Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival: Laureates of the Caribbean

Laureates of the Caribbean is the BCLF’s ode to the oral tradition and storyteller of the Caribbean; a tradition heavily influenced and shaped by the indigenous folk-stories of each island, the waves of immigration, indentured labor, and West African culture deposited by the millions of slaves captured and forced to live and work in the colonies during the transatlantic slave trade. It is the highest commendation to the essential work of the griot, or storyteller, who in the telling of their stories, when writing was outlawed, kept the flames of identity burning despite the threat of being extinguished by distance, time and loss.

Poetry readings, rapso performances, and spoken word by:

• Kei Miller
• Eljon Wardally
• Burnett Coburn
• Roger Bonair Agard
• Jeff Dess
• Arielle John
• Lauren Alleyne
• Negus Adeyemi
• Andres Pinas

This event is free and open to the public!