THE VALLEY, Anguilla, March 7th, 2017…..Literary buffs will want to mark their calendars for the sixth annual Anguilla Lit Fest: A Literary Jollification, featuring award-winning authors, celebrity writers and noteworthy publishers from across the USA, Canada and the Caribbean, as well as the host country, Anguilla. From May 18th – 21st, 2017, on the lush tropical grounds of the beautiful Paradise Cove Resort, readers, writers and thinkers will come together for three exciting days of stimulating panels, inspiring presentations and informative workshops, against the stunning backdrop of Anguilla’s unparalleled azure blue waters, and powder-soft white sands.
This year’s distinguished panel of authors and publishers includes:
? Marlon James – Acclaimed Jamaican author of three novels, John Crow’s Devil (2005), The Book of Night Women (2009), and A Brief History of Seven Killings (2014), a recipient of the American Book Awards and winner of the 2015 Man Booker Prize.
? Colin Channer – Jamaican author and poet, called “Bob Markey with a pen,” known for the poetry collection Providential (2015), the novella The Girl With the Golden Shoes (2007), and the national bestselling novel Waiting in Vain, a Critic’s Choice Selection of the Washington Post, which hails it as “a clear redefinition of the Caribbean novel”.
? Nicole Dennis-Benn – Author of the highly acclaimed debut novel, Here Comes the Sun (2016), a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and an NPR Best Books of 2016.
? Ilyasah Shabazz – Educator, motivational speaker, and author of award winning publications such as a coming of age memoir, Growing up X (Random House 2002).
? Tiphanie Yanique – Award-winning author of the collection How to Escape a Leper Colony: A Novella and Stories (2010), a children’s picture book I am the Virgin Islands (2012) and her novel Land of Love and Drowning (2014).
? Thomas Mullen – Author of Darktown, an NPR Best Book of the Year and a nominee for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize; The Last Town on Earth, which was named Best Debut Novel of 2006 by USA Today and was awarded the James Fenimore Cooper Prize for excellence in historical fiction.
? Kevin Larimar – Award-winning American poet, poetry teacher at Emory University and editor of Poets & Writers Magazine.
? Amy Berkower – Chairman of the literary agency, Writer’s House.
? Yona Deshommes– Associate Director of Publicity at Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.
? Adrian Green – Notable Spoken Word Artist/Lyricist from Barbados.
“Anguilla Lit Fest is an important cultural event which the Government of Anguilla is pleased to support,” says Hon. Cardigan Connor, Parliamentary Secretary with responsibility for Tourism, Sports, Youth and Culture. “We recognize and appreciate the significant role that the Literary Arts play in the development and preservation of our culture and heritage, and the Anguilla Lit Fest: A Literary Jollification offers visitors an opportunity to experience first-hand one of the island’s oldest social traditions- the Jollification- whilst engaging in a uniquely enriching, authentic literary experience.”
This year’s Lit Fest will honor the commemoration of 50 years since the Anguilla Revolution, transforming, empowering and building the nation through the promotion and celebration of the Literary Arts. A new element this year sees the inclusion of an immersive Calypso Music Writing Workshop, hosted by Short Pants out of Trinidad. The annual event is organized by the Anguilla Literary Foundation and is sponsored by the Government of Anguilla, the Anguilla Tourist Board and the Business Community of Anguilla.
Special vacation packages for the event will be offered by a number of Anguilla’s leading properties, including the host hotel, Paradise Cove Resort, and sponsor hotel, CuisinArt Golf Resort & Spa.
For more information on the Anguilla Lit Fest: A Literary Jollification or to register for this year’s event, go to www.anguillalitfest.com or www.paradisecoveanguilla.com. You may also engage with the Lit Fest community on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/anguillalitfest) and Twitter.
– Press Release
