BAJAN SUN MAGAZINE
BAJAN SUN MAGAZINE
OCT 2014
DEC 2014
Musical Youth By Joanne C. Hillouse
M
usical
Youth
Antiguan
by
and
truths about class, colour, and relationships on the Caribbean
island of Antigua.
Barbudan author, Joanne C.
Musical Youth placed second in the 2014 Burt Award for
Hillhouse is now available on
Caribbean Literature sponsored by CODE.
Amazon in print and kindle
Musical Youth is a beautifully crafted novel with the leitmotiv of
formats.
music running throughout it. This is a powerful and credible
Just in time for the holiday
story of young love between two likeable heroes.”—CODE,
season,
CaribbeanReads
Sponsors of the Burt Award for Caribbean Literature.
pleased
to
the
Musical Youth‘s author, Joanne C. Hillhouse is the Antiguan and
launch of the award-winning
Barbudan author of The Boy from Willow Bend, Dancing Nude
young adult book Musical
in the Moonlight, Fish Outta Water, and Oh Gad! Her fiction,
Youth
and
non-fiction and poetry have been published in various
Barbudan author Joanne C.
international journals and anthologies. Joanne lives in Antigua
Hillhouse.
and from there she freelances across borders as a writer, editor,
This
by
book,
announce
is
Antiguan
which
placed
and writing coach; and runs the Wadadli Youth Pen Prize writing
second in the 2014 Burt
programme to nurture and showcase the literary arts. Read more
Award for Caribbean Literature, follows one eventful and music-
about
Joanne’s
work
at
wadadlipen.wordpress.com
and
filled summer in the life of a group of Antiguan teenagers.
jhohadli.wordpress.com
Guitarist Zahara and Shaka, a musical genius find love and face
Cover Illustration by Antiguan and Barbudan artist Glenroy
many challenges as they take part in a theatrical production that
Aaron.
they must get right by the end of the summer.
The Burt Award for Caribbean Literature is administered by
Can one summer make the difference of a lifetime?
CODE, a Canadian NGO with 55 years of experience supporting
Zahara is a loner. She’s brilliant on the guitar but in everyday life
literacy and learning in Canada and around the world. As a
she doesn’t really fit in. Then she meets Shaka, himself a musical
second place winner of this award, Musical Youth will be
genius and the first boy who really gets her. They discover that
distributed throughout the Caribbean to libraries and similar
they share a special bond, their passion for music, and Zahara
learning institutions. In addition, CODE supports professional
finds herself a part, not just of Shaka’s life, but also that of his
development of writers and libraries. One of the first events
boys, the Lion Crew.
connected to Musical Youth will be a free workshop for adult
When they all get roles in a summer musical, Zahara, Shaka, and
and teen writers this November in Antigua.
the rest of the Lion Crew use the opportunity to work on a secret
project. But the Crew gets much more than they bargained for
Musical Youth is the third of five books being published by
when they uncover a dark secret linking Shaka and Zahara’s
CaribbeanReads in the second half of 2014
families and they’r H