BOOK-LOVERS, members of Jamaica's entertainment and literary scene, and more, gathered for the launch of Dr Dennis Howard's book, Rantin From Inside The Dancehall.

The Fay Ellington emceed event, featured several guest speakers, including university lecturer Dr Clinton Hutton. Hutton highlighted that "the development of arts, and the arts movement, requires a critical community of entertainment journalists", a void he feels, needs to be filled with more publications such as Rantin From Inside The Dancehall.

Upcoming reggae singer Chronixx, was the guest performer for the proceedings, and delivered a tranquil set of his singles Africa, They Don't Know, Odd Ras, and Warrior, backed by the Zinc Fence band.

When speaking to TEENage, Dr Howard stated that "the book comprises of essays and articles, published mainly in the Jamaica Observer. People felt that the writings were of the quality that could stand the test of time, so I decided to put it in a book form, and with the help of Alvin Campbell, it came out pretty well."

A copy of Rantin From Inside The Dancehall was presented to the National Library of Jamaica, which was followed by Howard speaking to attendees about his extensive love affair with entertainment, and acknowledgement for those who helped him along his journey.

The function closed with Howard stating that his next release will be an academic book in short order.

— Dominic Bell