https://usvilitfest.com/agenda/https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/usvi-lit-fest-2026-agenda-apr-10-page-3.pngUSVI Lit Fest 2026 Agenda Apr 10 - Page 3https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/usvi-lit-fest-2026-apr-10-page-2-1.pngUSVI Lit Fest 2026 Apr 10 - Page 2https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/usvi-lit-fest-2026-apr-10-page-2.pngUSVI Lit Fest 2026 Apr 10 - Page 2https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/usvi-lit-fest-agenda-apr-10-page-1.pngUSVI Lit Fest Agenda Apr 10 - Page 1https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/usvi-lit-fest-2026-agenda-apr-9-page-1-1.pngUSVI Lit Fest 2026 Agenda Apr 9 - Page 1https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/usvi-lit-fest-2026-agenda-apr-9-page-3.pngUSVI Lit Fest 2026 Agenda Apr 9 - Page 3https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/usvi-lit-fest-2026-agenda-apr-9-page-2.pngUSVI Lit Fest 2026 Agenda Apr 9 - Page 2https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/usvi-lit-fest-2026-agenda-apr-9-page-1.pngUSVI Lit Fest 2026 Agenda Apr 9 - Page 12026-04-03T23:22:21+00:00weekly0.6https://usvilitfest.com/meet-our-sponsors/https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/vi-lit-fest-24-sponsors-1.pngvi-lit-fest-24-sponsors-1https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/lit-fest-logos1-1.pnglit-fest-logos1-1https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/pink-modern-reminder-notification-messages-instagram-post-square-1.pngpink-modern-reminder-notification-messages-instagram-post-square-1https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/island-analytics-marketing-logo.jpgIsland Analytics & Marketing Logohttps://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/st.-croix-avis.jpgSt. Croix Avishttps://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/rt-park.jpgUVI Research and Technology Park Program (RTPark)https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/the-virgin-islands-daily-news-1.jpgThe Virgin Islands Daily Newshttps://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/ital-in-paradise.jpgItal in Paradisehttps://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/us-virgin-islands.jpgU.S. Virgin Islandshttps://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/university-of-the-virgin-islands.jpgUniversity of the Virgin Islands2024-03-29T23:14:49+00:00weekly0.6https://usvilitfest.com/meet-the-committee-members/https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/img_2142.jpgEvannie E. Jeremiahhttps://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/evannie-jeremiah.jpgEvannie JeremiahEVANNIE E. JEREMIAH is an Administrative Specialist at the University of the Virgin Islands - Cooperative Extension Service - employed at UVI for 36 years.  She obtained a BA degree in Business Management from University of the Virgin Islands.  This is her 4th year with VILF.  She is enthused about working in the community and has a sincere love for the literary arts.https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/evannie-e-jeremiah.jpgEvannie E. JeremiahEVANNIE E. JEREMIAH is an Administrative Specialist at the University of the Virgin Islands - Cooperative Extension Service - employed at UVI for 36 years.  She obtained a BA degree in Business Management from University of the Virgin Islands.  This is her 4th year with VILF.  She is enthused about working in the community and has a sincere love for the literary arts.https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/mark-sylvester.jpgMark SylvesterMark Sylvester has been a prison Librarian/Paralegal for many years. He is the recipient of several poetry and short story prizes. In 1992 he was awarded a poetry fellowship by the University of Miami. Mark is the author of poetry collections: When I Awake and The Road I walk. Some years ago, Mark conducted a few poetry workshops with some prisoners out of which came an anthology of the prisoners’ works called, “To Higher Heights.” His other artistic skills/interests include drama, journalism and painting. In recent years, Mark, an ordained minister and widowed and the father of four, has turned his artistic energy/attention to photography.https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/elaine-jacobs1.jpgElaine JacobsElaine Jacobs is a writer, traditional storyteller and retired educator. Her work has appeared in The Caribbean Writer Calendar edition, Mid-Atlantic Foundation, Sea Breeze Journal of Liberian Writings and Talk That Talk: an anthology of African American Storytelling.  She is a co-author of All This Is Love: a collection of Virgin Islands Poetry, Fiction and Art. She created and hosted the local WTJX/PBS Out in de Yard and has performed at many storytelling festivals and conferences nationally.  Jacobs taught multiple grades and language arts subjects in the public school system of the US Virgin Islands before her retirement in 2017, and was a finalist for the 2017 District Teacher of the Year for the St. Thomas/St. John District.https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/alscess-lewis-brown1.jpgAlscess Lewis-BrownAlscess Lewis-Brown is co-Chair of the VILF and Editor in Chief of The Caribbean Writer. She is the author of several books for young adults, including  Efa and the Mosquito as well as the Moko Jumbi Majorettes, Promise of the Pomegranate, Moko Jumbi Dreams, and Footsteps to the Sunrise. She has served on the University of the Virgin Islands’ part time faculty, teaching courses in composition, literature, and the humanities.  Her career as a human resources director and labor relations professional spans more than thirty years.https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/richard-dorsey.jpgRichard DorseyRichard C. Dorsey is the CEO of the Virgin Islands based data analytics and marketing support company, Island Analytics & Marketing, LLC or simply called “IAM, LLC”. As former Director of Institutional Advancement for Catholic Schools and Charities of the Virgin Islands, Richard was integral to the introduction of the first Information Technology academy in territory which promotes Information Telecommunication & Communication certification and education. He also served as reporter for CBS TV2 News, ABC Channel 8 News, journalist for the VI Source, and co-producer and host of the “Strictly for Youths” radio show. Born on St. Croix Richard, accrued more than 15 years of experience in the retail industry, having managed local and national clothing chains.https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/alscess-lewis-brown.jpgAlscess Lewis-BrownAlscess Lewis-Brown is co-Chair of the VILF and Editor in Chief of The Caribbean Writer. She is the author of several books for young adults, including  Efa and the Mosquito as well as the Moko Jumbi Majorettes, Promise of the Pomegranate, Moko Jumbi Dreams, and Footsteps to the Sunrise. She has served on the University of the Virgin Islands’ part time faculty, teaching courses in composition, literature, and the humanities.  Her career as a human resources director and labor relations professional spans more than thirty years.https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/mclavier21.jpgMarthious ClavierMarthious Clavier was born on the island of St. Croix.  He obtained a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Computer Science and a Masters of Education in Technology from the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI). Currently, he is working at the UVI Cooperative Extension Service (CES) as an Assistant Director, Communication, Technology & Distance Learning. He is also a part time instructor in the School of Business at the university. As an UVI-CES employee, he serves as the Director of the UVI Exhibits on the VI Agriculture and Food Fair Board of Directors. The various directors on this board collaborate and conduct the annual VI Agriculture and Food Fair. He also serves as the Associate/Youth Pastor of the Frederiksted Baptist Church.https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/yvette-mcmahon-arnold.jpgYvette McMahon-ArnoldYvette McMahon-Arnold currently serves as Secretary of the Committee. She is a founding member of Virgin Islands Literary Festival and Book Fair (VILitFest) committee. She is also employed by the Virgin Islands Department of Education as a State Director in the Division of Curriculum and Instruction.2024-03-23T00:19:06+00:00weekly0.6https://usvilitfest.com/ekphrastic/2021-04-29T16:36:40+00:00weekly0.6https://usvilitfest.com/press-release-the-caribbean-philosophical-associations-2020-award-winners/2020-02-25T14:08:14+00:00weekly0.6https://usvilitfest.com/register-to-attend/2020-02-25T14:07:52+00:00weekly0.6https://usvilitfest.com/2019-schedule-of-events/https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2019-vilitfest-program-4-10-9.jpg2019 VILITFEST Program 4 10-9https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2019-vilitfest-program-4-10-8.jpg2019 VILITFEST Program 4 10-8https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2019-vilitfest-program-4-10-7.jpg2019 VILITFEST Program 4 10-7https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2019-vilitfest-program-4-10-6.jpg2019 VILITFEST Program 4 10-6https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2019-vilitfest-program-4-10-5.jpg2019 VILITFEST Program 4 10-5https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2019-vilitfest-program-4-10-4.jpg2019 VILITFEST Program 4 10-4https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2019-vilitfest-program-4-10-3.jpg2019 VILITFEST Program 4 10-3https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2019-vilitfest-program-4-10-2.jpg2019 VILITFEST Program 4 10-2https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2019-vilitfest-program-4-10-1.jpg2019 VILITFEST Program 4 10-1https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2019-vilitfest-program-4-02-15.jpg2019 VILITFEST Program 4 02-152020-02-25T14:07:23+00:00weekly0.6https://usvilitfest.com/meet-the-presenters/https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/sheree-sekou.jpgSheree Sekouhttps://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/kim-lyons.jpgKim Lyonshttps://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/patricia-harkins-pierre.jpgPatricia Harkins-Pierrehttps://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/lavaughn-belle.jpgLavaughn Bellehttps://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/emily-williams.jpgEmily WIlliamshttps://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ellen-foster.jpgEllen Fosterhttps://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/clement-a.-white.jpgClement A. Whitehttps://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/donna-kilgore.jpgDonna Kilgorehttps://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/yona-deshommes.jpgYona Deshommeshttps://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/hadiya-sewer.jpgHadiya Sewer2020-02-25T14:07:00+00:00weekly0.6https://usvilitfest.com/map-of-events-and-directns/2020-02-25T14:06:37+00:00weekly0.6https://usvilitfest.com/meet-the-2018-presenters/https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/dr-ellen-foster.jpgDr. Ellen FosterDR. ELLEN FOSTER is associate professor of English at Clarion University of Pennsylvania; she taught at the University of the Virgin Islands St. Thomas campus in 2014-2015. She teaches first-year writing, business and technical writing, and a range of literature courses. Her year in the Caribbean inspired her deep interest in Caribbean literatures and cultures; she has presented on Tiphanie Yanique's Land of Love and Drowning at the Caribbean Studies Association national conference and the Eastern Caribbean Cultures annual conference.https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/mario-picayo.jpgMario PicayoAuthor and publisher Mario Picayo was born in Cuba. As a child he and his family moved to Puerto Rico and later to the United States Virgin Islands. He now resides in New York, but continues his close relationship with the Virgin Islands, spending part of the year on St. Thomas and publishing the work of Virgin Islands writers and illustrators, as well as the work of other Caribbean authors and illustrators. He is the author of A Very Smart Cat; Four Wishes for Robbie; Fun, Fun One Crab on the Run; The Shark and the Parrotfish and Other Caribbean Fables; and one of the Caribbean's all-time best selling children's titles, A Caribbean Journey from A to Y (Read and Discover What Happened to the Z). The last two titles were also published by Editorial Gente Nueva (Havana, Cuba) in Spanish language editions. In 2004 the New York State Assembly made public recognition to his artistic and literary career and to his work as defender and promoter of Latino and Caribbean culture.https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/jamaica-kincaid.jpgJamaica KincaidJAMAICA KINCAID is an award-winning Antiguan-American novelist, essayist, gardener, and gardening writer. She resides in Vermont and teaches at Harvard as the "Professor of African and African American studies in Residence."https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/tiphanie-yanique.jpgTiphanie YaniqueTIPHANIE YANIQUE is a Virgin Islands born author who has garnered wide acclaim for her new novel, Land of Love and Drowning. She is the author of the poetry collection, Wife, which won the 2016 Bocas Prize in Caribbean poetry and the United Kingdom's 2016 Forward/Felix. She is also the author of How to Escape from a Leper Colony. She is the winner of a Pushcart Prize, the Kore Press Fiction Prize, The Academy of American Poets Prize, and a Fulbright Scholarship in writing and the Boston Review Fiction Prize. She is the winner of the 2010 Rona Jaffe Prize in Fiction. Her fiction, poetry or essays can be found in the Best African American Fiction, Transition Magazine, American Short Fiction, The London Magazine, Prism International, Callaloo, and other journals and anthologies. She has had residencies with Bread Loaf, Callaloo, Squaw Valley and the Cropper Foundation for Caribbean Writers. Yanique is a professor of Creative Writing and Caribbean Literature at Drew University.https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/lewis-gordon.jpgLewis Gordon<p> Lewis Gordon teaches in the United States and South Africa, where he is the Nelson Mandela Visiting Professor of Politics and International Studies, and in Toulouse France, where he holds the European Union Visiting Chair in philosophy. He is known not only for his writings on Frantz Fanon, W.E.B DuBois, Frederick Douglass, Anna Julia Cooper, Steve Bantu Biko, and many others, but also his works in philosophy, politics, and varieties of thought in the global south. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the publication of his first book, Bad Faith and Antiblack Racism, and his second, Fanon and the Crisis of European Man. <p> <p> <a href="https://lewisrgordon.com/" target="_blank">Read More</a> </p>2019-10-01T11:31:52+00:00weekly0.6https://usvilitfest.com/2018-schedule-of-events/https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/aesha-duval.jpgAesha DuvalAesha Duval was born and raised on the island of St. Croix., United States Virgin Islands. A former news reporter and spokesperson for the former Member of Congress Donna M. Christensen, Ms. Duval has a strong passion for the Virgin Islands history, law, politics, literacy, community engagement and life-long learning. Ms. Duval is also passionate about serving the community that has so richly contributed to her success. Duval volunteers as a Story Time reader at Undercover Books in Gallows Bay, St. Croix and is a board member for Our Town Frederiksted and CHANT. She has worked as a school librarian at the Ricardo Richards Elementary School and has taught a Public Speaking course at the University of the Virgin Islands. She currently works as a law librarian with the U.S. Court of Appels for the Third Circuit serving the District Court of the Virgin Islands. Ms. Duval holds a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications/Print Media Journalism from Campbell University and a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from Drexel University.https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/mekiel-ruben-5.jpgMekiel-Ruben-5The Chicago born native became interested in music at the early age of eight when his mom gave him a guitar for Christmas. At the age of 15 he began studying music and woodwinds under Louis Gray, high school band director (Crane HS). . His first performance was playing at a high school graduation, and he says he was greatly influenced by Grover Washington Jr.,The Crusaders, Earth,Wind & Fire and Stevie Wonder. He moved to the Caribbean, St. Croix U.S. Virgin Islands as a teenager where he continued to pursue his musical career. He studied privately in St. Croix with jazz woodwinds player James (Jimmy) Hamilton, a 27 year veteran of the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Mekiel says, I use to watch Hamilton perform from the back of the club where I worked. Then we became friends and he taught me the Art of Reservation, and how to enhance my playing style. Mekiel explained. He also studied with Benny Jacob El (a graduate of Julliard School of Music) and while living in St. Croix he learned calypso, reggae, Latin and other Caribbean rhythms. After several years of touring and playing with several theatrical/dance companies in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Mekiel returned to the United States and resided in Los Angeles, CA. for 33 years before returning back to St. Croix U.S. Virgin Islands. <a href="http://www.entertainmentandmore.net/major-artist/mekiel-ruben/" target="_blank">Read More</a>https://usvilitfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/sharon-lewis.jpgSharon LewisVoted one of the top most powerful people in Canada by Elle Magazine in 2004, award winning writer/director/producer Sharon Lewis has been creating ground-breaking content since her 1994 play Sistahs. <a href="https://vilitfest.files.wordpress.com/2018/03/sharon-lewis-artist-cv.pdf" target="_blank">Read More</a>2019-03-06T18:56:49+00:00weekly0.6https://usvilitfest.com/announcements/2017-03-23T01:44:58+00:00weekly0.6https://usvilitfest.comdaily1.02026-04-03T23:22:21+00:00