Special to The Mississippi Link
From Nov. 7-9, 2008, the Caribbean nation of Antigua & Barbuda will welcome a distinguished array of African-American, Canadian, British and Caribbean authors, publishers and literary agents to its shores for its third annual International Literary Festival. The three days of workshops, readings and performances will take place at the Jolly Beach Resort & Spa on the island’s western side.
Among the featured literary guests are:
• Journalist Esther Armah
• Grenadan author Dawne Allette
• Novelist and filmmaker Tina McElroy Ansa
• Novelist Steven Barnes
• Best-selling author Eric Jerome Dickey
• Fantasy novelist Tananarive Due
• Publisher Linda Duggins
• Belize author Zee Edgell
• Trinidadian novelist and poet Ramabai Espinet
• Novelist and business writer Renee Flagler
• Antiguan artist and publisher Gilly Gobinet
• Jamaican poet and novelist Lorna Goodison
• Novelist and columnist S. James Guitard
• Literary agent Jacqueline Hackett
• Antiguan author Joanne Hillhouse
• Antiguan author Marie-Elena John
• Bajan-born author and playright Glenville Lovell
• Author and editor Rosalind McLymont
• Poet E. Ethelbert Miller
• Novelist and non-fiction author Mary B. Morrison
• Performance artist Motion (Wendy Brathwaite)
• Novelist and teen fiction author Victoria Christopher Murray
• Trinidadian author Elizabeth Nunez
• TV personality and author Roscoe Orman
• Antigua-Canadian author Althea Prince
• Trinidadian biographer Arnold Rampersad
• Editor and freelance writer Clarence Reynolds
• Actress and author Victoria Rowell
• Puerto Rican-born author and filmmaker Esmeralda Santiago
• Producer Frances Anne Solomon
• Bajan author Yvonne Weekes
• Grenadan publisher and author Verna Wilkins
• Restauranteur and cookbook author Delilah Winder
The Festival begins with Youth Day on Friday, Nov. 7, when students selected from the nation’s secondary schools participate in hands-on workshops held by noted authors. At the end of the day, the winners of the Short Story Competition hosted by the New York City-based Friends of the Antigua Public Library (FOAPL) will be announced. General workshops will also be held during the day.
On Friday evening, a gala Opening Ceremony, with keynote welcoming speeches by the Governor-General Louise Lake Tack, Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer, and Tourism Minister Harold Lovell, will set the tone for the weekend of festivities.
Saturday and Sunday will be filled with workshops, seminars and book readings on the beach at the Jolly Beach Resort. In addition, at the adjacent Jolly Harbour Resort a Festival Village will open the event to the general public. Featured at the Village will be live entertainment, the Western Union Children’s Tent with children’s authors reading from their books, a food demonstration tent, a book signing tent, book sales, and food and drink vendors.
A special all-inclusive hotel package at the Jolly Beach Resort & Spa, which includes 4 nights’ accommodations, all meals and drinks, airport transfers and admission to the Festival, is being offered by Carib-World Travel for $804 per person. All interested travelers or travel agents should contact the agency at 268-480-2999, email parthurton@candw.ag or sign up online at www.antiguaandbarbudaliteraryfestival.com
Among the sponsors of the Festival are the Antigua & Barbuda Tourism Ministry, the Baltimore Times, Carib-World Travel, Best of Books, Western Union, La Perla International, Bank of Antigua, Caribbean Union Bank, Cable & Wireless, Written Magazine, Mosaic Books, aalbc.com and Antigua Nice.
For more information on the Antigua & Barbuda International Literary Festival, call K.C. Nash at 925-828-7740 from the U.S. or Canada or 268-723-7740 in the Caribbean, or go to www.antiguaandbarbudaliteraryfestival.com
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