Daily Schedule for the Alliouagana Festival of the Word #AFWLitFest

The Alliouagana Festival of the Word begins today, Thursday, November 17 at 10AM.

Here’s the daily schedule for the festival which will have both in-person and virtual events.

Day 1 – Thursday, November 17, 2022

Session I

10:00AM – Welcome Greeting by Nerissa Golden
10:05AM – Why I Love Reading by Eden Wilson of Lemonerdy.com
10:10AM – Book Parade from Little Bay
11:00AM – Meet the Authors – Christal Clashing O’Reilly
11:30AM – Meet the Authors – Sade Walker

Session II
6:00PM – Meet the Authors – Ian Gerald
6:30PM – Meet the Authors – Deanne Whiskey-John
7:00PM – Movie Night at Montserrat Cultural Centre
– Yemoja’s Anansi
7:15PM – Good Night, Montserrat

Day 2 – Friday, November 18, 2022

Session III
10:00AM – Meet the Authors – Roydenn Silcott
10:30AM – Meet the Authors – Vanessa Farrell
11:00AM – School Visits with Coryn A. Clarke
Session IV
5:00PM – Meet the Authors – Dr. Howard Fergus
5:30PM – Meet the Authors – Celia Sorhaindo
6:00PM – Alphonsus “Arrow” Cassell Memorial Lecture

Day 3 – Saturday, November 19, 2022

Session V
10:00AM – Book Launch at MCC- Dr. Howard Fergus, Ian Gerald, Deanne Whiskey-John
11:00PM – MVO Prize Giving
11:30PM – Department of Environment Prize Giving
12:00PM – Book Launch at MCC – Coryn A. Clarke & Roydenn Silcott
1:00PM – Children’s Fun Day with bouncy castle, face painting, treasure hunts, Book Swap and more.

Session VI
8:00PM – Play on Words – After LitFest Lime at Chit Chat Outback

The Alliouagana Festival of the Word is sponsored by Montserrat Arts Council, goldenmedia, Montserrat Tourism Division, Montserrat Public Library, Department of Environment, Montserrat Volcano Observatory, Governor’s Office, Friends of AFW LitFest.

British Actor Tom Pritchard Coming to Montserrat’s AFW LitFest Screening of Deep Blue

British actor Tom Pritchard who plays a ruthless businessman in HAMAFilms Antigua’s Deep Blue, will be appearing at the film’s advanced screening this Thursday, November 17, 2022, at the Montserrat Cultural Centre.

Deep Blue is the feature film for the Alliouagana Festival of the Word’s (AFW LitFest) Movie Night, which kicks off the three-day literary event. Read More

Osborne, Shirley

Shirley Osborne is a writer and an insatiable reader, a social entrepreneur, a women’s leadership advocate and the immediate past Speaker of the Montserrat Legislative Assembly.

Most recently, Shirley curated The Montserrat BrainTrust Alphabet Book, a picture book of the flora, fauna, culture and language of Montserrat, authored by a group of nine students at the Montserrat BrainTrust AfterSchool, and intended for children of primary school age.
Shirley is a Simmons University, MBA.

She is utterly unable to deny herself the joys of the Caribbean Sea, and her most enjoyable evenings are those in which the activities include dance, good food, good conversation and good friends.

St. Martin Linguist Dr. Rhoda Arrindell to Present at Arrow Memorial Lecture During Montserrat’s AFW LitFest

St. Martin linguist and author Dr. Rhoda Arrindell is to discuss how the preservation of our dialects is necessary for nation building at this year’s Alphonsus “Arrow” Memorial Lecture.

The lecture named after Montserrat’s most famous entertainer and national hero, Arrow, will be held on Friday, November 18 at 6PM online.

Dr Rhoda Arrindell -Copyright HNP

“Language as Protest: How does preserving our dialects serve as a tool for nation building? Is the topic of the main panel discussion,” shared Nerissa Golden, Coordinator of the Alliouagana Festival of the Word. “We are excited about this discussion which brings together three women who believe strongly in language as a part of our culture and our identity?”

Dr. Arrindell is a former minister of education, culture, sports & youth affairs for the Government of St. Maarten and the founder of the Institute for Language Research and Development and the United Academy. While in office, she obtained a doctorate in English, specializing in Caribbean linguistics from the University of Puerto Rico and currently works as a consultant and teaches English at the University of The Bahamas.

In 2014, Dr. Arrindell released Language, Culture, and Identity (House of Nehesi Publishers, St. Martin).

Also on the panel is Ann Marie Dewar, an accomplished musician, singer, choral director, stage manager, creole poet, and costume maker. Ms. Dewar has been involved in the performing arts for over 50 years. She writes in the Montserratian Creole language, and her poetry has appeared in several local and international publications.

Moderating the panel will be immediate past Speaker of the Montserrat Legislative Assembly, Shirley Osborne. Ms. Osborne is a writer and an insatiable reader, a social entrepreneur, and a women’s leadership advocate. Most recently, she curated The Montserrat BrainTrust Alphabet Book, a picture book of the flora, fauna, culture and language of Montserrat.

Prior to the main panel, there will be a workshop by literacy specialist Deanne Whiskey-John.

Viewers can watch the panel discussion on Friday, November 18 from 6PM on the AFW LitFest Facebook page, and the Discover Montserrat YouTube channel.

Montserrat’s 14th edition of the literary festival is presented in partnership with Montserrat Arts Council, goldenmedia, Governor’s Office, Montserrat Public Library, and the Department of Environment.

Learn more about the Alliouagana Festival of the Word at litfest.ms.

 

Gerald, Ian

A native of Montserrat, Ian Gerald pursued his love of the visual arts in Photography, and quickly established a reputation as a professional and talented photographer. This was also highlighted internationally when he gained the title of Award-Winning Photographer from the Commonwealth in 2016. Read More

Walker, Sade

Author and Founder of the H.E.R.O Restore Project, Sade Walker was born with profound hearing loss on the beautiful twin island, Trinidad and Tobago.

She identifies as ‘Hard of Hearing’ and experienced bullying in her primary years. As an academic, Sade is an advocate for life-long learning. Sade is a graduate with two degrees – a bachelor’s and Master’s in Business Administration. Presently, she is pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree from the University of Trinidad and Tobago in which her current research is on Social Entrepreneurship and Persons with Disabilities. Read More