In the Caribbean, LGBTQ individuals live in fear of being ostracized at a minimum and physically assaulted – or even murdered – at worst. This panel celebrates the contributions of LGBTQ writers with roots in Haiti, Cuba, Trinidad, and Saint Thomas who are unapologetic for their queerness and whose writing challenges Caribbean homophobia.

The author of the PEN/Faulkner nominated The Tower of the Antilles as well as other titles, Achy Obejas frequently writes on sexuality and nationality, and has received a USA Ford Fellowship and an NEA, among other awards, for her creative work. Shani Mootoo’s Polar Vortex is a seductive and tension-filled novel about Priya and Alex, a lesbian couple  who attempt to escape the secrets of their pasts. Stonewall and Lambda Award-winning author Kacen Callender’s King of the Rising is the searing conclusion to an unflinching and powerful Caribbean-inspired fantasy series about colonialism, resilience and defiance.