Creative Leaps

Adapted  from my essay CODEX LEGACY: The Caribbean Children’s Book We are Caribbean writers, not through shared geography alone. Whatever we write, social realism or fantastic fiction, is drawn from a communal consciousness inherently invested with a unique point of view. And we need Caribbean readers who are equally immersed in the same possibilities, to validate us. In Macmillan-Caribbean’s “tween” novella series, ISLAND FICTION, six different authors crafted works of speculative fiction uniquely varied by their individual styles and theme preferences. Yet each title crafts an imaginative New World borne of and deeply rooted in a shared Caribbean experience. Finding a fair balance between communication and cultural sovereignty is vital for the development of all genres relating to Caribbean children and young adults.  As the series editor of ISLAND FICTION, and author of my own children’s stories, I am interested in the art of conceptualizing u

 THE BURT AWARD FOR YA CARIBBEAN LITERATURE via email from CODE'S Literary Awards Officer Cat Belshaw: Both unpublished manuscripts and published books will be eligible for the BURT AWARD every year. In this first year, books published between 1 August 2011 and 22 August 2013 are eligible for the Award (in future years only books published in the preceding 12 mos will be eligible). The caveat is that both must be submitted by publishers registered and operating in the Caribbean on behalf of their authors.   We are interested in supporting and encouraging new writers, hence the request for manuscripts. At the same time,  because we guarantee the purchase of up to 3000 copies of each winning title, we need a publisher behind the book who is committed to publishing the manuscript, or who is able print additional copies of a published work should they win. The complete eligibility guidelines and application forms will be available via our site  http://www.codecan.o

In partnership with:     The Burt Award for Caribbean Literature Established by CODE  with the generous  support of Canadian  philanthropist  William (Bill)  Burt and the  Literary Prizes  Foundation, in  partnership with  the Bocas  Lit Fest, t he Burt Award for Caribbean Literature is an annual  Award that will be given to three English-language literary  works for Young Adults (aged 12 through 18) written by  Caribbean authors.   A First Prize of $10,000 CAD , a Second Prize of $7,000  CAD and a Third Prize of $5,000 CAD will be awarded to  the winning authors.  Publishers of winning titles will be awarded a guaranteed  purchase of up to 3,000 copies.   The Call for Submissions will open on May 13, 2013  (Forms will become available at: http://www.codecan.org/burt-award-caribbean)   Manuscripts and books published betwee