PHILIPSBURG:--- A wide cross-section of the community came out to witness the launch of Expressions of an Optimistic Soul by Sint Maarten’s newest Author, Rolando Tobias. The lavish event took place on Saturday, May 11th, at the brand-new JW Marriot Resort in Dawn Beach. Attended by family, friends, colleagues, and a section of the business community, the event set a new standard for book launches on the island.
The evening commenced with 2 video expressions by the Author. Arch-deacon Rawlins blessed the evening’s proceeding, and Mike Jarvis, formerly of PJD2 & GBBC, who now resides in London and edited the book, gave the foreword to the Author. An interview-style discussion with the Author about his new book, hosted by Valerie Brazier, with presentations of the book's “expressions,” set the stage for a great evening. The event featured live performances by Toastmasters, who brought several of the book's projects to life with their own expressions. Glendon Wilson performed an expression entitled “Old man boasts” from the chapter “Humorously Speaking” in which he dressed up as an old man and related how old men tend to still be very agile with their mind and to beware of when an old man says “age is just a number”. Annette Marlin-Berkel delivered a monologue entitled “Can I give change in dollars?” in which she lamented the threat to the Guilder currency as the dollarization of the island gradually sunk in. Kareem Rombley had the audience in stitches with his impression of the term “SWAG,” complete with attire that matched his presentation. Emilia Connor-Thomas delivered an impassionate plea as she paid tribute to the island’s Flamboyant tree in her expression of “Ode to the Flamboyant”. Her presentation evoked feelings of pride for the beautiful Flamboyant tree with its rich characteristics as she presented the expression from the chapter “Poetic musings”. Author, Poet & Entrepreneur Tamara Groeneveldt took the lovers in the audience on a nostalgic journey of first-time love with her expression of “Blindsided by Love” from the book’s chapter “Let’s Talk about Love”. The island’s newest and premier drama Company, Judah Jubilee Company, under the directorship of Jamila Javois, interpreted the monologue “The Market Lady” with a powerful dramatic performance by local actresses Rita Carty, Joy Carty, and Isabella Graneua-Hyman, which left the audience in awe. The performance highlighted the plight of local market vendors who now face the challenges of changes to all aspects of our society. As the final item for the event, the new Author Rolando Tobias presented the first book to his 16-year-old daughter, Sacha Magenta Tobias, who then read a part of the final expression in the book entitled “An Open letter to my daughter” in which her Father provides advice to her about life’s journey. The evening was capped off with a book signing ceremony as members of the audience mingled, purchased the book, and received autographs.
JW Marriott served as a beautiful venue for the hosting of the event and main coordinator Valerie Brazier received commendations for the professionally conducted book launch, which many stated has raised the standard of book launches on Sint Maarten. Tobias thanked the cross-section of the community for the support in attending and purchasing the new book. The book “Expressions of an Optimistic Soul is Rolando Tobias’ first book and consists of 67 expressions spread over 9 chapters and 301 pages. The book is now available on Amazon, while locally it can be purchased at Adolphus Richardson Office technology and Van Dorp Eddine.
