VI Literary Festival & Book Fair Returns April 9–12 Celebrating Caribbean Voices and Global Storytelling - Twelfth annual festival celebrates Caribbean literature & the 40th anniversary of The Caribbean Writer.

The Virgin Islands Literary Festival and Book Fair (VI LitFest) will celebrate its 12th annual gathering of writers, scholars, and readers from April 9–12, 2026, under the theme “Caribbean Literature: A Force of Representation.”

Founded at the University of the Virgin Islands’ College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and now presented in partnership with The Caribbean Writer under the auspices of the St. Croix Foundation for Community Development, the festival has become one of the Caribbean’s leading literary events. The annual gathering highlights regional voices while connecting the Virgin Islands to the global literary community.

“We are delighted to celebrate our 12th year,” said VILF Chairperson Alscess Lewis-Brown, editor of The Caribbean Writer. “This year is especially meaningful as the festival coincides with the 40th anniversary of The Caribbean Writer, the University’s internationally respected literary journal.”

The four-day festival will feature author readings, panel discussions, workshops, school visits, and cultural events designed to engage readers, students, educators, and aspiring writers.

The festival opens Thursday with author visits to St. Croix schools, followed by scholarly paper presentations from writers whose work was selected through The Caribbean Writer’s call for papers. An opening reception will be held that evening at Government House.

Friday’s program will include keynote panels and interactive workshops, offering participants opportunities to engage directly with authors, scholars, and publishing professionals. The evening will culminate with the popular Book Bacchanal at the Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts, where the public is invited to meet and hear readings from award-winning writers.

Saturday begins at 7 a.m. with the beloved Bush Tea Morning Social, a lively cultural gathering featuring traditional bush tea, Caribbean cuisine, poetry, music, and conversation. The day continues with panel discussions, workshops, a special film screening, and book-signing opportunities at Undercover Books & Gifts. The evening will feature an Ekphrastic Poetry Competition at Cane Roots Art Gallery in Times Square.

The festival concludes Sunday with the Children’s LitFest at the Children’s Museum of St. Croix, followed by the online Writers’ Roogoodoo, a virtual gathering where writers—particularly those published in The Caribbean Writer—share their work with audiences around the world.

Lewis-Brown said the festival plays an important role in elevating Virgin Islands voices while fostering connections throughout the Caribbean and beyond.

“The festival showcases local writers and thinkers while building bridges across the region and the world,” Lewis-Brown said. “It also provides meaningful opportunities for emerging authors to share their work and expand the region’s creative output.”

The festival offers students, teachers, and aspiring writers rare opportunities to engage directly with accomplished authors, scholars, and publishers through workshops, readings, and discussions that encourage creativity and critical thinking.

Each year, approximately 300 participants attend the festival, representing a diverse mix of ages, professions, and cultural backgrounds. The gathering strengthens community engagement while building lasting networks that extend beyond the Virgin Islands to regional and international literary circles.

A highlight of this year’s festival will be the appearance of award-winning novelist Edwidge Danticat, who first published in The Caribbean Writer in 1987. Lewis-Brown noted that her return represents a powerful full-circle moment.

“Her journey—from early publication in The Caribbean Writer to global literary acclaim—demonstrates what is possible for emerging writers,” Lewis-Brown said.

Other authors participating in the 2026 festival include Channa Bannis, Desmond Hall, Vashti Harrison, Donna Hemans, David Knight Jr., Kelly Starling Lyons, Marsha Messiah, Breanna J. McDaniel, Annie Paul, Shaun Pennington, Leon Perkins, Raven Phillips, Kenneth Ramchand, Nanda Reddy, Etaf Rum, Cathy Mae Sitaram, Louise Stapleton and Richard Warburg. Author biographies are available at www.usvilitfest.com.

The festival is supported by several community partners and sponsors, including the St. Croix Foundation for Community Development; The Buccaneer Hotel; the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism; the University of the Virgin Islands College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences; UVI Cooperative Extension Service; UVI Research and Technology Park; the Virgin Islands Department of Education’s Division of Cultural Education and Division of Curriculum and Instruction; Diageo; the VI Lottery; The Virgin Islands Daily News; the Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts; and The Caribbean Writer.

Community donations, both monetary and in-kind, are also welcomed to help support the territory’s literary tradition. Contributions may be made payable to the St. Croix Foundation for Community Development on behalf of the VI Literary Festival.

2026 Virgin Islands Literary Festival Event Schedule

For more information, visit www.usvilitfest.com or email usvilitfest@gmail.com. Tickets will be available soon on Eventbrite.

Media inquiries should be directed to the University of the Virgin Islands Office of Public Relations at pr@uvi.edu or (340) 693-1059.