BVI Lit Fest

If you’re just joining the story… here’s your quick guide to get familiar with BVI Lit Fest— just in time to experience it all from 6–9 November in the beautiful British Virgin Islands. Festival highlights include: 🎬 Writers’ Welcome Reception— an evening of stories, sound, and celebration at Rhythm + Sands 🌅 Sunset Stories— readings and reflections by the sea at Brandywine Estate Restaurant 🔥 Light a Fire: Poets’ Showcase— where words ignite and voices rise at Botella 🥂 Book Brunch— intimate table conversations with featured authors at Long Bay Beach Resort 🎭 Let’s Talk Lit Discussions— thought-provoking panels exploring narrative, culture, and creativity 🖋️ Writing with Writers Workshops— hands-on sessions led by world-class poets, filmmakers, and authors 🎨 Literary Wonderland: Children’s Programme in Tortola and Virgin Gorda inspiring the next generation of readers and storytellers The BVI Lit Fest stands as a testament to how stories connect us across islands, generations, and experiences. It’s not just an event; it’s a movement rooted in culture, imagination, and community. 📖 Learn more and purchase your tickets at . #BVILitFest2025 #LongStoryShort #CaribbeanStories #BVIReads #BookLoversParadise #WritersOfTheCaribbean #HLSCC #IslandImagination

Day 1 of the Let’s Talk Lit Panel Discussions unfolded in the Eileene L. Parsons Auditorium, where every detail of our stage design set the tone for dialogue— intimate, bold, and brilliantly alive. From film and sound to digital storytelling, the conversations echoed the Festival’s theme: Long Story Short. Here’s a glimpse back in photos— snapshots of voices in motion and ideas taking flight: 🎬 Narrative Remix: Storytelling Across Media How do our stories shape-shift across page, screen, and sound? This panel explored the art of distilling narrative without losing its soul. 🎥 Island Frames: VI Short Film Showcase The Virgin Islands Studies Institute brought local vision to the big screen—short films that captured the rhythm, resilience, and imagination of VI life. 🎶 The Virgin Islands Soundtrack: The Legacy of Elmore Stoutt A lyrical tribute to music as memory— honouring the timeless influence of Elmore Stoutt on our cultural soundscape. 📱 Content is King (and Queen): Storytelling for the Scroll In an age of infinite scrolls, what does it take for a story to stop us in our tracks? Creators and communicators unpacked the balance between authenticity and attention. And the best part? The conversation isn’t over. ✨ Day 2 continues today from 9:00 a.m. in the Learning Resource Centre. Join us as Let’s Talk Lit expands the dialogue—connecting generations, genres, and geographies through the shared language of story. Because long story short—you don’t want to miss it. #BVILitFest2025 #LetsTalkLit #LongStoryShort #CaribbeanCreatives #BVICulture #StorytellersUnite #HLSCC #BVIPride #IslandImaginaries

5 YEARS of stories. 5 YEARS of voices. 5 YEARS of BVI Lit Fest. ✨ This milestone year, under the theme “Long Story Short,” your favourite signature events return with fresh energy + bold new twists: 📚 Let’s Talk Lit – now 2 full days, no overlaps. 🥂 Writers’ Welcome Reception – new home at Rhythm + Sands, Cane Garden Bay + cultural vibes from The Razor Blades. 🌅 Sunset Stories – storytelling meets the sea at Brandywine Bay (sponsored by VP Bank). 🍽️ Book Brunch – intimate chats with writers, 2 per table. 📝 Writing with Writers Workshops – choreopoetry, film, + publishing insights. 🔥 Light a Fire: Poets’ Showcase – new stage at Botella, Pier Park. 🎠 Literary Wonderland – returns to VG + Tortola with new activities for kids. 📖✨ BVI Lit Fest 2025 — the 5th Edition — is more than a festival. It’s a celebration of voices, visions, and the dream that carries us forward. #BVILitFest #LongStoryShort #5YearsOfStories

"Brincando de islas" será un encuentro bilingüe virtual de lectura de poetas isleñxs, emergentes y establecidxs, que se unen como Caribe en celebración del Día Internacional de la Poesía (oficialmente el 21 de marzo). 📆 jueves, 19 de marzo de 2026 ⏰ 1:00 p. m. 🔗 Enlace de zoom en bio ☝️ ¡Sintoniza!! Una colaboración entre el Centro para el Libro de @humanidadespr , H. Levity Stoutt Community College en Tortola y el @bvilitfest

✨ Afua Hirsch & Andy Mundy‑Castle are coming to the BVI! ✨ HLSCC and DLT Solutions invite you to join us for a free screening of Shoot the People on 4 March, a powerful documentary directed by Andy Mundy‑Castle that follows Misan Harriman as he travels across three continents capturing protest movements and the fight for justice. ✊🏿📸 After the film, stay for a convo with Afua Hirsch and Andy Mundy‑Castle as they discuss the documentary and their upcoming docu-series, Power Trip — diving into identity, governance, inequality, and the big question: Who gets to define the future of the BVI? 🎬 4 March 2026 🕠 5:30–7:00 p.m. 📍 Eileene L. Parsons Auditorium, HLSCC 💚 Free + open to the public See you there! ✨

The BVI Lit Circle kicked off our first club meeting for 2026 with an unforgettable session with @desmondhallauthor ! 📚✨ Members gathered on Microsoft Teams for an immersive virtual session with Jamaican‑American author Desmond Hall, diving deep into his YA thriller Better Must Come. Hall shared writing gems—like how building tension in fiction is “like inflating a balloon”—and gave members an inside look into the personal inspirations behind his protagonist, Deja. Laughter, lively discussion, and meaningful connections made the evening one to remember. And with a growing community of readers across the VI, the Lit Circle continues to inspire a culture of reading and conversation. 💬 “It forces me to commit to reading regularly… the choice of books has been beautiful.” — Patricia Hanley 💬 “It’s magical what we can do here.” — Felice Swapp Next up: Jessamine by Virgin Islands author Eugenia O’Neal. Join us! Send us a message or connect interested so that we can get you started. 📚✨ Building community, one book at a time. Screenshot captured by: Joaquin Contreras/BVI Beacon

✨ Caribbean writers — this one’s for you! This opportunity is so good we couldn’t help but share it! The Bocas–Jacaranda Short Story Intensive is now open for applications! If you’re living in the geographic Caribbean and haven’t yet published a full-length work of fiction, here’s your chance to sharpen your craft. 📚 Facilitator: @celestemohammed 🏆 OCM Bocas Prize winner 🖊️ Author of Ever Since We Small & Pleasantview This 7‑week online journey includes: • Craft seminars • Peer workshops • Editorial feedback • Direct engagement with Jacaranda Books • A focused cohort of just 10 writers! 📅 6 April – 30 May 💻 Online 💲 $1000 TTD 🎓 2 fully funded spots available Applications close 7 March, 11:59 PM AST. Questions? ➤ [email protected] 📖 Sprint into the world of short fiction — and emerge with a polished draft and a stronger writer’s voice.

📚✨ New Year, New Stories! BVI Lit Fest, in collaboration with HLSCC, is excited to announce the launch of our Virtual Book Club! Swipe through ➡️ to see our January–June book selections—a powerful mix of Caribbean voices, bold narratives, and unforgettable storytellers. We’re also thrilled to partner with our trusted book sponsor @nookbvi , offering our book club members 15% off hard copies of each month’s pick. 🙌🏽❤️ Want to join the club? 👇🏽 Type “interested” in the comments and we’ll send you a DM with details! This is a read‑at‑your‑own‑pace community—everyone is welcome, whether you’ve finished the book, started it, or are simply curious. And yes… many of our discussions include the authors themselves. 👀✨ In January, we kicked things off with a fantastic session featuring @desmondhallauthor , author of Better Must Come—and what a blast it was! Huge thank‑you to Desmond for the energy, insights, and unforgettable conversation. 🙏🏽🔥 Ready to read, connect, and dive deep into great books with great people? Join us! 💛📖 #BVILitFest #HLSCC #BookClubCommunity #CaribbeanReads

We extend our heartfelt thanks to BVI Beacon for the beautifully written feature on BVI Lit Fest and for proudly serving as the official home for all the winning pieces from the BVI Lit Fest Writing Competition. Through its continued commitment to community storytelling and literary excellence, the Beacon has created a lasting space for our writers’ voices— ensuring their words are preserved, celebrated, and shared with the wider Virgin Islands community and beyond. In this publication, we are especially honoured to see Andrea Henchey’s winning adult poetry piece, “The Short of It,” featured — a moving reflection of our Long Story Short theme and a shining example of the brilliance that emerged from this year’s competition. We also celebrate every winning writer whose work will now live within the pages of the BVI Beacon: 🏆 BVI Lit Fest Writing Competition Winners ✍🏽 Ages 3–6: Kim-Yve Pellew — “Long Mango Story, Short” (pictured in slide 6) ✍🏽 Ages 7–9: Ivy Dawn Cameron — “The Luckiest Kid on Heart” ✍🏽 Ages 14–18: Chelsea Simpson — “In the Long Run” (pictured in slide 5) ✍🏽 Adult Poetry: Andrea Henchey — “The Short of It” (pictured in slide 5) ✍🏽 Adult Prose: Linette Rabsatt — “The Long Story Short of My Scar” ✍🏽 International: Jaimie Goh — “Deposits” We also extend our sincere gratitude to every individual who submitted a piece to this year’s Writing Competition. Each submission, whether selected or not, contributes to the rich literary tapestry of the Virgin Islands and affirms the power of storytelling as cultural preservation. Thank you, BVI Beacon, for being more than a publication — for being a guardian of our stories, a champion of our writers, and a cornerstone of our cultural expression. Because when our stories are honoured, our culture lives on. And when our voices are given space, the Virgin Islands speaks. 📚💜 #BVILitFest #LongStoryShort #BVIWriters #CaribbeanLiterature #StoryKeepers #ThankYouBVIBeacon

To every writer, poet, storyteller, artist, filmmaker, and creative who joined us at BVI Lit Fest 2025 — thank you. ✨📚 To our first-time guests: we are honoured that you chose to share your voice with us. Your presence, energy, and brilliance brought fresh sparks to our stages, classrooms, and conversations. We hope this Festival offered you a creative refuge — a place to connect, collaborate, and imagine boldly. And to our returning artists: your continued support means the world to us. You have witnessed our growth, celebrated our evolution, and believed in this Festival long before it became what it is today. You are part of our story, our foundation, and our future. Each of you is special to us. ✨ Each of you helped make this year unforgettable. And we hope that BVI Lit Fest gave you what all creatives deserve — a space to feel inspired, valued, and surrounded by a community that understands the power of story. Thank you for sharing your gifts with the Virgin Islands. Thank you for trusting us with your work. And thank you for helping us honour storytelling in all its forms — long, short, spoken, sung, written, and lived. Until we meet again at BVI Lit Fest 2026… keep creating, keep imagining, and keep telling the stories only you can tell. 💜📖✨ #BVILitFest #LongStoryShort #BVIWriters #CaribbeanLiterature #CreativeCommunity #ThankYouWriters #CultureLivesHere #SeeYouIn2026

📝 We want to hear from YOU! 🌴✨ Whether you joined us from across the globe or right here at home in the Virgin Islands— if you attended, performed, volunteered, partnered, or simply vibed with us at BVI Lit Fest 2025, we want your feedback! 💬 Your voice helps us grow, evolve, and make every chapter of the Festival even better. From the panels to the poetry, from the Welcome Reception to Sunset Stories, your experience matters — and we’re listening. 💭 Tell us what inspired you, what moved you, and what you’d love to see next year. Because together, we’re not just building a festival… we’re shaping a legacy. 🌊✍🏾 👉🏾 Tap the link in our bio to take the BVI Lit Fest 2025 Survey or scan the QR code— it only takes a few minutes, and it makes a world of difference. #BVILitFest2025 #LongStoryShort #BVICultureandTourism #CaribbeanWriters #FestivalFeedback #BVILitFest #VirginIslandsWriters #LiteraryLegacy

📚✨ Long Story Short — We Couldn’t Do This Without You! ✨📚 Our official BVI Lit Fest 2025 events have come to a beautiful close— but the festival itself isn’t quite over! We’re keeping the magic alive with our Literary Wonderland (Virgin Gorda Edition) still to come. 🌴💫 As we celebrate this milestone 5th Anniversary, our hearts are filled with gratitude. We simply could not have done it without our incredible sponsors, partners, and venues who continue to believe in and uplift the vision of the BVI Literary Festival. To those who have supported us year after year— thank you for standing with us and helping to sustain this creative movement. And to those who joined us for the first time— thank you for seeing our vision and believing in the power of storytelling. Each of you understands the value of the literary arts in the Virgin Islands, and the vital role they play in preserving our culture, our history, and our identity. Storytelling is how we remember, how we rise, and how we define ourselves as Caribbean people. And though every story could fill a book, we’ll say it simply— “Long Story Short,” the Caribbean story continues. 🌊✍🏾 We look forward to continuing these meaningful partnerships and welcoming new sponsors, donors, and friends as we turn the page to the next chapter of the BVI Lit Fest from 5-8 November 2026. #BVILitFest2025 #LongStoryShort #BVILitFest #BVICulture #CaribbeanWriters #LiteraryWonderlandVG #VirginIslandsWriters #CaribbeanStories #LegacyThroughLiterature