WADADLI YOUTH PEN PRIZE

Images – top – Co-authors of To be a Cheetah, Zavian Archibald, illustrator, left, and Joanne C. Hillhouse, writer, right. (Photo from Zavian Archibald’s facebook) & – below that – with a couple of young LARP-ers who received original art from the book for cosplaying as cheetahs.

Wadadli Pen’s first in-person writing challenge awards post-COVID-19 pandemic took the form of a literary fete – a literal celebration of the word – on July 2nd, 2023, lower St. Mary’s Street, on the street outside of the Best of Books bookstore. Best of Books has been a day-one patron and awards partner since 2011. They this time co-organized the awards with the Cultural Development Division of Antigua and Barbuda. The event shared the spotlight with the launch of children’s book To be a Cheetah, written and illustrated by Joanne C. Hillhouse and Zavian Archibald, respectively. 
 

The team was overwhelmed by the 101 entries and wanting to encourage the ones of great promise that did not make the final cut,  offered for the first time (and continuing) incentive prizes to encourage these writers to keep writing. Check out the list of talent here