Staff writer Eunice Nisbett
Best-Selling Authors, Publishing Industry Power Brokers, Celebrity Notables & Book Enthusiasts Set To Converge At First Annual Anguilla Literary Festival May 24th through May 28th 2012
Terry McMillan, Randall Robinson, Sheryl Lee Ralph & Hill Harper Announced. For Week-Long Festivities With Beatific Anguillan Landscape As Backdrop.
(New York, N.Y. May 10th, 2012) The Anguilla Tourist Board will host its first annual literary festival May 24th through May 28th at the statuesque, Paradise Cove Resort.
Best-selling authors, publishing industry power brokers, celebrity notables and book enthusiasts will converge on the peerless Caribbean destination, known for its buttery soft vanilla sand, beautiful people, rich history and seductive water in shades of blue – turquoise, aqua and marine.
Sheryl Lee Ralph
Officially billed as ‘Anguilla Lit Fest: A Literary Jollification,’ the auspicious five-day event will be a celebration of literature, arts and culture featuring an array of distinguished authors from the Caribbean and Abroad. Best-selling author, screenwriter and professor Terry McMillan (‘Waiting to Exhale’) will join esteemed lawyer, activist and author Randall Robinson (‘The Debt’) in top-lining the festival, which will include exclusive author readings, informative workshops, empowering panel discussions and other specially-tailored activities.
“I’m thrilled about teaching The Maverick Celebration workshop at the 1st annual Anguilla Literary Festival, I’m excited to motivate others,” said Terry McMillan.
Award winning author and actor Hill Harper (‘The Conversation’), producer/author Crystal McCrary (‘Inspiration: Black Woman Who Are Changing The World’) and actress/singer/activist and new author Sheryl Lee Ralph (‘Redefining Diva’) are also confirmed, along with literary industry key influencers Malaika Adero (Atria/Simon & Schuster), Lasana Sekou (House of Nehesi Publishers) and Marva Allen (Hue Man Books), among others.
“This is the first year of the Anguilla Literary Festival and I’m excited to be involved. Anguilla is a peerless destination known as a haven of excellence it’s an island that is still owned largely by local Anguillans and that spirit is reflective in the pride of the people,” said Hill Harper.
The distinctive name of the festival speaks to a very important facet of Anguilla’s cultural heritage–the Jollification, a gathering of people to share and help neighbors. This was traditionally done through the plowing and planting of ground, all against the backdrop of men working together, women cooking, and children playing, while the work was carried out free of cost, with much laughter, singing and “jollification.”
“This festival could not have been staged without the Anguilla Jollification approach,” said Director of Tourism Candis Niles. “Through the assistance, support and sharing of the Ministry of Social Development, the Anguilla Tourist Board, the Anguilla Social Security Board, Paradise Cove Resort & Conference Centre, Cuisinart Golf Resort & Spa, DaVida’s Restaurant, and our partners from the business sector, Coral Reef Bookstore, Merchants’ Market and Tropical Flower Distributors, we have been able to make the Anguilla Literary Festival a reality, and for that we extend our sincere thanks and appreciation.”
“Literacy has always been of paramount importance to the people of Anguilla,” said Hon. Haydn Hughes, Parliamentary Secretary Tourism Ministry, GovernmentHYPERLINK “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Anguilla” of Anguilla. “The Anguilla Literary Festival was conceived to highlight the creative mastery of celebrated authors to promote excellence in publishing while also igniting the imagination and aspirations of book enthusiasts. We look forward to kicking off this worthwhile effort celebrating the literary arts and by so doing, motivate young prospective writers to embark on a career in writing.”
Special packages for the event are being offered by Anguilla’s leading accommodation establishments, including Paradise Cove Resort’s “Lit Talk Anguilla” package; Cuisinart Golf Resort & Spa’s “Invitation to Exhale with Terry McMillan” package; Little Butterfly’s “Lit Talk Anguilla” package, Anguilla Great House presents “Great Anguilla Lit Talk” and Anacaona Boutique Hotel’s “Book Binder Girls Getaway” package.
http://ivisitanguilla.com/anguillas-literary-festival-accommodations-packages/
We Are Anguilla
The beautiful and peerless island of Anguilla offers a culturally enriching Caribbean experience. Rated by Conde Nast as one of the world’s “Most Romantic Hideaways,” Anguilla’s Cap Juluca Resort has held its standard as a premier destination for international travelers. As the celebrated cuisine capital of the caribbean, Anguilla also boasts more than 100 restaurants and eateries ranging in a multitude of cuisines and tastes throughout its tranquil landscape; including the world renowned Blanchard’s, which has been hailed as one of the best restaurants in the Caribbean. Anguilla’s newest resort, Viceroy Anguilla, is a sprawling showplace of picturesque beauty, considered “perfect” by Vogue magazine. The small country has hosted Bankie Banx’s live music extravaganza, ‘Moonsplash,’ for over 20 years. Accommodations in Anguilla range from beautifully-appointed boutique properties and visually stunning villas, to quaint bed & breakfast outposts and award-winning, five-star resorts. The island can be easily accessed by air or sea from the Princess Juliana International Airport in St. Maarten, which offers non-stop and direct service from a growing number of U.S. cities via Jet Blue, Air France, United Airlines, BVI, Delta, Air Canada and American Airlines, among many others, making Anguilla the perfect, most desired escape in the Eastern Caribbean. For more information on travel to Anguilla, visit www.ivisitanguilla.com, Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Anguilla, or Follow us on Twitter: @anguillatourism or contact the Anguilla Tourist Board at 1.800.553.4939.
The Anguilla Tourist Board (ATB) is responsible for the development and management of the island’s tourism industry, charged with the promotion of tourist travel, and the establishment, maintenance and improvement of high standards of product and service quality in the tourism sector. Working in tandem with its overseas Marketing Representatives in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Scandinavia, Puerto Rico and South America, the board promotes Anguilla as the Caribbean’s premier, exclusive, quality destination experience, where “feeling is believing.”
