Welcome to the latest installment of the Bocas Book Bulletin, a monthly roundup of Caribbean literary news, curated by the Bocas Lit Fest, Trinidad and Tobago’s annual literary festival, and published in the Sunday Express.
The Disappearers, (Riverhead/Hamish Hamilton), the sixth novel by Marlon James, plunges deep into violent homophobic life in Jamaica of the 1980s. Following the lives—and deaths—of eight gay men rehearsing for a theatrical performance of John Herbert’s Fortune and Men’s Eyes, The Disappearers tracks their individual and intertwined paths to survival. Relentless in its portrayal of systematic brutality, told by a chorus of uncompromising voices, James’ novel is shortlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize.
Dèy (Knopf), the first novel by Haitian-American Edwidge Danticat in over a decade, takes its title from the Haitian Kreyòl word for mourning. Protagonist, successful real estate agent Magnolia, is catapulted into memories of fear and violence in the aftermath of a Miami mall shooting. Brought close to the spectres of her past, Magnolia is forced to contemplate the relationships she holds most dear, and the traumas that have lingered unaddressed—both in her life, and the troubling world beyond.
Asmodeus (Graywolf Press) by Rita Indiana,translated from the Spanish by Achy Obejas, patterns itself symbolically on Grecian tragedy, but contains a fierce, pulsing Dominican heart. Titular Asmodeus, a demon alive for millennia, loses control of Rudy, the formerly famous Dominican rock star he had been inhabiting. In Asmodeus’ urgent quest to recalibrate his power, Indiana weaves a tale by turns hallucinatory and mythological, complete with political intrigue, forays into the occult, and black metal.
Reputation, (Roots and Shoots Publishing) the debut novel by Amanda Coreishy, explores the intensities and complications in a romance between conservatively-raised Asiyah and her significantly older landlord, Cisco. Set in early 2000s Trinidad, Reputation refuses to shy away from the societal consequences meted out to young women who diverge from their preordained paths. Coreishy employs clear, convincing prose to detail a Muslim woman’s journey in desire and devotion, beset but not broken by significant odds.
Human, Still: Strengthening Your Mind for an AI-Shaped Future (One Momentum Publishing) by M. Analise Kandasammy, a Guyanese native based in Trinidad and Tobago, takes a radically distinct proposition from digital pundits proclaiming ultra-reliance on artificial intelligence (AI) models and products. In Human, Still, Kandasammy uses arguments based in neuroscience and economics to prove that the human mind remains our best, most valuable—and supremely self-renewing—asset. The book winningly combines pedagogy with practical applications.
Confidence is Action: Become Your Most Brilliant, Brave, and Bold Self (River Grove Books) by Tricia Conyers doubles as both personal manifesto and inspirational trail guide for empowering women of all ages to access their most confident selves. Conyers, a personal development coach and founder of Inspire Her Coaching, draws on candid first-person accounts of her own path towards self-actualization, the better to connect with and motivate her audience. The book presents The Confidence Wheel, a practical tool for success.
Bocas Tobago comes to Scarborough Public Library
“All Together Now” remains the focus of this year’s Bocas Tobago festival, on Saturday 10 September at Scarborough Public Library, Tobago. Bocas Tobago 2026, the fourth and final in a series of four one-day community literary and cultural festivals across Trinidad and Tobago, is presented by Methanex Trinidad.
Each iteration of the community festivals has focused on celebrating the talents of writers, performers and artistes resident in or hailing from those specific communities. Bocas Tobago will continue in this vein, spotlighting the creative prowess of Tobagonian poets, short story writers, novelists, dramatists, oral storytellers, and academics.
Stand and Deliver, Bocas Lit Fest’s popular open mic showcase, will journey to Tobago, hosted by poet, dramatist, and community advocate Kleon McPherson. Stand and Deliver’s featured reader, Latoyaa Roberts, a poet and novelist who also serves as a communications and development consultant, will read from her body of work. Stand and Deliver offers writers of all genres, ages, and skill levels the chance to share their writing before an encouraging live audience. Registration is open via Bocas Lit Fest’s social media channels.
A Literary Tour of Tobago will feature a quartet of classic and contemporary works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, grounded in Tobago’s culture, history, and memory. Earl Lovelace’s Is Just a Movie, Eric Roach’s The Flowering Rock, Mervyn O’Neil’s An Analytical History of Tobago, and Tobago Writers Guild’s Tobago in Print will be the four books brought to life through readings and reflections.
Tobago-based authors will take centre stage at Bocas Tobago. In a Voices of Tobago panel, moderated by Trinidad and Tobago Writers Guild President Jewel Greene, four Tobagonian authors will read and present from their published books and drafts in progress, and participate in a panel discussion on writers from Tobago whose work resonates with them. The four Voices of Tobago authors are novelist Sarah Dass, poet Jannine Horsford, memoirist Deidre Suzanne Prescod, actor and performer Eric Powder.
Bocas Tobago is free and open to the public.
Kaiso Conversations with Freetown Collective
Bocas Lit Fest’s Kaiso Conversations returns on Tuesday 20 October, 6.30 pm (doors open at 5.30 pm) at the Central Bank Auditorium for its third iteration, featuring Muhammad Muwakil and Lou Lyons of Freetown Collective in a wide-ranging conversation with music critic and writer Nigel A. Campbell about the art of writing calypso lyrics. The event is presented in partnership with the Central Bank Auditorium in celebration of Calypso History Month. All proceeds support the year-round work of the Bocas Lit Fest with writers and readers of all ages. Tickets are available via Island eTickets and at Paper Based Bookshop.
Shelf to Shelf 2 at The Writers Centre
The second instalment of the Bocas Lit Fest’s curated book sale of titles from the collection of Marina Salandy-Brown, Bocas Lit Fest’s founder, will take place on Saturday 31 October, 10 am to 2 pm, at The Writers Centre, 14 Alcazar Street, St. Clair. The collection of books for purchase includes fiction, poetry, history, politics, economics, art, alongside hardcover first editions and out-of-print paperbacks. All proceeds support the year-round work of the Bocas Lit Fest with writers and readers of all ages.
Caribbean Bestsellers
Paper Based Bookshop (Instagram: @paperbasedbookshop) shares its top-selling Caribbean titles for the past month:
1. The Disappearers, by Marlon James
2. Ever Since We Small, by Celeste Mohammed
3. Pleasantview, by Celeste Mohammed
4. Palmyra, by Karen Barrow
5. Merikins: Know Thyself — A Journey into Heritage, Identity, and Legacy in Trinidad, by Shivan Ramraj and Kasala Kamara
