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. The day promises to be packed with fun events that will explore creativity, performance and writing.
In 2021, the Bocas Lit Fest (BLF) made history by producing Trinidad and Tobago’s first literary festival for youth. The inaugural launch of the niche literary festival, the NGC Bocas Lit Fest, had 19 participants over eight online events, and included an open mic, author and bookstagrammer interviews, a debate, an award launch and a film screening. It was streamed on Facebook and YouTube and garnered 11,700 views, the most organic Facebook views of any Bocas livestream festival.
This year, programme highlights include Writing my Career, where a cross-section of creatives who use words and stories in their diverse fields, will share advice and insights on using literary skills for personal and professional development; New Forms, which dives into a wide range of creative fields, from TV and movies to comic books and video games to blogging and journalism; Sign Me Up!, a creative sign-making workshop with master Trinidadian sign artist Bruce Cayonne; and ClickBait!, where attendees can learn the art of writing for social media and websites with the 2021 NGC Bocas Youth Writer of the Year award winner Harmony Farrell.
The full-day event which aims to elevate new young voices, will also feature the Big Idea Debate – a Youth Fest favourite – which will be accessible online and is expected to attract viewership from youths across the Caribbean; and Stand and Deliver, an open mic event in partnership with the We Love Network.
The evening will culminate in an Afterparty Backyard Lime, inclusive of creative performances, music, and other interactive networking activities.
NGC is the title sponsor of Trinidad and Tobago’s annual literary festival and the NGC Youth Fest, which was founded with the aim to make literature relevant, appealing and accessible to young people, nationwide.
For more information visit https://www.bocaslitfest.com/youth/