Ask author Celeste Mohammed anything at Salon

Ask anything – that’s the opportunity that Bocas Lit Fest is offering their subscribers, Friends of Bocas Lit Fest, at their inaugural author Salon event this Sunday.

The first Salon guest author, Trinidadian Celeste Mohammed, says this is exactly what she needed ten years ago, when she was on her own journey to becoming a writer. The stories in her debut novel, Pleasantview, published by New York-based Ig Publishing in May 2021, have been hailed as reminiscent of Chekhov and VS Naipaul. Ingrid Persaud says they are “full of unexpected twists and connections and infused with humour…They herald the arrival of an intriguing new voice.”

But before Pleasantview came to life, Mohammed was a lawyer for 19 years. On her career change, last month on Bocas’ Bios and Bookmarks series, she said she had always wanted to be a writer, but chose a legal career, thinking it might be more lucrative. After ten years in the profession, the lifelong tug towards creative writing led her to do an MFA in fiction. There was no turning back.

This Sunday’s virtual Salon event with Friends of Bocas Lit Fest is specially formatted to allow Mohammed, and other writers who will be subsequently featured, the opportunity to share their personal insights and behind-the-scenes candid stories about their work. In the Salon’s casual, intimate virtual green room format, participants can feel more comfortable having a one-on-one conversation with the author.

Mohammed says this opportunity is exactly what she needed when she had just a dream and a manuscript, and no idea on her next steps or how to meet successful writers. “Bocas and I are giving you all of the information I had to ‘scrounge’ up on a silver platter,” she remarked. She is eager to share insights on anything the audience wants to know – her writing degree, short stories, writing authentically for local and international audiences, and how to get published.

This is at the heart of the Friends of the Bocas Lit Fest initiative –to create a community of Caribbean readers, and provide them with rare access to successful and award-winning writers in their own region. Friends of Bocas Lit Fest was launched this year to leverage public support for the NGO, and to help ensure its financial sustainability. Bocas Lit Fest is funded by corporate sponsors but as its work expands so must its resources.

Subscribers will also enjoy discounts on books from partnering bookstores Paper Based and Metropolitan, ten per cent discount on workshops, priority access to Bocas events, community networking opportunities, and access to exclusive Friends events like the writers’ salons.

For those who have already signed up for the Friends of Bocas Lit Fest platform, the event is free to access, and they can register via the event invitation sent via e-mail. If not yet a Friend of the Bocas Lit Fest, there’s no better time to sign up for all the access the standard or premium annual packages at www.bocaslitfest.com/friends/.