Dr. Glen Laman, a faculty member at University of Management and Technology, has just come out with a new book, titled The Hero of Fern Gully and Other Jamaican Short Stories. It is a collection of 15 short stories, coauthored with good friend and fellow Jamaican, Dr. Basil Kong. Glen’s first book, published in 2014, was Jamaican Entrepreneurship, a well-received biographical examination of real-life Jamaican business success stories, based on research carried out on 15 successful entrepreneurs. This time around, Glen and Basil look at another 15 Jamaicans – but these are fictitious characters. While Jamaican Entrepreneurship delves into the lives of 15 highly successful real people, The Hero of Fern Gully spins yarns of 15 ordinary Jamaicans, showing what everyday life is like where “the sun shines daily on the mountain top” and people try to “feel alright.”
Both books can be ordered from Amazon.
Basil Kong and Glen Laman, The Hero of Fern Gully and Other Jamaican Short Stories, Minna Press, Kingston, Jamaica (2021) ISBN-10 1735306940
About Dr. Glen Laman
Glen Laman, Jamaican Entrepreneurship, Minna Press, Kingston, Jamaica (2014 ) ISBN-10 9769569313
Dr. Glen Laman was born in rural Jamaica in the parish of St. Ann. He attended high school at Kingston College and worked briefly for Reynolds Jamaica Mines. In 1969, he migrated to the USA where he attended Pace University and Brenau University for undergrad and master’s degrees respectively.
He has had an extensive career in corporate America as an Information Technology and Business Project Manager, having worked at major corporations such as the Coca-Cola Company, J C Penney and AT&T.
Some 40 years after completing his undergraduate degree, he graduated from the University of Management and Technology (UMT) with a doctorate in Business Administration (DBA).
Despite an exciting career in the corporate world, he responded to the call of entrepreneurship and opened a restaurant in a shopping mall. He later started a business which imported frozen coconut water, frozen natural juices and other products from Jamaica for distribution to businesses in the USA.
Much of the research for Jamaican Entrepreneurship was completed as part of his doctoral work at UMT. He enjoyed meeting the Jamaican entrepreneurs who were happy to share their stories and participate in the study, the first of its kind on Jamaican entrepreneurs.
Dr. Laman has received several awards for community service including one from the National Association of Jamaican Associations and Supporting Organizations and the Jamaica 50th Independence Awards in Atlanta.
He was a founding board member and former President of the Jamaican Chamber of Commerce of Atlanta, a past president of the Kingston College Old Boys’ Association Atlanta and editor of the KC Times, an online magazine for the Kingston College community.
