Bishop’s High School, Tobago, wins spoken word Intercol
Bishop’s High School, Tobago, topped the 2016 Courts Bocas Spoken Word Intercol! In a hotly-contested final between five victorious secondary schools in the Tobago, East, West, Central, and South regions, the Bishop’s quartet of Camryn Bruno; Oshun Trim; Cindy Andrews, and Soyini Greig impressed the judging panel, headed by Penelope Spencer. The event took place on […]
Bocas Gains Ground in South Festival: A #SouthBocas2016 Essay
One of the mistakes outsiders make is thinking of Trinidad and Tobago as a homogenous cultural vat. T&T’s own people – the team of the NGC Bocas Lit Fest included – know better. On November 12th and 13th, the NGC Bocas Lit Fest South returned to the San Fernando Hill for its third South festival, […]
An Evening of Wine and Readings with Olive Senior
Olive Senior, winner of the 2016 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, is set to read from her impressive body of work at a gala event, co-hosted by Paper Based Bookshop and the NGC Bocas Lit Fest. An Evening of Wine and Readings with Olive Senior will take place on Saturday, November 26th, at Medulla […]
Writing on the arts: a workshop for Caribbean culture journalists
The British Council, working in partnership with the Bocas Lit Fest, based in Trinidad and Tobago, and the Department of Literatures in English at the University of the West Indies, Mona campus, is pleased to announce and invite applications for a workshop aimed at Anglophone Caribbean arts writers and culture journalists. Running from 9 to […]
A lively November with Bocas events!
November, the cue for heightened anticipation of the imminent Christmas season, gets a creative boost this year with the NGC Bocas Lit Fest‘s full slate of free November events. Two local festivals, one international festival, the finale of a national Spoken Word competition, a T&T tour by celebrated Jamaican writer Olive Senior, the end of […]
Youth speak out on patriotism
The 4th annual Courts Bocas Speak Out Secondary School Tour is underway! “I am Trinbago” was conceptualised as the theme of the 2016 Courts Bocas Speak Out School Tour by the 2 Cents Movement (tour designers, coordinators and hosts) to stimulate youth’s imagination around ideas of national identity and nation building. The theme is interpreted […]
Another TT poet wins big award
Trinidadian Danielle Boodoo-Fortuné has been announced as the winner of the 2016 Wasafiri New Writing Prize for Poetry, the only Caribbean writer in the lineup for the coveted award. Founded in 1984 and based in the United Kingdom, Wasafiri is a quarterly magazine of international contemporary writing, widely recognised for its role in showcasing writers […]
Register now for Bocas South Writing Workshops
Registration is now open for Bocas South writing workshops! Both workshops will take place at the OWTU Hall in San Fernando, from 10am-12noon on Saturday 12 November. To register, complete our online booking form or email [email protected] with your name, the workshop name, and your telephone number.
The 2016 Bocas South Programme
The full programme for the 2016 NGC Bocas Lit Fest South, 12 – 13 November, San Fernando Hill.
2017 OCM Bocas Prize opens for entries
The 2017 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, the latest round of the region’s most prestigious literary award, is now open for entries. Sponsored by One Caribbean Media, the prize, now in its seventh year, includes a cash award of US$10,000 for the overall winner and US$3,000 each for two genre category winners. With past […]
Five Bocas writers go to the Brooklyn Book Festival
The eminent Jamaican writer Olive Senior, winner of the 2016 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, will head the bill at a special event in New York City, hosted by the NGC Bocas Lit Fest at the Brooklyn Book Festival in September 2016. This is the fourth time Bocas has hosted an event showcasing contemporary […]
Winning young adult books by Caribbean authors
by DEBBIE JACOB. If you did not have the opportunity or the inkling to attend the recently-concluded Bocas Lit Fest, then let me assure you that you have deprived yourself of one of the most pleasurable literary experiences imaginable in Trinidad and Tobago. The Bocas Lit Fest was packed with opportunities to develop the craft of writing […]
2016 Festival-on-Demand
Missed this year’s NGC Bocas Lit Fest? You can listen to full-length audio recordings via our festival-on-demand page, or follow us on soundcloud so you never miss a Bocas podcast! Listen and enjoy! :divider: 2016 Festival Sessions (full-length) :divider:
One on One with Marlon James: #bocas2016
Standing-room only was an understatement for Marlon James’ April 30th one on one session at #bocas2016: the rafters of the Old Fire Station fairly echoed with the excitement of hearing the 2015 Man Booker Prize winner speak. Would he dispense gold nuggets of literary wisdom from his pan? More than a handful of attendees were […]
CODE’s 2017 Burt Award for Caribbean Literature Open For Submissions
A LITERARY AWARD LIKE NO OTHER! CODE’s 2017 Burt Award for Caribbean Literature is now open for submissions Established by Canadian education NGO CODE with the generous support of the Literary Prizes Foundation and in partnership with the Bocas Lit Fest, CODE’s Burt Award for Caribbean Literature celebrates the literary achievements of Caribbean authors while […]
Seth Sylvester is the 2016 First Citizens National Poetry Slam Champion
In the semi-final round of the First Citizens National Poetry Slam, he stole hearts with his sensational ode to TV presenter Desha Rambajhan, to secure his spot in the final. Then, on Sunday 1 May, he captured imaginations to rise to the top of his cohort of fourteen finalists. He is the 23-year-old first-time finalist […]
Olive Senior wins the 2016 OCM Bocas Prize
Olive Senior, one of the Caribbean’s best-loved writers, has been awarded the 2016 OCM Bocas Prize, for her book of short fiction The Pain Tree. The announcement was greeted with excitement by an audience of fellow writers and other literature lovers, at a packed awards ceremony on the night of Saturday 30 April, in Port […]
Debut novelist Tamika Gibson wins CODE’s 2016 Burt Award for Caribbean Literature
CODE announced the winners of its third annual Burt Award for Caribbean Literature, which recognizes outstanding writing for young adults by Caribbean authors, at the 2016 NGC Bocas Lit Fest in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. Tamika Gibson received the first prize of $10,000 CAD for her first novel, De First Family. Born in Trinidad and […]
14 lines or less . . . calling all bards!
Forsooth! Make haste! As part of our programme of events celebrating the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare, we’re hosting a very special open mic event at Bocas 2016 — and we want you to join in, on Sunday 1 May, 12 to 1 pm. 14 lines is the length of a sonnet, the lyrical […]
Cricket’s Funs and Woes: an upcoming #bocas2016 discussion
As we gear up for the 2016 NGC Bocas Lit Fest, we turn to the importance of a good innings: on life and on the field. Commemorating the 125th anniversary of the Queen’s Park Cricket Club, Bocas is pleased to introduce an April 27th discussion panel, Cricket then, now, and when, devoted to the ins […]
Park & Ride to the Festival: Wed 27th – Fri 29th April
Worried about parking on weekdays in downtown Port of Spain? Park for free in the secure Queen’s Park Savannah Grand Stand, and hop in our Festival shuttle to the National Library. Our free shuttle service will drop/ pick up from right outside the Abercromby Street entrance to the National Library. This shuttle is only available from Wednesday 27 April […]
Douen Islands: Kiskadee
Next weekend, part of the 2016 NGC Bocas Lit Fest pre-festival programme: Douen Islands: Kiskadee Saturday 9 April, 2016, 7 to 9 pm, at Alice Yard (80 Roberts Street, Woodbrook, Port of Spain) A performance event including words, images, movement, and music. Free and open to all! Douen Islands is an ongoing, open collaborative project […]
Announcing the 2016 OCM Bocas Prize shortlist
For the first time in the six-year history of the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, books by women authors have been named as winners of all three genre categories of the Caribbean’s top writers’ award, sponsored by One Caribbean Media. From the longlist of nine books, the Prize judges have chosen Wife, by US […]
The First Citizens National Poetry Slam Finalists
Thirteen poets have qualified for the big final of the 2016 First Citizens National Poetry Slam. It is the Caribbean’s biggest Spoken Word event and the final will take place on Sunday 1 May at The Globe cinema – the closing event of the 2016 NGC Bocas Lit Fest. This is the second year of the National […]
Calling all publishers!
Exclusive Publishing Deals Offered to Caribbean Publishers through the Burt Award Programme CODE’s Burt Award for Caribbean Literature is an annual literary award and readership initiative that aims to provide engaging and culturally-relevant books for young people across the Caribbean. Up to $22,000 CAD in prize money will be awarded to up to three winners, who will be announced on […]
The Return of Victor Questel
When the Trinidadian poet Victor Questel died in 1982, at the tragically young age of 33, it was a major loss not only to his family and friends, but to Caribbean poetry. He left behind a small but acclaimed body of work, and a sense of enormous literary potential only partly fulfilled. With his three […]
The 2016 Courts Bocas Speak Out Intercol winners have been crowned!
The winners of the 2016 Courts Bocas Speak Out Intercol pose with with Nicole Loney-Mills of Courts and Marina Salandy-Brown, founder of the NGC Bocas Lit Fest After an exciting final round, where 17 schools had their best poets giving their all, three girls emerged as T&T’s top youth spoken word performers: 1st Place: Shineque […]
Bocas Swanzy Award to honour publisher Jeremy Poynting
The NGC Bocas Lit Fest has announced that the 2016 recipient of the Bocas Henry Swanzy Award is publisher and editor Jeremy Poynting of UK-based Peepal Tree Press, the leading publishing house focused on contemporary Caribbean writing. The announcement came on 16 March, at the media launch for the 2016 NGC Bocas Lit Fest, Trinidad […]
The Finalists for CODE’s 2016 Burt Award for Caribbean Literature
CODE is proud to announce the finalists for its third annual Burt Award for Caribbean Literature, which recognizes outstanding writing for young adults by Caribbean authors. Six finalists were selected from among 60 submissions of published books and unpublished manuscripts. The 2016 shortlisted titles are: The Demise of the Queen’s College Adventure Club by Imam […]
Announcing the 2016 OCM Bocas Prize longlist
Nine writers, ranging from the celebrated to the newly emerging, have been named on the longlist for the 2016 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, sponsored by One Caribbean Media. The Prize longlist, announced by the judges on 6 March, 2016, includes three genre categories: books of poetry, fiction, and literary non-fiction. The poetry category […]