Ranging from debut authors to already celebrated prizewinners, nine writers have been longlisted for the 2023 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, sponsored by One Caribbean Media, owner of the Trinidad and Tobago Express newspaper, TV6, and the OCM radio network. Now in its 13th year, the OCM Bocas Prize is considered the most coveted
The 2023 First Citizens National Poetry Slam has moved into the semi-final round, with 30 poets making the cut. The 3-day hybrid auditions showcased performers of all ages, including veterans, past winners, and newcomers, and was streamed live on the National Poetry Slam’s Facebook page and the Bocas Lit Fest’s YouTube channel. 72 hopefuls auditioned
The 2023 instalment of the First Citizens National Poetry Slam is set to begin just after Carnival. With auditions kicking off on Friday 24 February, the hotly contested annual spoken word championship has returned to its traditional pre-COVID schedule, leading up to the annual NGC Bocas Lit Fest, running from 28 to 30 April. The
Juan Anibal Barria After almost five years, we say goodbye to Port of Spain. My wife Maria Angelica and I have been tremendously happy in TT and, though we return soon to Chile, we do so with sadness. We have discovered a fascinating country blessed with its geography, its traditions, and its cultural diversity. Every
Like so many others in the world of Caribbean letters, the Bocas Lit Fest team are shocked and deeply saddened at the death of Gordon Rohlehr (1942–2023), literary scholar, cultural commentator, intellectual mentor, and emeritus professor at the University of the West Indies. He was a beloved teacher and a public intellectual in the best
NGC’s Dragonzilla’s Short Story Challenge My Covid Stories Story Book 10 is the latest addition to a series of illustrated children’s books written by children aged 5 to 12 on the NGC Bocas Children’s Storytelling Caravan launched in 2011. Since then Bocas Lit Fest (BLF) has worked with hundreds of children throughout Trinidad and Tobago
The National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS) has received a donation of chapbooks co-written by 14 students who participated in Bocas Lit Fest’s We Lit programme, funded by the JB Fernandes Memorial Trust. The presentation was made to the Manager of Corporate Communications at NALIS, Debbie Goodman, at a chapbook launch ceremony on 14
A monthly round-up of news about Caribbean books and writers, presented by the NGC Bocas Lit Fest Welcome to the latest instalment of the Bocas Book Bulletin, a monthly round-up of Caribbean literary news, curated by the NGC Bocas Lit Fest, Trinidad and Tobago’s annual literary festival. 2023 publishing preview Caribbean books continue to be
Rashad Hosein has won the 2022 NGC Bocas Youth Writer Award, which comes with a cash prize of TT $5,000, sponsored by the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited. The announcement was made on Saturday 7 January at an award ceremony honouring the young finalists for the award, hosted at The Writer’s Centre
The deadline for 2023 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature submissions is quickly approaching! It’s our final call for books of fiction, poetry, and literary non-fiction by Caribbean authors published in the calendar year 2022. Find full eligibility and submission guidelines at www.bocaslitfest.com/awards/ocm
