The Anguilla Lit Fest has come and gone, and has a lot of positives among the citizenry of the island. The May 21-24 event, called a Literary Jolification by the Anguilla Tourism Board and other agencies, is now in its fourth year.
The event attracted a number of award-winning writers and celebrity authors including popular novelist and publisher Zane; renowned author and professor, Elizabeth Nunez; Books and Magazine Editor Leigh Haber; award-winning author, Benilde Little; Grammy award-winning poet/ spoken word artiste, J. Ivy; debut novelist, Joanne Hillhouse; former Editor-in-Chief of Cosmopolitan Magazine, Kate White; and Yona Deshommes, Associate Director of Publicity for African Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster; and others.
The authors featured in three days of seminars and presentations at Paradise Cove, the host hotel, and the Anguilla Public Library. They met with students from the various primary schools for an interactive session at the Library and shared their inspiration for writing and excerpts from their books with the children.
One of them, J. Ivy, told of his varied early life growing up in Chicago and the challenges he faced, creating much interest among his listeners. His rendition of one of his poems entitled “Dear Father”, in which he spoke about forgiveness, was particularly touching.
Another author, Zane, known for her colourful and explicit writing style, met with students and teachers from the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School, among other persons from the adult community. Her lecture was in connection with being an author and publisher which her listeners found to be of much interest to them.
The annual literary event has drawn much praise from Director of Tourism, Mrs. Candis Niles. Speaking to The Anguillian, she said: “The Anguilla Lit Fest: A Literary Jollification, continues to serve as a key marketing tool for destination Anguilla. Not only does it provide yet another opportunity for visitors to come to the island and experience ‘Tranquilty Wrapped in Blue’, but it is also another great story to tell that reflects the culture, traditions and literary heritage of our people.
“Such stories, like the story of the Moonsplash Music Festival, like Festival del Mar, and like the Anguilla Summer Festival, capture who we are as a people. Such stories resonate with the discerning travellers for whom Anguilla is the destination of choice; and such stories find expression not only in the pages of traditional print media, but also across the various popular social media platforms of today – Thus ensuring that destination Anguilla remains top of mind for those looking for the quintessential Caribbean vacation.”
