid released not one, but two CD’s – Red Graffiti (songs and poetry), and Black Orchid Raw: Volume 1 (raw voice poetry), recorded at the same studio.

Riding the high of those productions, Adele returned weeks later with her Red Graffiti DVD, which included with a music video of one of her most popular dub poems – Number X, as well as a candid and revealing interview with Mose Hyde, Belize’s most popular talk show host, and a range of stage performances from previous poetry events. The DVD was launched at the start of the Red Graffiti (Belize) Tour, which traveled to San Ignacio and Belmopan in Cayo, Dangriga in Stann Creek, and Punta Gorda in Toledo in January and February 2007.

Adele temporarily stepped back from the limelight when she got pregnant with her second child, Emeri. Even though her creative juices ran dry for a few months, the birth of her new baby made her pregnant again with new ideas and dreams of taking her art to a whole new level. So, towards the end of 2007, she started work on her second CD release, slated for June 2008. Black Orchid Raw – Volume 2: The Next Level, is a multimedia CD that will include much more than the spoken word. It will take advantage of audio, video and print digital technology to present an innovative display of how poetry can take varied forms of expression.

Along with that new CD, Black Orchid will also release a special mix of choice recordings from her first CD/DVD project under the title, The Manual.

And while these projects have been in the oven, Adele has returned to the stage with appearances at three major events so far this year. She captivated the audience at The Tribute to Andy Palacio in January, when she delivered a touching ode to the globally prestigious, Belizean music icon, with the accompaniment of Garifuna drum masters Joshua Arana and Dale Guzman. In March, she appeared at the Women Awards Ceremony and then at a fundraiser benefit for the Dorothy Menzies Childcare Center, where she presented a repeat performance of Victory, her protest poem on the exploitation of women on the web, encoring at the request of her faithful fans.

Adele’s mission now is to take her poetry, music and message to the world, while joining other cultural ambassadors in showcasing the cultural and intellectual wealth of Belize.

Watch my videos:YOU TUBE



Other stops to make:
...Black Orchid Vibrations
...ReverbNation


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