Deadline for 2023 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature submissions
The deadline for 2023 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature submissions is quickly approaching! It’s our final call for books of fiction, poetry, and literary non-fiction by Caribbean authors published in the calendar year 2022. Find full eligibility and submission guidelines at www.bocaslitfest.com/awards/ocm
4 Youth Writers Shortlisted For Bocas Award
Four young writers have been shortlisted from thirty nominations for the 2022 NGC Bocas Youth Writer Award. The inter-genre literary accolade, which was launched in 2021, targets young writers of local birth or citizenship, age 25 and under. Last year, blogger Harmony Farrell copped the inaugural prize. This year, the four writers in the line-up for […]
Our 2022 favourites — a gift for you!
2022’s been a busy year for us at the Bocas Lit Fest, full of readings and performances, prizes and workshops, thrilling new books, stimulating conversations with writers, our first-ever Bocas UK Tour, programmes for readers and writers of all ages, and so much more. As the year draws to a close, all of us on […]
100 Caribbean Books podcast: Desiree Seebaran on Zong!
The groundbreaking poetry collection Zong! by T&T-born M. NourbeSe Philip is the subject of the latest episode of the NGC Bocas Lit Fest’s 100 Caribbean Books That Made Us podcast. First published in 2008, Zong! addresses the brutal realities of the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans, through a notorious massacre that happened in the late […]
T&T Writer Wins Book Prize
The Whisperer’s Warning: Secrets of Oscuros by Danielle Y.C. McClean has won the 2022 Bocas Lit Fest Children’s Book Prize. The Trinidad-born author, translator, interpreter, and teacher currently living in the US takes home a US$1,000 prize. This achievement follows the success of her YA novel The Protectors’ Pledge, named among the top three in […]
NGC Bocas Youth Fest 2022 Schedule is Live!
Our Schedule is now LIVE! Download the programme, browse our sponsored opportunities and join us at NGC BOCAS YOUTH FEST 2022 on Saturday 19th November 2022! NGC BOCAS YOUTH FEST is a celebration of literary arts and youth in Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean region. In 2021 NGC and the Bocas Lit Fest […]
NGC Bocas Youth Fest Return
The NGC Bocas Youth Fest will host the youth edition of its annual literary festival on 19 November in its first-ever, in-person celebration. The free event targets young people ages 12- 25 and will be held at the home of the Bocas Lit Fest, The Writers’ Centre in Port of Spain from 11am – 11pm. […]
Call for Volunteers!
We’re hosting the first-ever in-person NGC BOCAS YOUTH FESTIVAL on Saturday 19th November and we’re so pumped! JOIN OUR VOLUNTEER TEAM! Gain experience in festival + event management and lots more! To sign up email us at [email protected]. Deadline date: November 15, 2022 Powered by @ngc_tt ️ #ngcbocasyouthfest2022 #bocas2022
Stand and Deliver Open Mic!
Are you a Spoken Word Poet, Singer, Musician, Dancer, or Artist? Come through! Our signature open mic event is back! Saturday 19th, November 2022 5:00 p.m. Sign up via the form below. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE. Powered by @ngc_tt ️ #ngcbocasyouthfest2022 #bocas2022
Four Vie For Children’s Book Prize
Three local and one Jamaican writer are now vying for the 2022 Children’s Book Prize. The winner will be named at the end of November and is set to receive a cash prize of US$1,000, courtesy the Wainwright family. The shortlisted authors’ books are the ones that most inspire young readers to love reading and […]
Six books make Children’s Book Prize
Six Caribbean writers have been longlisted for the annual Bocas Children’s Book Prize with stories of Caribbean mythology and adventures and confrontation of contemporary issues facing today’s young people. Now in its second year and sponsored by the Wainwright family, five of the books for the 2022 prize are by writers from Trinidad and Tobago, […]
The Frequency of Magic comes to life online
Anthony Joseph brings his novel The Frequency of Magic to life online through musical performance, with a series of 100 daily podcast episodes premiering on Tuesday 25 October.
100 Caribbean Books podcast: Vashti Bowlah on Ways of Sunlight
The latest episode of the NGC Bocas Lit Fest’s 100 Caribbean Books That Made Us podcast shines a spotlight on the late, beloved writer Samuel Selvon and his popular book Ways of Sunlight. T&T writer Vashti Bowlah — the author of Under the Peepal Tree and Sugarcane Valley — considers Selvon’s beloved short story collection, […]
ALEXANDRA STEWART IS THE 2022 FIRST CITIZENS NATIONAL POETRY SLAM WINNER.
Proving she has the winning formula, Stewart again made history copping the Grand Slam title for a third time after successfully defending her 2019 title in 2020. She is the only poet to win the Slam three times. Performing before the defending 2021 Slam Champion, Derron Sandy, dressed as the Little Red Riding Hood, Stewart executed […]
Bocas launches UK tour
Two dozen Caribbean and diaspora writers will be in the spotlight as the NGC Bocas Lit Fest launches its first ever British tour. Visiting five cities across the UK between 26 October and 3 November, the Bocas UK Tour 2022 will feature outstanding authors of all genres, including a slew of recent prizewinners. Since its […]
First Citizens National Poetry Slam Finals Returns to The Stage!
You’ve been asking! You’ve been waiting! And here it is! #plottwist WE HEAD TO THE SOUTHLAND! Date: October 9 Time: 7pm — Doors open at 6 pm Cost: $200 PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE Go to ticket page IN PERSON Paper Based Bookshop (cash only) The Hotel Normandie, St. Ann’s & The Naparima Bowl Office (cash only) […]
2023 OCM BOCAS PRIZE OPENS FOR submissions
The region’s most coveted literary award, the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, is now open for entries. Sponsored by One Caribbean Media in Trinidad and Tobago, the prize has been awarded annually since 2011. It includes a cash award of US$10,000 for the overall winner, and US$3,000 each for two genre category winners. The […]
Bocas launches “Season of Independence”
As Trinidad and Tobago marks its 60th anniversary of Independence, the NGC Bocas Lit Fest joins in commemorating the historic milestone with a special online programme of literary and performance events. This month-long programme will run from Independence Day on 31 August to Republic Day on 24 September — a “Season of Independence” that brings […]
100 Caribbean Books podcast: Kevin Jared Hosein on No Pain Like This Body
Just in time for the upcoming celebrations of Trinidad and Tobago’s 60th anniversary of Independence, a new podcast series from the NGC Bocas Lit Fest explores the country’s rich literary heritage. Launched on Friday 15 July, the 100 Caribbean Books That Made Us podcast explores how iconic, classic books of past decades have influenced and […]
Remembering George Lamming on Caribbean Literature Day
First commemorated in 2020, at the proposal of the organisers of the St. Martin Book Fair, Caribbean Literature Day on 12 July is an occasion to celebrate Caribbean books and writers, and reflect on our region’s extraordinarily rich literary heritage, in multiple languages. Last month, Caribbean readers and writers mourned the death of the iconic […]
20 POETS MAKE NATIONAL SLAM CUT
THE 2022 FIRST CITIZENS NATIONAL POETRY SLAM COMPETITION is into the second round stage of its 10th consecutive year and 20 top performers are through to the semi-finals. Eighty hopefuls stepped up to the virtual Slamiversary audition stage hosted by five open mic event organizers to deliver a repertoire of charismatic, thought-provoking, riveting and animated […]
WRITE AWAY! MAKES LEARNING FUN
Write Away!, the secondary schools creative writing project produced by the Bocas Lit Fest and sponsored by the Scotiabank Foundation is warmly welcomed by students, teachers and the Ministry of Education. On Friday 24 June, Dr. the Honourable Nyan Gadsby-Dolly received a small box containing the unique digital learning tools for English Literature students […]
NGC Bocas Lit Fest: Best Social Investment Project Award 2022
NGC Bocas Lit fest has earned yet another accolade. This time the festival has been awarded Best Social Investment Project by the Energy Chamber’s Annual Award Programme. The announcement was made at the recently concluded 2022 Trinidad and Tobago Energy Conference (TTEC). NGC has been a sponsor of Bocas Lit Fest since its inception in […]
Calling all spoken word poets!
🔊Calling all spoken word poets 🔊 It’s YOUR time to audition for the First Citizens National Poetry Slam 2022! It’s the competition’s 10th anniversary and we’re celebrating A Season of Change! Book your spot and audition via Zoom before a panel of live judges. 🗓️ 5 dates📡5 virtual open mic sessions🎙️In partnership with 5 dynamic […]
First Citizens National Poetry Slam 2022
*whispers* Hey, come closer… we’ve never done this before and you didn’t hear this from us but…The First CitizensNational Poetry Slam – Trinidad and Tobago Competition 2022 is coming… soon AND it’s our 10th Anniversary! Don’t stick on this heads up. SHARE the news with everyone, because this year is going to be HUGE and […]
Kevin jared hosein’s publishing journey: a tale for all caribbean writers!
Trinidadian author Kevin Jared Hosein recently pinned an enlightening and entertaining post to his personal Facebook page, where he chronicles more than a decade of writing and submitting to prizes, anthologies, agents and publishers before landing a “big” publishing deal in 2021. Like all good stories, this tale takes many unexpected turns – make sure […]
Author Celeste Mohammed wins 2022 OCM Bocas Prize
A debut novel described by the judges as “rollicking, enjoyable, and at times incredibly moving” has been named the outstanding Caribbean book of the past year. Pleasantview, the first book by Trinidad and Tobago’s Celeste Mohammed, is the winner of the overall 2022 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, which comes with a cash award […]
The 2022 NGC Children’s Bocas Lit Fest Presents Bocas Storytime on Youtube
After eleven years of offering lively, innovative events and programmes for young readers, the NGC Children’s Bocas Lit Fest has launched an exciting new resource — Bocas Storytime, a dedicated YouTube channel for viewers aged 12 and under. Bocas Storytime promises a diverse range of videos available on demand — read-alouds, animations, storytelling, and fun […]
Bocas 2022 spotlights C.L.R. James’s legacy of change
To invoke C.L.R. James is to excite thought and vision, enliven ambition, and inspire change. Historian, author, revolutionary, luminary — James’s influence extends to spheres of social, historical, and political theory and practice. And he will be in the spotlight at the 2022 NGC Bocas Lit Fest, Four Days to Change the World. “James’s work […]
Download our 2022 festival guide!
The NGC Bocas Lit Fest’s 2022 festival guide is now available as a free download! You’ll find all the details you need about our Four Days to Change the World in one convenient PDF: the full schedule of events, bios of all our 2022 authors and speakers, plus information about our children’s festival, the winners […]