The launch of a new book by a past winner of the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature is always a special event. But new novels by two past prizewinners, in a doubleheader session? That’s an occasion not to be missed. And it’s exactly what audiences at the upcoming 2025 Bocas Lit Fest can look forward to, as authors Olive Senior and Celeste Mohammed debut their latest offerings on the afternoon of Sunday 4 May.
Olive Senior, a past Poet Laureate of Jamaica, is also a celebrated writer of fiction, winning the 1987 Commonwealth Writers Prize for her book Summer Lightning and the 2016 OCM Bocas Prize for her short story collection The Pain Tree. She returns to the Bocas Lit Fest this May for the world debut of her new novel Paradise Once (Akashic Books).
Set in the 16th century, Paradise Once is a historical novel exploring the resilience of Indigenous Caribbean peoples in the aftermath of Spanish colonisation. It opens in 1513 with the massacre by Spanish forces of the fictional Maima village in Cuba. “Some believe the destruction of Maima is the result of angering the cemíes — Taíno spiritual entities — when foreign practices, contrary to the sacred laws of the Taíno, began to infiltrate the village,” according to the publisher’s summary.
“Four young people who survive the massacre are unwittingly chosen by the cemíes to save a Sacred Bundle and return it to a cave in the Cauta mountain. The four survivors start off on separate perilous paths and only learn of their roles in the sacred mission when they unite at the holy site and encounter the Maima shaman Candlewood, who has orchestrated their journeys.”
Also making its debut in this 4 May launch event will be the eagerly awaited second novel by T&T’s Celeste Mohammed, winner of the 2022 OCM Bocas Prize for Pleasantview. Ever Since We Small (Jacaranda Books) is similarly structured as a novel-in-stories, “a family saga which covers a sweeping landscape from the days of the British Raj in India, to multicultural modern Trinidad,” according to the publishers.
“The book follows the bloodline of a young woman, Jayanti, after her decision to become a girmitiya, an indentured labourer in the Caribbean. Jayanti’s grandson, Lall Gopaul, seeks to escape the rural village where he was born, but becomes seduced and corrupted by urban life. His son, Shiva, is forced to take a child-bride, Salma, but never recovers from the guilt. Heartache follows for their three children — Anand, Nadya and Abby — who must each find a way to accept and yet move past their parents’ failed example.”
Mohammed explains the significance of the event’s timing: “The book launch is taking place on May 4, exactly four years after the release of Pleasantview, my debut,” she says. “So it’s a sentimental moment for me.”
As for sharing the stage with Olive Senior? “It should make for a firecracker of a conversation.”
The launch event is free and open to all. With the theme “Always Coming Home”, the festival — marking its milestone 15th year — includes over 50 events in all, ranging from authors’ readings and discussions to workshops, films, music, and events for youth and children.
The full festival programme is online at bocaslitfest.com, with frequent updates on social media (@bocaslitfest on Facebook, Instagram, and X).
OCM, First Citizens, the JB Fernandes Memorial Trust, and the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts are main sponsors of the 2025 Bocas Lit Fest; the British Council, the Windham-Campbell Prizes, Murphy Clarke, the Massy Foundation, and The UWI are sponsors.
A Q&A with author Celeste Mohammed
What was the original inspiration for you to write the family saga of Ever Since We Small?
The impetus for the book came from “the headlines”, the countless reports of intimate partner violence leading to dead parents and orphaned children. In particular, I was unnerved by the stories of these women who fascinated the nation for all too brief a time: Kunti Deopersad, in 2018; Andrea Bharatt and Ashanti Riley in 2020.
This is a novel-in-stories that spans generations and decades — how much research did you need to do and what resources did you find helpful?
Writing ESWS required a lot of research. So much so that I included a page, “Main Sources”. I see fiction as a kind of “gateway drug” for readers to learn about our Caribbean history.
What else would you like readers to know about the book?
I want readers to experience the book with the fullness of their imaginations. I hope it will entertain, but ask hard questions, too. Ultimately, I hope readers will come away with the message that it takes time, but we can triumph over our family histories.
Sunday 4 May, 4.30–5.30 pm • Old Fire Station • FREE and open to all
Presenting two hotly anticipated new novels by past winners of the OCM Bocas Prize! Set centuries apart, and epic in both scope and ambition, Olive Senior’s Paradise Once and Celeste Mohammed’s Ever Since We Small make their world debuts at the 2025 Bocas Lit Fest. The authors join host Lisa Outar for a conversation about illuminating the shadowy parts of Caribbean history.
