Caribbean Literary Resources

DISCLAIMER: By definition, you’ll be linking to third party sites from these Links-We-Love pages. Linked sites are not, however, reviewed or controlled by Wadadli Pen (the blog, the Wadadli Youth Pen Prize nor coordinator/blogger Joanne C. Hillhouse); and Wadadli Pen (the blog, the Wadadli Youth Pen Prize and coordinator/blogger Joanne C. Hillhouse) disclaims any responsibility or liability relating to any linked sites and does not assume any responsibility for their contents. In other words, enter at your own risk.

Now, in no particular order…

Caribbean Literary Action Group is self-described as ”a working group of Caribbean writers, publishers, academics, festival coordinators and other persons from the literary sphere, with a shared interest in promoting Caribbean writing and publishing…(and the site is a) central resource for writers and publishers to gain information on publishing, marketing, distribution and bookselling in the Caribbean and to share their expertise and best practices.”

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Caribbean Intelligence appears to be a news site but they also run a writing contest which is what caught our eye.

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New finds, a Caribbean Civilization Tumblr and a site on the Legacies of British Slave Ownership.

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Papillotte Press, publisher of works by and about Dominicans.

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The group behind the lively Caribbean Adventure Series, Caribbean Reads.

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With thanks to her for her generousity to our programme, we must add Diane Browne’s Blog which is a good fit actually with its focus on Caribbean Children’s Literature. At this writing, she has a totally unsolicited featured post on Wadadli Pen.

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Groundation Grenada – a Collective developed by Malaika Brooks-Smith-Lowe and Richie Maitland to share the vision that Grenadian Society is fertile for positive change, requiring simply the necessary seeds and by extension the seed sowers.

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Anansesem has compiled picture galleries of children and young adult books country by country. The lists are incomplete but you may find something as I did that you didn’t know about. Here’s the Antigua and Barbuda list.

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Facebook page for Womanspeak, a journal of literature and art by Caribbean women

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Susumba regularly has news and interviews on not only literary events and talent but anything to with the cultural arts (with an emphasis on Jamaica).

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The Spaces Between Words: Conversations with Writers… and Caribbean Writers in particular. I may have posted this link already somewhere else on the site (it’s hard to keep up sometimes) but it’s worth sharing twice as it includes readings and audio interviews with some of the best on the contemporary Caribbean literary scene (Nalo Hopkinson to Tiphanie Yanique, Lorna Goodison to Marlon James).

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LoveAxe – A virtual summer 2012 book club whose members are Geoffrey Philp, Stephen Narain, and Kelly Baker Josephs.

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The Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC) – a cooperative of  partners within the Caribbean and circum-Caribbean that provides  users with access to Caribbean cultural, historical and research  materials held in archives, libraries, and private collections. dLOC  comprises collections that speak to the similarities and differences in  histories, cultures, languages and governmental systems. Types of  collections include but are not limited to: newspapers, archives of  Caribbean leaders and governments, official documents, documentation  and numeric data for ecosystems, scientific scholarship, historic and  contemporary maps, oral and popular histories, travel accounts,  literature and poetry, musical expressions, and artifacts. One of the publications archived at dLOC is the Ma Comere Literary Journal, a publication of the Association of Caribbean Women Writers and Scholars. Archived there are issues covering a number of years 1998 to 2009. Ma Comere was the first to publish a poem of mine (Philly Ramblings 8) internationally and more recently the ACWWS hosted me at its 13th annual conference. Nothing but love for them and lots of good reading, scholarly and creative to be found; check it out.

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The University of the West Indies Press is a not-for-profit scholarly publisher of books in thirteen academic disciplines. It is particularly well known for its work in Caribbean history, Caribbean cultural studies, Caribbean literature, gender studies, education and political science. Founded in 1992, the press has over 350 books in print.

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Voices from Haiti – because often the arts provide the real insight to the soul of a nation.

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I met Zee Edgell a couple of years after I first interviewed her by email…we were supposed to be on a panel together and had a long chat instead (at the Antigua and Barbuda International Literary Festival). I found her to be down to earth and easy to talk to. It didn’t feel at all like there were three plus decades and a world of geography and literary miles between us. Check out the Beka Lamb author online at http://www.zeeedgell.com/Welcome.html

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Elsewhere on this site, check out John R. Lee’s West Indian Literature bibliography - admittedly not complete, it’s still quite comprehensive. There’s this link to his blog, as well.

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http://danielleboodoofortune.blogspot.com – I’ve been a fan of Trini Danielle Boodoo Fortune’s poetry since I met and shared a panel with her in Barbados in 2008. Who knew she was such a delightful artist as well?

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This is the blog of children’s author Helen Williams aka Billy Elm (Delroy in the Marog Kingdom) – Beyond the Marog Kingdom - she writes about literacy issues and the literary arts.

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This is a two-fer, Trini novelist Liane Spicer’s blog -http://www.lianespicer.blogspot.com - and a blog to which she and Caribbean author Carol Mitchell are regular contributors, Novel Spaces - http://novelspaces.blogspot.com. Both are good for interesting insights on the writing and publishing process.

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 - This Antigua based event (the Antigua and Barbuda International Literary Festival) began as the Caribbean International Literary Festival in 2006; it’s attracted the best of the best from the African diaspora from far across the water and right next door. It’s usually held over a weekend in early November; book it.

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 - I love the Caribbean Literary Salon- it’s highly interactive and informative – and since joining I’ve been quite active there; including starting an online writing workshop. It’s attracted writers from all over the Caribbean and beyond, so it’s a good place to network. But it’s also a good place to stay up to speed on what’s happening on the Caribbean literary scene and to troubleshoot problems of craft, publishing, and more. The site was started, and is maintained by Anouska Kock, a freelance journalist and writer, born in the Netherlands to Dutch-Surinamese parents. She resides in Aruba.

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http://www.handsacrossthesea.net/HandsResources.htm – Recently discovered this project, Hands Across the Sea, designed to bring books to children in the region when contacted by them to discuss possible collaborations. Check them out; it’s definitely a worthy cause.

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http://poetsofthecaribbean.blogspot.com – I came across Jamaican born librarian and poetry lover Yasmin’s website (Poets of the Caribbean) via the network at CLS. I love that it celebrates Caribbean verse and especially like that she’s similarly committed to creating a listing of Caribbean Poets – I say similarly because our listing of Antiguan and Barbudan writers and John Robert Lee’s Caribbean Writers is in the same vein.

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Calabash International Literary Festival – http://www.calabashfestival.org/2010/index.htm - I attended this with a group of Antiguan writers in 2007. It’s held in St. Elizabeth and included readings from esteemed writers from all over including all parts of the Commonwealth since the top contenders for the Commonwealth Writer Prize were there as well. It was fun but a good learning and networking experience as well.

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http://allenprize.org/ - The Allen Prize is committed to the development of young writers in Trinidad and Tobago much like Wadadli Pen is committed to the development of young writers (and now visual artists) in Antigua and Barbuda. We had to big them up; we just had to…it’s so good to come across a programme like this…and a kindred spirit like founder Lisa Allen-Agostini

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http://seawoman.wordpress.com/ - This site may have originated in Barbados but it’s a valuable resource for all Caribbean writers as it regularly posts information on markets for Caribbean writers. Looking to get published? This might be a good place to start.

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http://tonguesoftheocean.org/ - This site is Bahamian in origin but covers all of the Caribbean. It’s a multi-media online literary journal with lots of stories (including my own After Glow), poems, spoken word pieces.

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http://summeredward.blogspot.com/ - This Trini sister has much love for the stories of childhood and we love her for it. Check out her site for happenings in the world of children and young adult lit, including reviews and recommendations. FYI, as a guest blogger on Summer’s site, I posted about the Wadadli Pen Project – see http://summeredward.blogspot.com/2010/08/guest-post-by-joanne-c-hillhouse.html

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http://ananseseminfo.blogspot.com/ - Related to Summer’s blog, above, this is the site started by her to nurture and promote Caribbean children’s literature. Check it out.

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http://www.caribbeanadventureseries.com – Nevisian Carol Ottley-Mitchell is part of the Anansesem team and author of the Caribbean Adventure Series. She’s lived in various Caribbean countries and currently lives in Ghana, West Africa. I came to know her, via the Internet, when on discovering this site she offered to donate copies of her books Adventure at Brimstone Hill and Pirates of Port Royal to the Cushion Club. I should add that since I was introduced to the series there’ve been some developments: The Adventure at Brimstone Hill is on Audio CD, narrated by St. Kitts’ own Dawn Mills and including music by Larry Armony. The CD can be purchased in St. Kitts at Beauty Essentials or Brimstone Hill National Park. It is also available online at Amazon.com as a CD or an MP3 Download. Book 3 of the series, based in Trinidad, has been released. For updates on this, short stories, pending contests and more, visit her site.

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http://www.geoffreyphilp.blogspot.com/ - Geoffrey Philp is a JAmerican author, who teaches at Miami Dade College and still finds time to maintain this very rich blog. It has author insights, Caribbean lit news, reviews, interviews; it’s never boring.

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http://jambooks-fiction.blogspot.com/ - This is the blog spot of Hazel Campbell, veteran Caribbean children’s writer, who provides invaluable tips on readying your work for publication, issues in Caribbean literature with an emphasis on children’s literature, and other writing news.

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http://www.thecaribbeanwriter.org/ - Edited by Jamerican scribe Opal Palmer Adisa (author of It Begins with Tears), the Caribbean Writer, produced by the University of the Virgin Islands is in the top tier of Caribbean literary journals. It publishes annually and as such the selection process can be rigorous; but it’s a good blend of old and new voices (including two pieces apiece of mine in Volume 18 and Volume 24). Order copies by emailing orders@thecaribbeanwriter.org

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http://www.nyu.edu/calabash/ - This is a Caribbean focussed, international literary journal out of NYU. You’ll find interviews with literary elders, reviews, poetry (including three of mine in the Summer 2007 issue), short stories and not just from the English speaking Caribbean.

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http://repeatingislands.com/ - Here’s one I check from time to time for general info on the Caribbean arts scene.

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http://caribbeanbookblog.wordpress.com/ - This one focusses on publishing trends especially for the do-it-yourselfer, and also has interesting coverage of book clubs, authors, readings etc.

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http://signifyinguyana.typepad.com/charmainevalere/- This used to be Signifying Guyana, but then blogger, Charmaine Valere, decided that she should “have the balls to put (her) name right where (her) big mouth runs.” So it’s been re-branded under her name. It still delivers interesting news, reviews, series, and perspectives related to Caribbean Literature. Check it out.

Dis ‘n Dat

DISCLAIMER: By definition, you’ll be linking to third party sites from these Links-We-Love pages. Linked sites are not, however, reviewed or controlled by Wadadli Pen (the blog, the Wadadli Youth Pen Prize nor coordinator/blogger Joanne C. Hillhouse); and Wadadli Pen (the blog, the Wadadli Youth Pen Prize and coordinator/blogger Joanne C. Hillhouse) disclaims any responsibility or liability relating to any linked sites and does not assume any responsibility for their contents. In other words, enter at your own risk.

Best of Books Antigua on facebook.

Honestly don’t know a lot about this but it seems like something I need to get to know more about: the Creative Industries Exchange.

Got some fresh news from Chosen Sounds in the email today. I’m going to share their links here not just because owner Omari Harrigan was very generous with his support of the launch of my book Oh Gad! in 2012 but because they are all-in on the support of the musical arts in Antigua and Barbuda. Find them at www.chosensounds.net and www.theyard268.com

Hard to get printed historical material seems to be available through this site.

The Museum of Antigua and Barbuda – Opened in 1985 and housed in one of the oldest and best preserved buildings on the island, this is, of course, one of the best spots for exploring Antigua and Barbuda’s history. See the old Museum site.

Want a better world for girls? Say domething, here.

You’ve heard of the TED Talks and likely seen ones (like this one by Sir Ken Robinson on how schools as currently constructed kill creativity, Tracey Chevalier’s wonderful presentation on finding the story inside the painting, and Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie’s powerful presentation the Danger of a Single Story) well this is the TEDx – TED affiliated local events – this one in Barbados.

As a space for theatrical presentations in Antigua, in fact the focal point of theatre in Antigua in the 1970s to the 1980s and also the first place where earlier in the double zeros I saw a Walcott play live for the first time, the University Centre (now the University of the West Indies Open Campus – Antigua and Barbuda) is not totally out of place on this site.

Just discovered this History of Antigua and Barbuda in Writings, Photographs, and Stories by Dr. Susan Lowes; worth checking out. And related to that, the Arawwwak project, a Columbia University project directed by Dr. Lowes.

I edited a book for this blogger, a delicious culinary book. It’s not in wide release yet; meantime, check out her blog: Sitting in a Mango Tree.

Think of it as a Trini Amazon with an artistic bent; it’s Ah Piece! – a place where you can source the creations of Trinidad and Tobago artisans, online. Now isn’t that a novel idea more Caribbean art communities should embrace?

Met Annie Paul at the Association of Caribbean Women Writers and Scholars conference in 2012. This is where she blogs on the literary arts and other things. Also had the opportunity to reconnect with well known author, literary scholar and former professor Carolyn Cooper and like Paul she is another thought provoking blogger out of Jamaica. Here’s where she stirs it up.

It’s a little known secret that while I don’t cook (well), I do watch cooking shows and troll cooking sites like this one: Tastes Like Home.

http://womenspeak.tumblr.com/ - This is a space for women to share their stories, embrace their power, and celebrate their womanhood. It’s also a space of vulnerability and pain where the struggles and sacrifices are spotlighted. It’s an inclusive space, constantly updated with information and prompts designed to engage the reader in the process. Also, it’s 100 percent Caribbean. Check it out.

http://www.antiguapublib.org – This is the homepage for the national library of Antigua and Barbuda. The book listings seem incomplete and the site in general doesn’t seem to have been updated in a while, but it seems to be a good portal to research resources, teaching aids and such.

http://islandstyle.typepad.com – Okay, so this site isn’t strictly literary but the blogger (an Antiguan) does have an engaging style and occasionally posts excerpts of fictions. But mostly it’s about fashion…and what’s wrong with that?

http://danielleboodoofortune.blogspot.com – I’ve been a fan of Trini Danielle Boodoo Fortune’s poetry since I met and shared a panel with her in Barbados in 2008. Who knew she was such a delightful artist as well?

 - Youths Speak Out is the outcome of a one week workshop I co-facilitated at the Youth Department during the schools’ Easter Break 2011. A gathering of opinionated and articulate young people, ranging in age roughly from 14 to 19, it was a purpose driven exercise in equipping young people of Antigua and Barbuda with the tools to speak their truth and giving them a forum to do just that. They put the nuts and bolts of the blog together themselves, I was merely a guide.

http://sheroxlox.tumblr.com - I heart this blog by feminist activist Amina Doherty.

Amina photo part of the She Rox Lox series byZIA Photography.

http://www.creativecaribbeannetwork.com – Like the name says this is  network of creative people.

http://www.darkwaves.com/sfch/writing/ckilian/ - I thought this link might be useful to others trying to jump start their writing (and specifically novel writing). Ok, at this posting, I’ve only read the section on ‘Reading a Contract’ but having been through a few book contracts myself, I thought the information would be useful to other writers trying to make sense of it all. This is another link of writing prompts.

http://merrick.library.miami.edu/digitalInitiatives/cwsi/date.html - The Caribbean Fiction Writers Summer Institute ran from 1991 to 1996 at the University of Miami. I (JCH) had the opportunity to participate in this programme in 1995 as a participant in the fiction  workshop led by Olive Senior. It was during this summer that I started work on the Boy from Willow Bend. It was a life changing experience learning from, sharing with, experiencing literary brothers and sisters from the Caribbean; rare and delightful company indeed. This link will take you to audio recordings of writers who participated in this programme including over the years Mervyn Morris, Geoffery Philp, Zee Edgell, Earl Lovelace, Lorna Goodison and so many others. My reading can be found at Programme 13, 1995. Take your time, browse the archives and enjoy.

http://www.antiguanice.com - Before Wadadli Pen ever had its own site, it had a page on Antigua Nice, the country’s local online hub, thanks to the generousity of Colin and Alison Sly-Adams.

http://antiguastories.wordpress.com/about/ - The Friends of Antigua Public Library is interested in collecting oral histories; some of them are posted here. Do you have a story to share? I’m sure they’d like to hear it.

http://www.karibbeanexpressions.com/  – This site promotes Caribbean talent. ‘Nuff said.

http://www.youtube.com/user/BendWillow - My You Tube link; mostly The Boy from Willow Bend online ad (and a few other vids) so far.

http://www.markbrownart.com/ - Mark Brown is the extremely talented Antiguan artist and art teacher who has generously donated his time to coordinate the judging of the visual arts portion of Wadadli Pen, added in 2010.  Check out his Angel in Crisis series of images.

Permit me to mention this other artist, Barbadian artist Sheena Rose, whom I had the opportunity to profile for my former Zing column Creative Space – http://sroseart.tumblr.com/

http://www.youtube.com/user/WayneBowen - Stilll  on You Tube, I have to mention Jamaican Wayne Bowen’s vid uploads. I actually had the opportunity to collaborate with other writers from the region (including Bowen, who is also the director of the vids) on creating these for the Caribbean Family Planning Affiliation.

http://www.searchantigua.com/ - Ken Shipley was a God send with the first Wadadli Pen website. Here’s his site chock full of all things Antiguan and Barbudan. Including this listing of Antiguan and Barbudan writers.

As with all content on wadadlipen.wordpress.com, except otherwise noted, this is
written by Joanne C. Hillhouse (author of The Boy from Willow Bend, Dancing
Nude in the Moonlight, and Oh Gad!). All Rights Reserved. If you enjoyed it,
check out my page on Amazon, WordPress, and/or Facebook, and help spread the
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The Literary Diaspora

DISCLAIMER: By definition, you’ll be linking to third party sites from these Links-We-Love pages. Linked sites are not, however, reviewed or controlled by Wadadli Pen (the blog, the Wadadli Youth Pen Prize nor coordinator/blogger Joanne C. Hillhouse); and Wadadli Pen (the blog, the Wadadli Youth Pen Prize and coordinator/blogger Joanne C. Hillhouse) disclaims any responsibility or liability relating to any linked sites and does not assume any responsibility for their contents. In other words, enter at your own risk.

http://ayearofreadingtheworld.com – A Year of Reading the World. It’s exactly what it sounds like. Check out my interview with the author on the Caribbean leg of her journey.

Blurb is a verb – a good resource for tales from the writing (and publishing) trail.

http://www.quanietalkswriting.com/home – Don’t know this writer but sharing because of her sharing her experiences re publishing and writing, might provide some useful insight for others.

Percival Everett – I heard this writer read at Brown in 2012 and now I must read his work. Thought you might want to too.

http://callaloo.tamu.edu/node/195 - The Callaloo Writers Workshop out of Texas A & M. I did it. I highly recommend it.

Lanesha Says is the blog of Jewell Parker Rhodes, the African American author of Ninth Ward. It’s worth mentioning that in 2011 Rhodes sight-unseen dedicated two copies of Ninth Ward to the Wadadli Youth Pen Prize prize package. At her blog, she explores craft and other literary matters. Check her out.

http://www.yudkin.com/flfaq.htm - Was thinking of the million and one things I had to figure out on my own and then adapt to my market when I started freelancing (some of which I’m still figuring out) and thought this might help for those of you with questions about how to do it.

http://www.writers.ca/copyright_basics.htm – Notes re copyright (“the exclusive right to produce, reproduce, perform or publish a work”)- This is specific to Canada but can be instructive for us all – I’m posting this because as a freelance writer I’m all too aware of how little knowledge, acknowledgment, respect and remuneration there is for writers (and their copyright) in the Caribbean region. Also, FYI, here is the Intellectual Property Act 2003 of Antigua and Barbuda.

She Writes – http://www.shewrites.com – female-centric industry news, networking, and more.

The Open Library – http://openlibrary.org – you are the librarian.

Breadloaf Writers Conference – http://www.middlebury.edu/blwc - I participated in this long running Vermont conference in 2008 thanks to the Michael and Marilee Fairbanks International Fellowship.

 It was an amazing experience and one I’d highly recommend. Think daily readings and workshops by writes of the highest calibre – Ursula Hegi (who was my workshop leader), Lynn Freed, Robert Boswell, Edward P. Jones…I could go on. But check the link for yourself.

http://tananarivedue.wordpress.com- An alum of the Antigua and Barbuda International Literary Festival and well known African American author, her blog is good reading on troubleshooting the writing life.

http://www.oprah.com/spirit/How-to-Write-a-Poem-Maya-Angelous-Advice - “How do you begin? You have to get to a very quiet place inside yourself…”

http://thewriterscircle.ning.com/ - This circle of writers was started by Stephen Barnes and Tananarive Due, both accomplished writers and regulars to the literary festival in Antigua. There’s lots of industry wisdom here from people who know.

http://www.liberiaseabreeze.com/ - This is an online journal of contemporary Liberian writings. I discovered it through Antiguan-VirginIsland-Liberian-Swiss writer Althea Romeo Mark who is a regular and who guest edited the issue in which my story, Friday Night Fish Fry, appears.

http://www.unheardwords.com/ - This site seems committed to giving new and emerging writers a window to a wider audience (as they did with me when they posted an announcement re the re-release of The Boy from Willow Bend in 2009). Of particular interest might be the writers link section of the site found here and writing tips found here.

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/story-writing/ - Story Writing 101.

http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/lit_term.html – literary terms.

Dreaming of Havana

The Havana Book Fair is coming up in February. I’d actually like to attend (scratch that, really like to attend). In part because I have a book coming out in 2012 and a little advance publicity never hurt but mostly because I’m a lover of books and I’ve found events of this nature to be a joy, even with the inevitable hiccups; events like Breadloaf in Vermont to which I applied for and won an international fellowship in 2008 (and don’t ask me how much I’d like love to do the 2012 Breadloaf in Sicily…and not just for the opportunity to return to lovely Italy), Antigua and Barbuda International Literary Festival (which I’ve been active in since it started in 2006) and the Calabash International Literary Festival (2007). Mostly because they allow for (in fact, encourage) total literary immersion. You lose yourself in books and engagements with writers, you open yourself to learning,you slow down and feel the world again, and you have so much fun (that’s right, writers know how to party too). The fact that I’ve never been to Cuba and would absolutely love to go would be a possible bonus of the experience. The challenge is always money and sometimes information and access. In fact, funding (to cover airfare, accomodation and other expenses) and for the writer hoping to get mileage out of the experience (visibility) are often stumbling blocks even with festivals closer to home (Dominica, Montserrat, Trinidad). With Calabash, in Jamaica, we (in Antigua) put a group of writers together and applied for donor funding from the Commonwealth in order to attend. It was a remarkable experience (huge understatement).

With the 2012 conference of the Association of Caribbean Women Writers and Scholars, to be held in Suriname, much as I did with the BIM Conference on Caribbean Women Writers in 2008, I submitted my credentials (such as they are…something along the lines of pick me! pick me!) and was happy to be invited as a featured writer from the English Speaking Caribbean (more on that no doubt as it draws closer…including the inevitable panic). I’m looking forward to a return to Suriname, the country is always part of the experience, but I’m also looking forward to being in the company of people who write and people who love to read and write.

And so I’d like to figure out a way to make Cuba happen, not just for me but for other writers. But, of course, February’s just around the corner… I had the idea once I heard about the conference to reach out for information and maybe assistance in making this happen; I’ve tried but so far that has been a disappointing (at times, frustrating) dead end. It’s time like these I do think an Arts Council which could, among other things, access and provide funding (a la an endowment for the arts) would, as I’ve been discussing with fellow artists and writers lately, be a Godsend…too many missed opportunities, too much little tangible support for the arts on our piece of the rock.

So, all I can say at this moment, if not this year, then next or the next or next… (independently, if necessary). I always like to have something to shoot for, and a tour of all of these literary festivals (and more around the world) is definitely on my to do list. It should be on yours too if you’re a book lover and/or writer (and if you have the resources). The opportunity to step out of the world of distractions into the world of the Word is ah-may-zing. And there are the stolen moments too…getting up early to walk the beach in St. Elizabeth, sitting on a rock by the river in Vermont…at each one, you make your own. And, I’ve found, you wake up every day, writing.

Wake them, Let them rise and shine

The next Wadadli Pen Open Mic takes place on October 9^th at the Best of Books Royal Palm. The theme – a tie in with the Independence Literary Arts competition – is ‘Wake them, let them rise and shine’.

This year, the competition welcomes fiction, poetry, non fiction, and spoken word submissions. Spoken word artists will have to pre-register at the Best of Books by October 7^th, with the competition set for October 9^th at the Best of Books, Royal Palm.

For more on the upcoming Wadadli Pen open mic or the Independence literary arts competition, email literaryantigua@yahoo.com

Spotlight – Shakeema Edwards

This is Shakeema Edwards collecting the V-Monologues literary prize from Women of Antigua representative Greschen Edwards. The one time literary award coincided with the group’s first staging of the Vagina Monologues. Edwards, a former student of the Antigua Girls High School, has also won other youth writing prizes in Antigua such as the Dancing Nude in the Moonlight next chapter competition (a promotional activity organized by the Best of Books for my second book), Independence literary awards, and a Wadadli Pen prize.

‘Foxy Brown’ to star at Antigua’s Lit Fest

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The organizers of the Antigua & Barbuda International Literary Festival are planning for an exciting 2010 Festival.

Among the leading authors to attend this year is actress and author Pam Grier, who will be talking about her new book “Foxy: My Life in Three Acts.”

Grier is, of course, famous for her kick-ass 1970s roles like Foxy Brown and, more recently, for her role in The L Word and films like Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown.

Also scheduled to attend are Trinidadian novelist Elizabeth Nunez, Guyanese poet Grace Nichols, Guyanese children’s author John Agard, Jamaican poet and novelist Lorna Goodison, Belizian author Zee Edgell, publisher and author Verna Wilkins, and Antiguan authors Marie Elena John and Joanne Hillhouse.

For more, visit their website http://antigualitfest.com/

Wake them, let them rise and shine

This year’s Independence Literary Arts competition has as its theme ‘Wake them, let them rise and shine’. There’s a new element added to the fiction, poetry, and non fiction writing usually featured in the competition, a spoken word competition.

Spoken Word Artists will have to pre-register at the Best of Books – either St. Mary’s Street or Royal Palm Place on or before October 7^th.

The competition takes place on October 9th at the Wadadli Pen Open Mic – held the second Saturday of every month at BoB Royal Palm at 7:30 p.m.

In the 18 and over group there will be two categories:  

(1)  A prepared presentation – this should be not less than 60 seconds and not more than 150 seconds.

(2)  Impromptu presentation – speakers will select a word from a bag and will be required to speak for one minute on the topic selected.

Individuals can pre-register to participate in both categories but can have only one entry in each category.

 A short training session will be conducted at 7 pm on Saturday 11^th September, prior to the commencement of the September Wadadli Pen Open Mic.

Note: A competition will also be held for secondary school students. Each school will be asked to identify a representative for each of the two above mentioned categories.

For more info contact literaryantigua@yahoo.com