Out Of The Caribbean: Shortlist 2026 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature
The shortlist for the 2026 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature has been announced, offering a vibrant snapshot of the region’s literary talent and storytelling. The prize, first presented in 2011, is one of the most prestigious awards for Caribbean writing and recognises books in three categories: poetry, fiction, and literary nonfiction. The winners of […]
Black News 
The shortlist for the 2026 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature has been announced, offering a vibrant snapshot of the region’s literary talent and storytelling.
The prize, first presented in 2011, is one of the most prestigious awards for Caribbean writing and recognises books in three categories: poetry, fiction, and literary nonfiction. The winners of each category will be announced on 25th March 2026, with the overall winner revealed during the Bocas Lit Fest, taking place 30th April to 3rd May 2026 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.
This year, fifteen writers with roots across the Caribbean and its diaspora have been shortlisted, representing several islands and territories including Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba, and Haiti.
In the poetry category, Jamaican literary icon Lorna Goodison appears with Dante’s Inferno, a Caribbean reinterpretation of the classic Italian epic. Goodison is widely celebrated for poetry that draws deeply on the island’s folklore, colonial history, and spiritual traditions. She is joined by Catherine-Esther Cowie, shortlisted for Heirloom, a debut collection reflecting on memory and heritage.
Another notable voice is Canisia Lubrin, born in St Lucia, whose collection The World After Rain. The Poem explores language, identity, and the legacy of colonialism. Shauna M. Morgan, from Trinidad and Tobago, is shortlisted for Ground Provisions, a title referencing staple Caribbean foods and traditions. Completing the poetry shortlist is Achy Obejas, a Cuban-born writer whose The Boy Kingdom reflects the experience of migration and diaspora.
The fiction shortlist highlights both established and emerging storytellers. Jamaican novelist Olive Senior, long regarded as one of the Caribbean’s most influential literary figures, is shortlisted for Paradise Once. Senior’s work often draws on Jamaica’s rural landscapes and oral storytelling traditions. Also representing Jamaica is Marcia Douglas, whose experimental novel The Jamaica Kollection of the Shante Dream Arkive, blends music, myth, and dreamlike narrative structures.
Other finalists include Justin Haynes of Barbados with Ibis, a novel exploring Caribbean identity and belonging, and H. Nigel Thomas, whose A Different Hurricane examines migration and Caribbean family life abroad. Completing the fiction shortlist is Robert de la Chevotière, whose work reflects the cultural hybridity typical of many Caribbean societies.
In literary nonfiction, the region’s histories and personal narratives take centre stage. Jamaican writer Jason Allen-Paisant explores nature and identity in The Possibility of Tenderness: A Jamaican Memoir of Plants and Dreams. Kevin Adonis Browne, from Trinidad and Tobago, is shortlisted for A Sense of Arrival, which reflects on migration and belonging in the Caribbean diaspora.
Haitian journalist and activist Monique Clesca appears with Silence and Resistance: Memoir of a Girlhood in Haiti, a powerful personal account shaped by Haiti’s turbulent political history. Other finalists include Tessa McWatt, a writer with Guyanese heritage, and Maria Pinto, whose work connects ecology, science, and Caribbean cultural survival.
Together, the shortlist reflects the extraordinary range of Caribbean literature, from poetry rooted in island landscapes to fiction shaped by migration and diaspora. As the Bocas Lit Fest approaches in May, readers across the region and beyond will be watching to see which of these voices claims the Caribbean’s most coveted literary prize.
