After drawing pictures with paint, markers and glitter pens, children between the ages of 4 and 7 shared the stories behind their images. One drawing showed a girl’s trip to the beach after a rainstorm; another showed a girl riding a Ferris wheel with her family.
The children were participating in the “Literary Wonderland” event at the 2025 BVI Literary Arts Festival, which took place last Thursday through Sunday at the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College and other locations across Tortola.
Featuring more than 40 speakers from here and abroad, the festival also included a wide variety of other free and paid events, including readings, panel discussions, workshops and a book fair.
HLSCC President Richard Georges said the annual festival, which launched in 2021, has three purposes: to “connect us to the regional canon,” to “engender a love for reading and literacy” in young people, and to “facilitate the development of writers across genre, across media.”
‘Active learning’
While younger participants painted at the “Literary Wonderland” event on Saturday at HLSCC, children ages 8 to 12 took part in another activity where they told stories through music.
Cedar International School Director Scott Crawford, who brought his 7-year-old son Cosimo to the event, said such events help the kids engage in “active learning.”
“It’s getting them to think about all the different ways stories are told and communicated in an age-appropriate way,” he said.
Gemma Restell, who brought her 8-year-old daughter Isla, nodded in agreement.
“I think that, in turn, empowers them because they then see themselves like, ‘Okay, I’m not writing a big novel, but I can do this through music and I can do it through art,’” she said. “And so they then see themselves as authors themselves in how they can express themselves and the ideas they have.”
Other events
Other activities at the four-day festival were designed for older students or adults.
During the day on Thursday and Friday, attendees at HLSCC listened to free panel discussions on storytelling across various formats.
This set-up marked a change from last year, when the programme had previously run multiple panels concurrently over one day, according to Mr. Georges.
“I think it was definitely a benefit, because we had no concurrent panel discussions, so we were able to really focus on the conversations that were being had,” he said. “I think it definitely improved: While it expanded the festival, it definitely improved, I think, its impact across multiple demographics.”
He added that the audience for the sessions last Thursday was primarily filled with some 200 high school students.
That evening, attendees listened to American film producer Zola Mashariki speak about filmmaking during the “Writers’ Welcome” event at Rhythm and Sands in Cane Garden Bay.
Book fair
The next day, a series of panel discussions was held at HLSCC’s Learning Resource Centre while local authors displayed their books upstairs.
One panel, themed “Women Who Write Islands,” featured St. Thomas novelist Tiphanie Yanique and VI author Andria Flax.
Another featured VI poets sharing their work and discussing their craft, and a third focused on the late Robert Mathavious’ contributions to the financial services industry.
That night, the action moved to Brandywine Estate Restaurant for the “Sunset Stories” event, where attendees heard excerpts from writers including award-winning Trinidadian author Celeste Mohammad.
After reading her excerpt, Ms. Mohammad shared a discussion with Sauda Smith, who is an executive trustee at Unite BVI — a main sponsor for the festival.
Ms. Mohammad, who also read at last year’s Sunset Stories, told the Beacon at the end of the evening she was glad to return for a second year.
“It’s a very appreciative audience,” she said. “I can tell they really do listen to what is being read, and that is always so encouraging for a writer to know that people are listening and connecting with your work.”
Also featured were readings from authors who will be included in a VI and USVI short-story collection set to be released next year.
The book’s contributors include Johanna Gibson and Rea Vanterpool, who were also named Emerging Writer Fellows for this year.
Joanna Vass — the general manager at VP Bank, another major festival sponsor — told the Beacon on Friday night that the event was a success.
“I am always honestly so inspired by these authors,” she said. “In fact, their writing style is often unique. I haven’t even come across some of their styles.”
On Saturday, besides the morning children’s events, activities included daytime writing workshops attended by about 40 people.
That evening, the “Light a Fire” poetry reading was held at Botella at Cyril B. Romney Tortola Pier Park.
Mr. Georges said this night was “exceptional” and featured a “beautiful blend of poets.”
They included Johanna Gibson, Anika Christopher, Linette Rabsatt, Michael Jefferson, Pat Turnbull, April Glasgow, Raven Phillips, David Knight, Derron Sandy, Isabelle Baafi and Safiya Kamaria.
Mr. Georges added that organisers surprised the audience with a few unlisted poets that night, such as Vadelle Ibel.
On Sunday, the final day of the festival, attendees headed to Long Bay Beach Resort for a “Book Brunch,” where attendees mingled with featured writers.
Winners announced During the event, the 2025 Emerging Writer Fellows and the winners of the BVI Lit Fest Writing Competition were announced (see sidebar at right).
“[The festival has] grown year by year,” Ms. Vass said. “The number of people that are interested, number that have attended, the artists that have come to this island are really exceptional, phenomenal artists. We’re incredibly lucky.”
Freeman Rogers contributed to this story.