Book Fairy Festival launches 2026 season with ‘Lost in Wonderland’ theme

What started as a dream scribbled into notebooks has grown into what founder and curator Shanique ‘Shanz the Book Fairy’ Sinclair describes as a movement.

At the official launch reception for Book Fairy Festival 2026, Sinclair shared plans for this year’s literary season while reflecting on how it has expanded over the years.

Sinclair was speaking to guests gathered at Ashley Furniture Homestore on Hope Road in St Andrew on Tuesday. She said the festival, returning for its third year, was built around the belief that literacy extends beyond reading comprehension and includes how people understand themselves, others and the possibilities around them.

According to Sinclair, the narrative that people don't read anymore or that literary events only appeal to a small niche audience is not what she is seeing.

“People are hungry for meaningful experiences. They are looking for opportunities to connect, learn, reflect and belong. Reading isn't disappearing. What people need are more engaging, accessible and creative pathways into stories,” Sinclair said.

The curator continued, “I am so proud to see that the Book Fairy Festival has unearthed an ant's nest of sorts, which has brought the space alive and has incited the bold creation of so many other meaningful events like other literary festivals, book clubs and leisure connections such as the Books and Blankets series at Hope [Botanical] Gardens.”

The Book Fairy introduced two events this year to the growing calendar of literary experiences beyond the festival itself. Among them were Stories & Strides, a hiking initiative held in April that combined movement and reading culture, and Moonlit Bookshelf, a recent film-and-book experience, held on June 13, created to introduce audiences to stories beyond traditional reading spaces.

Other recurring initiatives include Friday Night Bookish Lyme, along with community-focused literacy projects such as My Free Likkle Bookhut and the Love Our Boys Initiative.

Featured author for the evening, Roland Watson-Grant, touched on the importance of creating spaces that encourage imagination in an era increasingly shaped by short attention spans and constant distraction.

Recalling childhood memories of accessing books through mobile library services and visiting the historic Doulos Hope floating library and bookstore, Watson-Grant said experiences like these can leave lasting impressions.

“I think things like that, that sparked the imagination from a very young age and then sparked adults' imaginations as well, are important to us, like in reading, especially in the age of video and in the age of distractions.”

He also shared the importance of writers attending literary festivals. Watson-Grant told Living, “When a writer comes to a festival like this and they listen to how people begin their stories, how they structure stories, how books look and how books are made… You realise it's possible for you.”

Looking ahead to the festival itself, he said one of the strongest opportunities lies in showcasing local talent alongside international voices.

“I want them to realise that Book Fairy Festival is Jamaican, it's homegrown with an international line-up.”

This year’s line-up, Sinclair confirms, includes authors such as Watson-Grant, Cebo Campbell, Asha Bromfield, Cleyvis Natera, Ebony Ladelle, Lizzie Damilola Blackburn, Justin Haynes, Nicole Carr and Stephanie Hazel Lyle, among others.

“We're also bringing together creatives, storytellers and cultural voices whose work extends beyond traditional publishing because storytelling exists in many forms. Whether through literature, film, performance, education or cultural advocacy, each guest contributes something unique to the conversation. You don’t want to miss our dimensional storytelling segment with the revered Dr Amina Blackwood Meeks,” Sinclair told Living.

The festival is slated for July 3-5 at The University of the West Indies (UWI) Regional Headquarters. 

Festival-goers can expect author conversations, wellness-centred literary experiences, children’s programming inside the Pixie Village, artisan showcases and appearances from local and international literary voices and lots of storytelling. As Sinclair puts it, “the beautiful thing about stories is that they don't just change how we see the world. Sometimes they change how we see ourselves”.

ruth-ann.briscoe@gleanerjm.com