Lady Syntax
Calypsonian Lady Syntax (Elysia Ray) made her Extempo debut in 2016. She has twice been a finalist of the Trinidad and Tobago Extempo Monarch competition, in 2018 and 2020.
Rajiv Ramkhalawan
Rajiv Ramkhalawan, an attorney, was awarded the 2020 Cecile de Jongh Literary Prize by the magazine The Caribbean Writer, and he was previously shortlisted for the Beacon Street Prize and the Perito Prize, both for short fiction, and longlisted for the BCLF Elizabeth Nunez Award for Writers in the Caribbean, and the Fish Short Story […]
Dr. Patricia Saunders
Her latest book Buyers Beware is soon to be launched in Trinidad and Tobago and offers a new perspective for critical inquiries about the practices of consumption in (and of) Caribbean popular culture. The book revisits commonly accepted representations of the Caribbean from “less respectable” segments of popular culture such as dancehall culture and ‘sistah lit’ that […]
Nicolas Sosa
Nicholas Sosa is a poet, administrator, entrepreneur and former Chairman of the Circle of Poets of Trinidad and Tobago. He is one of the original competition judges and in addition to this, has judged many spoken word poetry competitions on both islands. His passion for poetry and the ‘Trinbago’ perspective has morphed into mentoring and […]
Kwame Weekes
Kwame Weekes is a stand-up comedian, social media comedian and a secondary school Social Studies and History teacher. In 2012, Kwameco-founded The Late O’Clock News, a popular satirical news website that re-introduced Trinidad and Tobago to the concept of satirical news. Kwame then went on to found Caricomedy in 2016, a comedy entertainment company produced […]
Anita Chandradath Singh
Anita Chandradath Singh has a longstanding career in many aspects of the arts. Born in India, Trinidad is her home by marriage and she is well-known for her career writing, directing and anchoring several landmark productions on TTT and TV6. Anita is the narrator of the children’s picture book The Most Magnificent by Jeunanne Alkins […]
Neala Bhagwansingh
Neala Bhagwansingh, co-author of children’s book The Most Magnificent, is a writer from Trinidad and Tobago. She was shortlisted for the 2022 Bocas Emerging Writers Fellowship, and her poems and short stories have appeared in The Caribbean Writer, Small Axe and Susumba’s Bookbag. She is an alumna of The Cropper Foundation Caribbean Writers’ Workshop (Trinidad […]
Ana Portnoy Brimmer
Ana Portnoy Brimmer is a poet and organiser from Puerto Rico. She holds a BA and an MA in English Literature from the University of Puerto Rico, and is an alumna of the MFA program in Creative Writing at Rutgers University-Newark. To Love an Island, her debut poetry collection, was originally the winner of YesYes […]
Kleon McPherson
Kleon McPherson, who hails from the beautiful island of Tobago, brings a refreshing and innovative style to spoken word with his intellectual poetic humour and remarkable lyrical speed and word play. His distinctive intonations and delivery make him one of Trinidad and Tobago’s premiere spoken word artists. He continues to captivate audiences across the country […]
Gabrielle Murray
Born and raised in the beautiful little island of Tobago, Gabrielle Murray is one of the island’s rising spoken word poets. This 17-year-old’s mantra to reach for the moon is pinned to the quote “Higher than the highest human thought is God’s ideal for his children”. She is a youth leader at her church, an […]
Dominique Friday
Dominique Friday is an artist from south Trinidad. Upon graduating from the University of the West Indies with a Theatre Arts degree, she has dedicated her time to arts education. Currently, she is a Core Artist of the 2 Cents Movement to foster self-expression and exchange within Trinbagonian youth. She hopes for a brighter and […]
Liseanne Martin-Subero
Liseanne Martin-Subero is the founder and Chief Designer of Phixate Studios, a graphic design company based in San Fernando. Zoe the Fairy’s Discoveries – A trip to Maracas Beach is the first of many projects both authored and illustrated by Liseanne. She aims to highlight places of interest within beautiful Trinidad and Tobago in her […]
Mila Smith
Mila Smith is 11 and the author of This is Mila (2021). Based on her own life, it tells the story of a little girl who struggles to read and write and seeks to encourage others with similar experiences. She runs a baking business, is an avid skateboarder, exceptional artist, and fashionista.
David Ryan
David Ryan is a standard four student at Diego Martin Government Primary School. His short story “A Familiar Prison” won the age 5-8 category of the 2020 NGC Children’s Bocas Lit Fest Dragonzilla Short Story Writing Challenge. He enjoys writing, gaming, and playing the guitar in his leisure time.
Gail Morong
Gail Morong spent 37 years as an educator in both Trinidad and Tobago and Canada. Her main goals are to promote the educational value of the arts and produce culturally relevant resources for learners of all ages. Her children’s book Lost at Carnival isillustrated by Jackie Hinkson and published in 2015.
Orly Marley
Orly Marley is an Israeli-born entrepreneur and music manager. She is the co-author of Little John Crow, with her husband Ziggy Marley.
Ziggy Marley
Ziggy Marley is an eight-time GRAMMY Award winner, Emmy Award winner, author, philanthropist, and reggae icon. He has released thirteen albums to much critical acclaim, and is the author of the children’s books I Love You Too, My Dog Romeo, Music Is in Everything, and Little John Crow (with his wife, Orly Marley).
Josse Franco
Josse Franco is a talented young writer from Trinidad and Tobago. In 2020, his short story “The Big Fight” won the NGC Bocas Lit Fest Dragonzilla’s Short Story Writing Competition in the 9–12 age category.
Josh Hansraj
Josh Raphael Hansraj, age 11, won the 2020 and 2021 NGC Children’s Bocas Lit Fest Dragonzilla Short Story Writing Competition. In 2022, he received a Silver Award for his entry at the Commonwealth Essay Writing Competition. He also plays the keyboard and sings, including calypsoes. He attends the Grant Memorial Presbyterian School in San Fernando.
Aija Jerome
Aija Jerome is the voice narrator of the book How to Become a Calypsonian by Desryn Collins as The Mighty Glen Glen in the 2022 NGC Children’s Bocas Lit Fest. He also featured in short films: as Sheldon in Covid is Christmas, written and directed by Penelope Spencer, and as Junior in Goodbye Pa, written […]
Aaron Duncan
Aaron Duncan is a musical artiste from Trinidad and Tobago. He is a two-time National Junior Soca Monarch winner, five-time National Junior Chutney Soca Monarch winner and a four-time National Junior Calypso Monarch winner. He is also the youngest soca artiste to compete in the International Soca Monarch finals.
Desryn T. A. Collins
Desryn T. A. Collins, the author of How to Become a Calypsonian (HarperCollins) is passionate about the power of books to transform lives and help children discover their own voices. She holds an MA in English from UCL, University of London. This gifted writer was born in Guyana but lives in St John’s, Antigua where […]
Coryn Anaya Clarke
Coryn Anaya Clarke, age 7, is the author of 7 books. Chronicles of Coryn: My First Carnival and Chronicles of Coryn: Adventures in Montserrat are her latest (2023), with Chronicles of Coryn: 7 Days of Fun being her first (2020). Chronicles of Coryn: Adventures in Saint Kitts and Nevis and Chronicles of Coryn: Gratitude Journal […]
Osei Blake
Osei Blake is a young actor from Trinidad and Tobago. He has acted in the Necessary Arts Productions ‘LadyBug Mini Movie’ as Berry The Bee (2021), ‘Nikkiland’ as Raggarmuffin (2019), ‘Social Disorder’ (2019) and ‘Arrest These Merry Gentlemen’ (2018). Osei developed a love for theatre and film early in life, but was inspired further after […]
Naila Baynes
Naila Baynes is a first-time author at the age of seven. Her book Open your Heart encourages readers to experience life and embrace its many possibilities. Naila loves to dance, sing and express herself creatively. She embodies the principles of love and kindness, and wants to use her writing to help make the world a […]
Kai-De Alexis
Kai-De Alexis is a 10-year old poet from Trinidad and Tobago. Her poem appears in the anthology Unyielding Roots: What is your hair story? edited by Kiana Davis, in which she shares her message that “my hair doesn’t make me pretty, I was pretty all along.”
Omar Mohammed
Omar Mohammed is Chief Executive Officer of the Cropper Foundation, after being the Foundation’s Programme Officer in Education for Sustainable Development from 2009 to 2014. During his original tenure at the Foundation, he also coordinated the first Latin American/Caribbean Hub of the Sub-Global Assessment Network, the follow up global programme of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. […]
Ryan Assiu
Ryan Assiu is a sustainable development and climate change specialist by qualification, programme ooordinator by experience, and educator by passion. He is on a journey to discover his authentic professional identity which has seen him prepare technical documents and policies for companies, CSOs and governments throughout the Caribbean. His writings focus on sharing his experiences […]
Gillian Goddard
Pamela Mordecai
Pamela Mordecai has published eight collections of poetry, five children’s books, and a collection of short fiction, Pink Icing. Her debut novel, Red Jacket, was shortlisted for the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Award, one of Canada’s top prizes for literary fiction. A veteran anthologist with several collections to her credit, she has a special interest […]