The popular annual series of Tea and Readings came to a celebratory Christmas close on Saturday 2nd December with readings by six Trinidadian writers.
From memoir to poetry and prizewinning fiction, Paper Based, the Caribbean specialty bookseller, offered something for almost every book-lover and seasonal gift giver.
The 2020 Costa Book of the Year Award winner Monique Roffey, whose novel The Mermaid of Black Conch has been translated into 15 languages and was nominated for eight major awards, brought the curtain down on another year of Paper Based promoting the work of recently published T&T writers to T&T’s reading public.
Ron Harford, former chairman of Republic Bank’s provocatively subtitled memoir Don’t Let the Bastards Grind You Down, or Nil Illegitimi Carborundum, was joined by Troy Hadeed with his My Name is Love, which Hadeed describes not as a memoir but an attempt to show us how we can find the common ground across the things that often separate us.
Much admired poet-musicians Ruth Osman and Paula Obé performed pieces from their respective newly launched collections of powerful poetry, All Made of Longing and Remembering her brown head-tie, both released by Obé under her Bamboo Talk Press publishing house. Accompanying them was prolific young romance writer N.G. Peltier, author of the Island Bites series, of which books one and two, Sweethand and Don’t Go Baking My Heart, have achieved international success..
Teas and Readings has been running for 10 years and according to shop manager, Bianca Peake, the six annual events will continue in 2024 to provide the much-needed opportunity for writers to connect with readers beyond the page. It’s a promise the writers unanimously welcomed as they expressed gratitude to Paper Based for its role in the local bookselling community and for bringing them together.
Signed copies of books and other Caribbean literature for children and adults are available from Paper Based Bookshop at The Writers Centre, home of the NGC Bocas Lit Fest, located at
14 Alcazar Street, St. Clair, Mondays to Saturdays from 10 am to 5 pm. Call 628-3197 or 359-7042 (WhatsApp) or contact [email protected].