The stories, songs, and spirit of the Virgin Islands will take center stage next month when the BVI Literary Festival returns for its fifth edition from Nov. 6 to 9 under the theme “Long Story Short,” a press release announced.

Launched in 2021 as a collaboration between the Department of Culture and H. Lavity Stoutt Community College, the festival has grown into one of the Caribbean’s most vibrant gatherings of writers, poets, and readers. This year’s lineup features headliners Zola Mashariki, Celeste Mohammed, Diana McCaulay, Tiphanie Yanique, and Chris Jackson, joined by an array of regional and international voices celebrating storytelling across genres and generations, according to the press release.

The festival opens Nov. 6 with the Writers’ Welcome Reception at Rhythm + Sands in Cane Garden Bay — a night of conversation, music, and community. The evening will include an intimate dialogue with award-winning producer Zola Mashariki and live performances by Razor Blades, setting the tone for the weekend ahead, the press release stated.

The Let’s Talk Lit panel discussions follow Nov. 6–7 at HLSCC’s Paraquita Bay Campus, bringing together Caribbean and global writers to explore how creativity connects literature, music, and art. That Friday evening, the festival moves seaside for Sunset Stories at Brandywine Bay, sponsored by VP Bank. The event will feature Celeste Mohammed, Diana McCaulay, and Dr. L. Sauda Smith in a conversation on salt, memory, and migration, and will preview the forthcoming anthology Virgin Islands Noir, set for release in 2026, the release stated.

On Saturday, Nov. 8, Literary Wonderland: Children’s Showcase will highlight young imaginations through interactive storytelling, creative workshops, and play for children ages 4 to 12, with free admission. That same day, the Writing with Writers Workshops will offer hands-on guidance in poetry, fiction, and filmmaking. A publishing panel with industry leaders Johnny Temple, Chris Jackson, Elise Dillsworth, and Yona Deshommes will explore how writers and publishers shape stories that last, it stated.

The night culminates with Light A Fire: Poets’ Showcase at Botella, Cyril B. Romney Tortola Pier Park, featuring acclaimed poets Derron Sandy, Isabelle Baafi, and Safiya Kamaria, alongside Virgin Islands talents Johanna Gibson, Linette Rabsatt, and Raven Phillips, the release stated.

The festival concludes Sunday, Nov. 9, with the Book Brunch — a signature roundtable event where readers can share stories and insights directly with featured writers over a communal meal, it stated.

According to organizers, the BVI Literary Festival continues to bridge generations, cultures, and disciplines through advocacy, education, and cultural exchange, while supporting local businesses and the creative economy. “Long Story Short,” the release notes, “the stories are waiting, the sunsets are waiting, and the conversations that will change us are waiting.”

Tickets for all signature events are available at Beans Coffee Co. at the Cyril B. Romney Tortola Pier Park, the HLSCC Campus Store, the HLSCC Virgin Gorda Centre, and online at www.bvilitfest.com.

Learn more or view the full schedule here.