Al Ramsawak
Al Ramsawak has written over 300 children’s stories. He is also an artist, folklorist and recipient of the Media Award 1997 for the best television documentary, the President’s Humming Bird Silver Medal Award 2004 for folklore/culture, and is the story time columnist for the Sunday Guardian newspaper in the Sun Shine children’s magazine
Alexandra Stewart
Alexandra Stewart is a career poet, Teaching Artist and MFA Student, shortlisted for the 2023 NGC Bocas Youth Writer Award. A history maker in the First Citizens National Poetry Slam (8-time finalist, only 3-time Champion, and only consecutive winner) she has stood in the winner’s row for the last 5 years. Alexandra’s passionate performances echo in the hearts of listeners long after she has left the stage.
Alison de la Bastide
Alison de la Bastide has been a passionate educator for 30 years. She has taught at the preschool and primary school level in T&T and abroad. Presently, besides her work with Let’s Read, Alison facilitates teacher education workshops and is a volunteer coordinator at a Servol Junior Life Centre where she works with students 12 to 16 years old, to strengthen their literacy skills.
Andre Burton
Andre Burton is an educator, media producer, tech developer and the creator of CountMeInTT, a digital math challenge designed to help students improve their speed and confidence in multiplication. Through his tutoring practice, A’s Online Tutoring Services, Andre has worked one-on-one with more than ninety students across Trinidad and Tobago, completing over 7,500 hours of mathematics tutoring. Andre created CountMeInTT as a fun, fast-paced way for students to practice multiplication and build confidence in mathematics.
Angelo Bissessarsingh
Angelo Bissessarsingh is a historian from Siparia, Trinidad. He is the founder of the Virtual Museum of Trinidad and Tobago heritage resource, and writes a column titled “Back in Time” for the Trinidad Guardian. His new book is A Walk Back in Times: Snapshots of the History of Trinidad and Tobago.
Audra Smith
Audra Smith is an agricultural development professional with a strong track record in the NGO and water sectors. Since 2017, she has dedicated her career to youth empowerment, agricultural education, and food security.
She currently volunteers with WE HELP YOUth FARM (WHYFARM), a global NGO based in Trinidad and Tobago celebrated for creating AGRIMAN & PhotosyneSista — the world’s first Food and Nutrition Security Superheroes. Her work centers on leveraging storytelling and education to inspire the next generation of food producers.
Throughout her career, Audra has collaborated with prominent regional and international initiatives, including Thought For Food Caribbean and The Global Forum on Agricultural Research and Innovation (GFAR). Alongside her project work, Audra is an experienced host, facilitator, and event judge known for bringing dynamic engagement to youth and community platforms.
Barbara Lalla
Novelist Barbara Lalla is Professor Emerita, Language and Literature at The University of the West Indies, St Augustine. She is the author of five novels, including By Such a Parting Light, published in 2024. Her numerous scholarly works include Postcolonialisms: Caribbean Rereading of Medieval English Discourse, Defining Jamaican Fiction: Marronage and the Discourse of Survival, and the co-authored Language in Exile: Three Hundred Years of Jamaican Creole, Voices in Exile: Jamaican Texts of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries, and Caribbean Literary Discourse: Voice and Cultural Identity in the Anglophone Caribbean.
Celeste Mohammed
Celeste Mohammed is a Trinidadian lawyer-turned-writer. Her debut novel-in-stories Pleasantview (Jacaranda, 2021) won the 2022 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, the 2022 CLMP Firecracker Award for Fiction and was a finalist for the UK Society of Authors McKitterick Prize, and her debut non-fiction book A Different Energy: Women in Caribbean Oil was published in 2023. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University, Cambridge, Massachusetts and she received a 2018 PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers.
Dionne Brand
Dionne Brand is the acclaimed author of twenty-four books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction — most recently Salvage: Readings from the Wreck. Her books have won the Trillium Book Award, the Griffin Poetry Prize, the Toronto Book Award, the 2019 OCM Bocas Prize for Fiction, and the 2021 Windham-Campbell Prize for Fiction, among other awards.
Dr. Ria Bala
Dr. Ria Bala is a family physician by profession and a yogi by heart; both call to her passion for healing. Her interests lie in therapeutic yoga, longevity, functional, and mind-body medicine, where she focuses on health in all aspects of the individual: mind, body, and spirit. She graduated with honors at her Bachelors of Medicine and Bachelors of Surgery and has a Doctor of Medicine in Family Medicine. She holds a Diploma in Counselling Children and Adolescents with Distinction. She is also a certified Reiki Master and Spiritual Research Therapy Practitioner. She is the co-founder of Sri Yantra Yoga Studio, along with her sister Riann.
Dr. Riann Bala
Dr. Riann Bala is a general practitioner by profession. She is currently enjoying life as a certified yoga instructor, general practitioner, and aunt. She graduated from the University of the West Indies with her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS). She has her Yoga 200H certification and teaches Vinyasa, Yin Yoga, and Kids Yoga. Her fun and creative spirit has fueled every aspect of her life, including creating thriving projects with her sister such as their clinic, yoga studio and children’s books.
Dushala Mistry
Dushala Mistry is a pharmacist with a lifelong love for reading and the adventures that unfold within a good book. Karina Maharaj is a Trinidadian-born, US-raised artist and children’s book illustrator. Together, these two friends have published a children’s book that is a celebration of imagination and bravery.
Hadassah K. Williams
Hadassah K. Williams is a writer from Trinidad and Tobago, and the winner of the first BCLF Elizabeth Nunez Award for Writers in the Caribbean. A mentee of Earl Lovelace and Monique Roffey, she is currently working on her first novel and her work can be found in Moko Magazine and Interviewing the Caribbean. Her story “Cascadura” was published in New Worlds, Old Ways, edited by Karen Lord, in 2016, and in 2018 her story “Nerves” was shortlisted for the Cosmonauts Avenue Fiction Prize. In 2019 she was awarded a scholarship to attend the Faber and Faber Academy.
Haylee Ramdath
Haylee Ramdath is a twelve year old Trinbagonian girl who lives with her parents, her dogs and Teddy. She loves to read, play music, ride her bike and shoot arrows at the archery range. Haylee is fond of writing; she enjoys immersing herself in a world that she has created. Writing helped Haylee escape difficult situations, and she loved to drown herself in her stories to feel like she was connected with her characters.
Jamie J. Philbert
Interdisciplinary Artist-Scholar, Educator, Writer, Movement Architect and Stick Fighter, Jamie J. Philbert weaves ancestral knowledge into contemporary performance frameworks that support artistic integrity. She is the founder of Philbert-Kalinda Technique (P.K.T), a multi-modal arts practice co-created with two elders of the sacred martial tradition of Kalinda, Rondel Benjamin and now ancestor, King David Matthew Brown. Her debut writing collection, ‘DRAFTS’ (2026), features poetry, prose, provisions, photography and mixed media artwork. Jamie’s artistic and scholarly contributions span across the U.S., U.K., Ghana, Brazil, Norway, Ireland, and the Caribbean. She currently serves as Artistic Director of Art On Purpose and Pointer and Queen of Bois Academy of Trinidad and Tobago.
Karina Maharaj
Dushala Mistry is a pharmacist with a lifelong love for reading and the adventures that unfold within a good book. Karina Maharaj is a Trinidadian-born, US-raised artist and children’s book illustrator. Together, these two friends have published a children’s book that is a celebration of imagination and bravery.
Khrystal Wilson
Khrystal Wilson is a distinguished Communications professional whose mission is to serve her communities, nation and humankind with a heart, empathy and truth. Her dedication to her profession has fuelled her endeavours in the field of journalism, where she amassed over twenty years’ experience in the local media in the areas of print, radio, television, and digital journalism.
Renowned for her dedication, versatility, and storytelling, she has made a profound impact on the national media landscape. She has served in various on-camera capacities — anchor, field reporter, and program host — across major local television networks. Beyond being in front of the camera, she has produced and directed multiple TV segments and specials; her behind-the-scenes work includes scripting, story development, and coordinating production logistics. She was instrumental in creating flagship programming and her vision has helped nurture new formats and platforms, often championing Trinidad and Tobago’s culture and public issues. Her byline in the past appeared regularly in prominent newspaper publications, where she wrote compelling features, pieces that explored politics, and human-interest stories. With roles in planning editions, editing submissions, and curating content, she has shaped the editorial voice of several television programs and newspapers. Her mentorship has also groomed up-and-coming writers and journalists.
With her recent exit from the local media industry at TTT Limited, where she spent two years leading the team in her role as Head of News and Current Affairs, Khrystal is now embarking on establishing a Communications consultancy with primary focus on Crisis Communications, which she sees as crucial for managing the impact of unexpected events, protecting reputations, and maintaining stakeholder trust. She firmly believes that controlling the narrative is key as a means of mitigating misinformation and ensuring public safety and trust during challenging times.
Lance Dowrich
Lance Dowrich won the 2016 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for the Caribbean with “Ethelbert and the Free Cheese”. His two books to date have been published by Notion Press of Chennai, India. These are: A Plethora of Dead Ends (July 2021) and Long Rope for Magga Goat (March 2026). His story from 2016 was part of The ImagiNation Project, published in South Africa, (2019). He has participated in the Dibrugarh University International Literary Festival, India, in March 2024; Bocas Lit Fest, Trinidad and Tobago, in 2016, 2017, and 2023; and the Calabash Literary Festival, Jamaica, in 2016.
Let’s Read TT
Suzette Cadiz has been an educator for 39 years. She opened and operated a Montessori school in the 1970s after graduating from the Association Montessori Internationale London, and then went on to teach for over two decades at a primary school. In 2010, she co-founded Let’s Read, and continues to advocate for increased literacy throughout Trinidad and Tobago.
Alison de la Bastide has been a passionate educator for 31 years. She has taught at the preschool and primary school level in T&T and abroad. Presently, besides her work with Let’s Read, Alison facilitates teacher education workshops and is a volunteer coordinator at a Servol Junior Life Centre where she works with students 12 to 16 years old, to strengthen their literacy skills.
Marielle Forbes
Marielle Forbes is the Hospitality and General Manager at Bocas Lit Fest. She is a Project Developer and Arts Administrator, with experience in the fields of hospitality, event and project management, carnival arts production and creative industry support. She has held creative stewardships under well-established Trinidadian arts practitioners, including fashion designers, dance choreographers and film and theatre directors.
Michael Anthony
Michael Anthony is an eminent Caribbean author and historian from Mayaro. He has had over 30 titles published in the form of novels, short stories and travelogues, including The Year in San Fernando, which was assigned as an English Literature text book in the Trinidad and Tobago curriculum. In 1979 he was awarded the Hummingbird Gold Medal for his contribution to literature, in 2003 he received an honorary doctorate from the University of the West Indies, and in 2012 was awarded a NALIS Lifetime Literary Award. His latest book is The Lamplighter.
Michelle Govia
Michelle Govia has over twenty (20) years’ experience working with children from ages one to teenage years. She has worked at Disney Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises and Beaches Resort in their Children’s Camps, a private school in Ontario, Canada and was the owner of a children’s playgroup in Trinidad. At both Disney Cruise Lines and Beaches, she trained new crew and staff. Safety is a very important aspect of any job. Michelle’s work experience with children has helped her incorporate her knowledge into this Safety Awareness for Children book. Her aim is to keep this safety book simple and hands-on for children to understand and remain engaged.
Mikhaela Browne
Mikhaela Browne is a 15 year old child rights ambassador, author and national youth awardee (Environmental Sustainability and Preservation). She loves art and uses her art to advocate for issues such as children’s rights and the environment.
In 2024, she produced Simon Needs A Shelter, a child rights story. Captain Child Rights rescues Simon from the streets where he was deprived of his basic rights to food and shelter. Together, Mikhaela and Captain Child Rights (puppet) have been educating children about their rights through social media.
Motilal Boodoosingh
Motilal Boodoosingh is a short story writer. His stories have been published in several Caribbean magazines, and he has also published two volumes of short stories.
Rajandaye Ramkissoon-Chen
Randy Ablack
Randy Ablack is a fifty-six-year-old Trinidadian writer. He started writing poetry as a teenager and later became interested in playwriting. He has done playwriting workshops with Raymond Ramcharitar and, most notably, “Festival Arts as Cultural Performance” with the late Professor Tony Hall. This resulted in the production of his short play The Same Ol’ Mas by the Trinidad Theatre Workshop and the radio play The Serpents Mouth by NDATT. These plays address social concerns, namely Trinidad and Tobago’s 1990 attempted coup and police corruption. Ablack then successfully pursued a degree in Literature and Communications which resulted in him entering UWI’s Creative Writing MFA programme. Concurrent with his academic pursuits, he worked for twenty-eight years in the Pointe-à-Pierre refinery, which provided much material for his upcoming anthology about its demise, The Concrete Jungle Book. Ablack believes that the writing process is a search for meaning and an opportunity to examine your life.
Richard Charan
Richard Charan has had a 25-year career in journalism and is employed as the multimedia editor with Caribbean Communications Network, the parent company of the Express and TV6. Charan’s writing has earned him multiple awards, including the MATT/RBTT media award for excellence in journalism, and then a PAHO award for feature/investigative writing. Last year, Charan won several CBU media awards for news and investigative writing. He is also the author of The Histtory Project, a long-running series in the Express newspaper. He has since collaborated with Ian Randle Publishers Limited out of Jamaica to publish the book titled The Village of One. Charan is also co-authoring a biography on one of Trinidad’s famed artists, and is also working on two non-fiction novels.
Ryan Bachoo
Ryan Bachoo has been a multimedia journalist for the past 15 years, covering numerous topics including news and current affairs, politics, sport, and climate change. As a presenter, he has also hosted several programmes, including anchoring the primetime news and the morning show. In 2023, he copped the Caribbean Broadcasting Union’s Best Caribbean Documentary Award for his production of Concordat. He has also been Editor of the Year for the last two years at Guardian Media where he works. In 2025, he published his debut novel, An Unending Search. The novel reflects Bachoo’s deep appreciation for West Indian literature and his commitment to preserving Caribbean storytelling traditions. His aim is to re-energise West Indian storytelling and inspire the young generation to not only read but write Caribbean literature.