WORD! – A Caribbean Book Fest

On Saturday, June 6, 2015, I attended “WORD! – A Caribbean Book Fest” in Brooklyn, NY. It was an afternoon-long celebration of Caribbean letters and thought. The program highlighted the range and diversity of literary work emanating from the Caribbean and writers invested in the Caribbean Diasporic narrative.

I made new friends, and re-connected with old. The panelists shared timeless wisdom, and provided a “behind-the-scenes” look into their writing careers. I got to meet veteran and newbie authors, and learned a thing or two about this industry, both as an author and publisher.

I attended a Panel Discussion on "Book Business - First Book Journeys - I Have Learnt from Books." The authors shared their experiences about having their debut novels being printed. Panelists included Elsie Augustave (Haiti), The Roving Tree; A. Naomi Jackson (US/Antigua &Barbuda), The Star Side of Bird Hill; and, Annette Vendryes Leach (US/Panama), Song of the Shaman.

Naomi gave me an advanced copy of her book, The Star Side of Bird Hill!

 

I got to meet Elsie. I admire her work and courage. In two weeks, she will quit her job and go into writing full-time!

 

I also got to meet my favorite Haitian Children's Author, Ibi Zoboi. She wrote, "A Is For Ayiti."