About James Ainsworth
As a journalist, writer and human services professional, my journeys through language, communication, interpersonal and cross-cultural experiences have led me to Africa, as well as many extraordinary encounters in diverse communities and cultures in the United States and other parts of the world. I strive to bring creativity, inspiration and insight to my work – whether it’s producing an educational video, writing a documentary script, creating a website or helping an organization develop a blog, newsletter or social media content.
I received my bachelor’s degree in social work from Cornell University in 1981, and a general interest in education, human development and human services has always informed my world outlook, even though I eventually became a newspaper reporter and journalist. You can read my resume here, and you can read some of my articles and perspectives on my Island of Spice blog. Throughout the 80s I worked at Africa Today magazine at the University of Denver and I developed a long-standing interest in Africa; in 1994 I traveled to Johannesburg, South Africa to witness the end of apartheid. I was captivated by the overwhelming beauty of the music, people and cultures I experienced in Africa and I lived in Johannesburg for 8 years, until 2002. While in Africa I did scriptwriting, video production, and copywriting for SABC and eTV, South Africa’s main television broadcasters, in addition to working with a wide range of businesses, non-profit organizations, government agencies, artists and entrepreneurs. I also did grant writing work for community-based and non-governmental organizations as well as for national and provincial government departments. My evolution as a copywriter has been a process of learning, growth and discovery and finding opportunities to apply my writing skills in multifaceted areas.
About Island of Spice Media
“Island of Spice” is an homage to my ancestral ties to the islands of Ambon and Maluku (the Moluccas), my mother’s home in Eastern Indonesia. These islands were the elusive “Spice Islands” that Columbus was searching for when he inadvertently stumbled upon the Americas and created the paradigm shift that proved Copernicus’ revolutionary worldview of the Earth being round and orbiting the Sun. The people of Ambon and Maluku, their foods and music, their wonderfully aromatic and colorful trees, flowers, plants and herbs embody an Earthly beauty, enchantment and abundance. The Spice Islands were a source of intrigue and imagination for the Western world as well as the Middle Eastern, Asian and European traders who profited from them.
