They Call Me Guess: A Memoir of Roots, Routes and Resilience with Beulah Smith-Coombs

In her memoir, Beulah ‘Guess’ Smith-Coombs chronicles her early childhood in 1950s rural Jamaica, narrating her upbringing and student years in ‘swinging 60s’ England and the decades beyond. Beulah was born in Kellits, Clarendon, Jamaica and this was where she spent her early childhood years until 1957, before arriving in Manchester, England, aged 8 years.

Guess is an inspiring read portraying Jamaica’s rich cultural heritage which informed Beulah’s character from an early age. The book also lays bare the challenges faced by her parents’ generation and witnesses a number of events which, during the 60s and 70s, marked the lives of many young black people in similar situations. 

Beulah’s tale about navigating adversity as well as celebrating successes - the first graduate in her family; one of Britain’s few Black teachers in the 1970s; a College Lecturer and senior manager - is compelling - an illuminating and important piece of social and cultural history.

Beulah will be joined by Suzanne Scafe, Associate Professor of Literature at London South Bank University and a member of OWAAD and the Brixton Black Women’s Group.