Bocas Academy, the Bocas Lit Fest’s comprehensive learning resource hub, returns this month with a new term of opportunities geared towards writers at every skill level.
On September 27, in a virtual session conducted via Zoom, participants will learn about Writing from the Archive with award-winning journalist, researcher, and novelist Debbie Jacob. The session is targeted specifically to those whose writing projects incorporate tangible aspects of their own family histories, such as archival documents, informal genealogies, and handwritten diaries. Jacob, a 2022 Chaconia Gold Medal recipient, will also conduct writing exercises tailored to those writing in response to public archives and nationally accessible historical documents.
Writers of science fiction and fantasy in both fiction and poetry genres will receive special focus in a Speculative Writing Masterclass with Brandon O’Brien on October 4 and 11. Titled Reimagining the Future Through Speculative Writing, the masterclass is geared to envision the multiple ways in which our future could be radically different. O’Brien, Poet Laureate of the 2025 World Science Fiction Convention, will present attendees with writing prompts, guided exercises, and intuitive feedback.
“Writing in this genre gifts us the uncanny ability to project the deep concerns of the present into clarion calls towards future revolutions,” says O’Brien of the far-ranging possibilities for work that can be generated during the course.
Performing one’s written work in a public arena can be a daunting prospect. November’s Bocas Academy offering, a Page to Stage workshop co-led by Patti-Anne Ali and Nickolai Salcedo, is designed to bridge the gaps between page-based creative writing and its stage-oriented counterpart.
On November 8 at The Writers Centre, 14 Alcazar Street, St Clair, Ali and Salcedo will shepherd participants through performance do’s and don’ts, equipping them with stage awareness, and tried and tested techniques for cultivating an assured stage presence. This session is also open to spoken word enthusiasts, and may prove useful to those planning to try their talents at next year’s First Citizens National Poetry Slam auditions.
“A passionate, lifelong love of learning is at the heart of the Bocas Academy,” says Shivanee Ramlochan, Bocas Lit Fest’s festival and programme manager. “All our course offerings to date, addressing as many permutations of writing craft and technique as possible, are made to further develop that passion. We look forward to return participants, and to brand-new attendees. Our goal is to help enable multiple generations of Caribbean writers, as well as fans of Caribbean literature, to do their work well, in a supportive and consistent environment.”
The first quarter of Bocas Academy 2026 sessions will be previewed in November.
Participants in the Bocas Academy will also have access to free resource kits, alumni events, and certificates of completion.
For more info and to register, visit www.academy.bocaslitfest.com or e-mail [email protected].
