The 8th annual St. Martin Book Fair is set for June 3-5, 2010, said Shujah Reiph, chairman of the Book Fair Committee .
The 2010 theme is "Nativity." This year the literature festival will also place special emphasis on reading as an individual and family activity. "We are encouraging family reading time," said Reiph
The book fair’s opening ceremony, which alternates between the island’s capitals, will take place at the University of St. Martin (USM).
Book lovers and literary enthusiasts, teachers, parents and youngsters, people from all walks of life are encouraged to mark the date on their calendar."
We are glad to see how the book fair participation has grown by leaps and bounds during the last three years, especially as we’ve been including more schools from both parts of the island," said Reiph.
So we are inviting the people of St. Martin and folks in the surrounding islands to take part in a book fair weekend for the entire family. It promises to be ‘Charismatically Caribbean’ and internationally appealing," said Reiph.
The St. Martin Book Fair will host numerous dynamic authors, poets, novelists, playwrights, scholars, journalists, musicians and a movie/video game animator from St. Martin, the wider Caribbean, USA, Europe and Canada.
At least four of our invited authors will launch new books," said Reiph.
The BFC, which meets at the USM, is busy finalizing a very attractive program of workshops, general sessions, new book launches, the popular children room, poetry evening and the presidents forum, said Reiph.
The BFC will dedicate a general session to the memory of the Haitian people who passed away as a result of the earthquake in January. "The presidents’ forum will be dedicated to the legacy of the outstanding Caribbeanist, the late Professor Rex Nettleford who also passed away this year," said Reiph.
Conscious Lyrics Foundation and House of Nehesi Publishers organize the St. Martin Book Fair in collaboration with the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau, the Collectivity of St. Martin and the University of St. Martin