The CaribLit Website
In April 2012 Commonwealth Writers, The British Council and the NGC Bocas Literary Festival joined forces to launch the Caribbean Literature Action Group, known as CALAG. It’s a results-oriented action group of professionals from the Caribbean literary sector whose aim is to develop and implement a number of initiatives to support an infrastructure for literary publishing within the region and to link the Caribbean’s writers to the rest of the world; for example, a regional online hub to connect writers and publishers, and mentoring and editing schemes. This website was launched at BOCAS Lit Fest 2013 and CALAG was renamed CaribLit. For its second year Commonwealth Writers continues to be the main funder of CaribLit with support from the British Council. BOCAS Lit Fest remains a working partner of the initiative.
What is CaribLit?
CaribLit is a central resource for writers and publishers to gain information on publishing, marketing, distribution and bookselling in the Caribbean and to share their expertise and best practices. The website has been developed by the Caribbean Literature Action Group, a working group of Caribbean writers, publishers, academics, festival coordinators and other persons from the literary sphere, with a shared interest in promoting Caribbean writing and publishing.
The inaugural CALAG meeting was convened by the NGC BOCAS Lit Fest in April 2012 with support from the Commonwealth Foundation and the British Council and has continued with support from all three partners.
In addition to developing the new website, over the last year CALAG has also secured a pledge for an imprint to publish new Caribbean writing by UK publisher Peepal Tree Press and American publisher Akashic Books, facilitated representation at Havana, Kingston and London Book Festivals and arranged practical publishing master-classes held in Jamaica by UK publishers of Caribbean fiction.
In 2013-14 CaribLit will be developing a raft of different projects which will go towards building a publishing infrastructure across the Caribbean. These include a new Caribbean imprint to be developed by Akashic Books and Peepal Tree Press.
The new website offers practical advice, industry updates and reports from regional Book Fairs and events from across the Americas.
Find out more at www.cariblit.org