“Read Caribbean Month,” dedicated to reading books written by Caribbean writers, was kicked off on Monday, June 5, 2023.
The Caribbean, which hosts many people of African descent, has produced some of the most important writing in world literature for decades. It has produced winners of major international prizes like the Nobel Prize in Literature (V.S. Naipaul and Derek Walcott), Booker Prize (Marlon James), and many others.
There has been an explosion of writing from that part of the world in the last decade or so. Bookstagrammer Cindy Allman, a Jamaican living in Trinidad & Tobago set up the Book of Cinz platform to encourage people to Read, read more, read widely, and Read Caribbean in 2018.
In 2019, Allman announced June as “Read Caribbean Month” to encourage people to read books by Caribbean nationals/ persons of Caribbean heritage, books about the Caribbean, and books set in the Caribbean. It was selected as it is the official Caribbean-American Heritage Month in the USA. Those reading these books were encouraged to share their experiences with the #ReadCaribbean hashtag.
The 2023 edition of Read Caribbean Month was kicked off with a message from its founder;
The aim of Read Caribbean is to create awareness for Caribbean Authors and their work. For 2023 we will be showcasing all the best that the Caribbean Literary scene has to over. June 2023 promises to be an amazing month for Caribbean Literature and I really hope you can join in!” said Allman.
For those who want to participate, you can follow the Instagram Hashtag or click here for more information.
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