New and aspiring writers are invited to take advantage of ten free workshops led by award-winning and acclaimed Caribbean writers at CARIFESTA XIV.
The sustenance of a strong literary tradition relies heavily on the ongoing investment in actual reader and writer development. As part of the literary programme curated by the NGC Bocas Lit Fest in collaboration with the National Library for CARIFESTA XIV, a mix of free masterclasses and workshops with some of the region’s best talent will be on offer from August 17 to 24 at the National Library (NALIS) Port of Spain and the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts (SAPA) in San Fernando.
OCM Bocas Prize-winners Kevin Adonis Browne (2019) and St Lucian poet Vladimir Lucien (2015), along with 2018 First Citizens National Poetry Slam champion Deneka Thomas will give rare masterclasses. Workshops in biography, fiction, eroticism, non-fiction and inter-disciplinary approaches to writing will also be facilitated at NALIS by UK-based, TT author Anthony Joseph, Barbadian author Robert Edison Sandiford, Technology journalist Mark Lyndersay and author Andre Bagoo.
Those absolutely new to writing have been specially considered with two workshops specifically tailored to present the basics for getting started. Led by UWI lecturer Muli Amaye, one will be held at SAPA and the other at NALIS, Port of Spain.
The “Preparation for Publication” workshop will round off the training component of the festival’s literary programme. Conducted by teacher and author Debbie Jacob with Jamaican publishing stalwart Ian Randle, this session will take place at SAPA.
All NALIS workshops will run from 10am-1pm. Both SAPA workshops will take place on Saturday 17 August. Early registration is necessary for limited spaces. Go here to register and to see the schedule of literary events in Carifesta XIV.
“CARIFESTA is a fantastic opportunity to engage extended audiences in Caribbean literature. As with the annual literary festival, whilst we find ways to celebrate great writing, it’s essential we invest in emerging talent to grow the pool of future accomplished writers. That’s the only way to ensure we have more literary stars to shine 20 years on”, says Bocas Lit Fest founder/director Marina Salandy-Brown.
Literature is just one element of the multifaceted 14th Carifesta. See www.carifesta.net/events-2019 for more information.