More Than A Literary Festival

Highlights of the 2013 NGC Bocas Lit Fest Programme!

Dear Bocas enthusiasts,

Chances are that you’ve seen the official programme we rolled out yesterday, as part of our media launch: and if you’re as excited as we are, we recommend that you begin prepping your schedule well in advance for maximum literary goodness! This year’s NGC Bocas Lit Fest promises to be chock-full of activities and events, a true whirlwind book lover’s paradise of people to meet and any number of happenings to attend. If you haven’t yet, do stop by our official programme page, where you can find an overview of highlights, as well as a detailed schedule for each day of the festival. Here’s just a cross-section of what you can expect from the 25th to the 28th of April:

MarinaLaunch
Festival director Marina Salandy-Brown at yesterday’s media launch for the 2013 NGC Bocas Lit Fest.
Photo by Maria Nunes, 2013 festival photographer.
  • The Edinburgh World Writers Conference makes its long-awaited stops at the NGC Bocas Lit Fest, bringing together authors from around the globe to engage in pertinent, button-pressing topics on reading and books;
  • A line up of immersive, engaging workshops, for a nominal fee — full list of registration details available on our official workshop tab;
  • The launch of CaribLit, an integrated platform of resources for Caribbean writers, publishers and all members of the conversation on regional reading and writing, the brainchild of the Caribbean Literature Action Group;
  • The New Talent Showcase, which shines a spotlight on some keen literary up and comers;
  • The KFC Children’s Bocas Lit Fest, a veritable festival within the festival itself, a series of readings and interactive sessions devoted to fostering an appreciation for reading and writing in even the youngest bibliophiles amongst us;
  • The second annual NGC Bocas Lecture: this year’s speaker is neuroscientist Professor Ian Robertson, who will elaborate on his paradigm-altering publication, The Winner Effect — How Power Affects Your Brain.
  • A hearty salute to spoken word: The Verses Bocas Poetry Slam, co-hosted by the 2 Cents Movement, wherein the fiercest, freshest voices in spoken word battle it out for cash prizes and glory!
  • Appearances, talks, panels and discussions from a plethora of Caribbean and Caribbean-based writers, as well as special international guests: just a sampler of the list includes Olive Senior; Oonya Kempadoo, Hannah Lowe; Teju Cole; Irvine Welsh; Ian McDonald; Marlon James; Vahni Capildeo — and many others. For a full list of participating authors, have a look at the official participants page.
  • The announcement of the winner of the 2013 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, from our distinguished shortlist, which features the category-winning work of Monique Roffey for fiction (Archipelago); Kendel Hippolyte for poetry (Fault Lines) and Rupert Roopnarine for non-fiction (The Sky’s Wild Noise).
  • The inaugural announcement of the Hollick Arvon Prize winner, an award presented to one emerging Caribbean writer in the interests of helping her/him complete a manuscript in progress, awarded this year for fiction work.

Further details of the 2013 NGC Bocas Lit Fest programme, a full list of participants, and a comprehensive breakdown of information is available right here at www.bocaslitfest.com — so feel free to peruse the site, as well as our frequently-updated Facebook and Twitter pages.

The four-day 2013 NGC Bocas Lit Fest is principally sponsored by The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago, with supporting sponsorship from One Caribbean Media and KFC. Other sponsors include First Citizens, Courts, and Flow.

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