Papillote Press is delighted to announce the forthcoming publication of two YA novels by winners of the 2017 Burt Award for Caribbean Literature.
The Art of White Roses by Viviana Prado-Núñez is set in Cuba in 1957 and explores what it’s like to witness political and emotional upheaval when you are young and helpless. “In strong, evocative and emotional prose, Viviana tells the story of a girl discovering truths about her family, and her country, that force her to grow in unexpected ways,” said the Burt Award judges. Viviana, the overall winner of the Burt Award for Caribbean Literature, is 19, of Puerto Rican and Cuban heritage and lives in the US where she studies creative writing at Columbia University in NYC. She self-published the novel while she was still in high school.
Trinidadian Lisa Allen-Agostini won third place with Home Home which looks at important and often unspoken themes: mental illness and sexuality. According to the Burt Award judges, “This story of a young woman’s journey to “home home” is a poignant tale for anyone who has ever felt displaced by family, illness or migration, and goes beyond the obvious issues of depression to examine carefully the concepts of home and family.” Lisa is a novelist, journalist and poet, and has been widely published in literary journals. This is her second YA novel.
“Papillote Press is committed to telling our stories in books that are made to be treasured,” says Marina Salandy-Brown, founder and director, Bocas Lit Fest which administers CODE’s Burt Award for Caribbean Literature. “With a rich catalogue of high quality, beautifully designed, compelling reads, this is the perfect publishing home for these two emotionally powerful young adult novels by Caribbean women.”
“We are pleased to honour and support this year’s Burt Award for Caribbean Young Adult Literature authors by facilitating the publication of their books with Caribbean publishers,” says CODE Executive Director Scott Walter. “CODE will purchase and distribute up to 2500 copies of each winning title, which will be donated to schools, libraries, and community organisations across the region. We are thrilled by the prospect of bringing these fantastic stories into the world and connecting them with Caribbean youth.”
Papillote Press is an independent publisher based in London and Dominica and specialises in books about Dominica and the wider Caribbean.