As we collated the books named during our 100 Caribbean Books that Made Us campaign on social media, we noticed the same book titles popped up quite often. Although this list isn’t and will not become a competition, we kept tabs on each title to see which were named most often and to see what
Bios & Bookmarks, the NGC Bocas Lit Fest’s Online Reading Series featuring Caribbean authors, is back for a second season on Sunday 9 August. Season 2 of Bios & Bookmarks will be livestreamed on Facebook every Sunday between 9 August and 13 September at 3pm. Kicking off this season’s cast of admired authors is Barbadian
When we asked you to name your favourite books during our 100 Caribbean Books That Made Us campaign, we left the definition of Caribbean up to you. It’s been a joy to sift through the recommendations of 100+ beloved books and find the rich themes that try to articulate “Caribbeanness”, including geographic location. From Franz
The NGC Bocas Lit Fest is set to recognise 30 years since the attempted coup d’état by featuring the newly published, second edition of broadcaster Dennis McComie’s personal account of the 1990 insurrection. On Monday 27 July 2020, marking three decades to the date since the violent takeover of the TT Parliament and national broadcaster
The much-anticipated 2021 Johnson and Amoy Achong Caribbean Writers Prize is open for submissions in the poetry genre. This is the third round of the pan-Caribbean developmental award for emerging writers. The Johnson and Amoy Achong Caribbean Writers Prize, managed by The Bocas Lit Fest in Trinidad and Tobago and Arvon in the UK, is an
Three and a half months after the COVID-19 pandemic was officially declared, some of us are still under strict quarantine, others have begun to emerge cautiously. And it’s clear our world won’t ever be the same. Many of us continue to turn to poems and stories, art, music, and film, for comfort and inspiration as
Earlier this year, we asked the question: what makes an unforgettable Caribbean read? Which books have meant the most to you, from childhood to your adult life? Since then, hundreds of readers have commented on social media to tell us about the Caribbean books that hold pride of place on their bookshelves and their hearts.
How we remember: reflections on the 175th anniversary of Indian Arrival Day in Trinidad and Tobago is a discussion hosted by the NGC Bocas Lit Fest, premiering online on 6 June, 2020, and featuring writers Andre Bagoo, Gaiutra Bahadur, and Gabrielle Hosein alongside publisher Jeremy Poynting, with moderators Shivanee Ramlochan and Nicholas Laughlin. During this
We’re delighted to share the second monthly installment of the NGC Bocas Lit Fest’s Survival Kit, a curated package of literature, music, and art to inspire and soothe you in these unnerving times. Here you’ll find doses of humour and beauty, stories of resilience and wonder, to stimulate, console, and even provoke. Our second
We’ve launched our online writer development programme, with a range of free and paid opportunities for writers at all levels and based anywhere in the world! We start off with The Writers Lab, a series of one-on-one online sessions facilitated by leading writers. The first edition is for Caribbean Non-Fiction with award-winning writer Kevin
Even as we celebrate the legendary music and poetry of Shake Keane at the 2021 NGC Bocas Lit Fest, we are cognizant that his haunting words from Volcano Suite in 1979 are accurate descriptions for the current situation in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The recent and ongoing eruptions of La Soufrière volcano on the
The 2021 NGC Bocas Lit Fest programme is live! Happening from April 23rd – 25th, all free, no registration required! A virtual literary walking tour; The 100 Caribbean Books That Made Us; our signature Big Ideas discussion; a robust activity-packed children’s programme; award-winning and emerging writers from across the Caribbean and its diaspora; the announcement of
The judges for the 2021 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature have announced the winners in the three genre categories: poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. The genre category winners, by authors from three different Caribbean territories, will now enter the final round of judging, vying for the overall award of US$10,000. Internationally recognised as the leading literary award
We want to hear from you – come be a part of our 2021 Extempo Debate! Like last year, we’re entirely virtual and would love to include your topics for master calypsonians Black Sage and Brian London to debate, in inimitable Extempo style! Send in a prompt / topic by email, and be included in our pre-recorded
If you have a particular question or query, please email info@bocaslitfest.com, or call us at (868) 222-7099 – if we don’t answer, please leave a message and we’ll get right back to you.
