CHER CORBIN has her fingers in many pies as a mother, author, budding photographer, visual artist and forensic scientist.
Cher grew up in Westbury New Road (“a short hop from the cemetery”) and was schooled at Queen’s College (“under Dame Elsie Payne”), the University of the West Indies Cave Hill (honours degree in chemistry), and Kings College, University of London, earning a Master’s in forensic science.
Her scientific journey started 26 years ago: “I was the first forensic scientist in Barbados and this was over 26 years ago. Over the years the science on the island has improved significantly and with the opening of our purpose-built building, the Forensic Sciences Centre under the Office of the attorney general, the opportunity was given for many young qualified scientists to contribute to the transparency of the legal system. Forensic science is science for the courts of law. I am presently the director of the department.”
Her literary journey was more recent: “My literary journey started in January 2011. Just coming out of a very long relationship, I was on an emotional rollercoaster and found that writing helped. I found an international poetry community online and received much encouragement from them. They introduced me to Haiku poetry and I was on my way. It was very cathartic for me.”
With no formal training but just a passion for writing, Cher entered her poetry in the National Independence Festival for Creative Arts that same year. Ironically, she was only awarded for her prose pieces, two silver medals for Intervention and The Pink Slip, with the latter also gaining the Incentive Award For The Most Promising Adult Prose Piece for 2011.
Her visual arts journey started last year, with encouragement from her “soulmate” DeOlivere, also an artist and photographer.
“March 2012 my family moved back to our home and we were without electricity for six weeks while waiting for the connection, and we lived like cowboys – sunrise to sunset. There wasn’t much to do during the days and I remembered that I had quite a quantity of art supplies and I started freestyling.”
Cher taught herself everything she knows. Her medium of choice is watercolour but she is up for trying different things.
The budding painter won NIFCA bronze this year with Gem Of Speightstown – acrylic on canvas. What is driving Cher now is her recent release – an anthology of poems, My Soul Cries, and it is poignant because of the recent spate of domestic violence. The book was two years of work.
“I wrote the poems over a period of two years. I have written others but I didn’t think they fit into the format that I wanted for this anthology. It is just over forty poems, including some haikus, and it took me just a week to be satisfied with the compilation. My favourites are Redemption and Lustful Intent.
“The recent events in Barbados have me very concerned and saddened. Domestic abuse, whether it be mental or physical, is the right of no one. . . . There is a need to become sensitized and understand the dynamic of abuse. It must stop,” she said emphatically.
The artwork cover of the book is an adaption of DeOlivere’s NIFCA silver award-winning piece Mulatto Girl. “I loved her expression and he graciously agreed to let me use it. He also designed the cover, as he is a graphic artist as well.”
Cher elaborated that now she has done the anthology, she is engrossed in writing two novellas: The Pink Slip – the expansion on the NIFCA piece about rejection, betrayal and healing. And Silver Mirrors – a story centred on a public prosecutor and her passion for her job, her love of her father, corruption in law enforcement and the government.
“It has tongue-in-cheek humour. It is totally fictional,” she said.
“My stories come from life, sometimes my life or those around me, with the necessary artistic licence. They also venture out of my imagination and that can be pretty wild sometimes.”
Cher is happy for the encouragement she has gotten so far for her poems and the book is currently on Amazon & Smashwords and the forensic scientist and grandmother of one is eagerly awaiting public response: “It has been somewhat difficult to get out there when you have to push everything yourself . . . the editing, the printing, the PR, the sales . . . and doing it with limited financial assistance or rather no financial assistance.
“However, I truly believe that the anthology will speak to people, especially women who may be scared or shy to say how they really feel. I also know that sharing one’s thoughts and passions can be extremely gratifying and I have experienced how some women have reacted to the poetry, and it is very heart-warming. So, I am confident I am doing the right thing.”