Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine APRIL 2019 | Page 30

picture book, Beauty and
the Beast, is an African
retelling of the classic fairy
tale, translated from the
original French and retold by
her husband, H. Chuku Lee, a
founding member of NABJA.
And, from HarperCollins
as well, her fi rst middle
grade novel, Trace, will be
published in 2019; Kane
Smego is an international
touring spoken word poet
and Hip Hop Artist, educator,
and National Poetry Slam
fi nalist. He is the Associate
Director and an artist
alumnus of Next Level, a
cultural diplomacy program
that sends American hip-
hop artists around the
world to use music and
dance to promote cultural
exchange, entrepreneurship,
and confl ict prevention.
Kane has performed and
taught poetry and Hip
Hop programs across the
country and abroad on fi ve
continents. Ira Sumner
Simmonds, of Nevis is a life-
long educator who currently
works as an educational
consultant. He has written
about inspirational language
teacher, Mrs Katzen in his
book From Siberia to St
Kitts: A Teacher’s Journey;
Stephanie Stokes-Oliver,
author and former editor
of Essence magazine,
heads SSO Media, an
international consulting
fi rm that specializes in
book, magazine, and digital
publishing. She serves as a
literary scout for Simon &
Schuster’s Atria Book Group,
and as author curator for the
Anguilla Lit Fest. Formerly
the VP of publishing of Unity
Publishing, a division of the
Unity spiritual organization,
she also worked as the editor
of Unity Books. She will
be presenting her newest
publication, the critically-
acclaimed anthology Black
Ink; as well as other big
hitters from the publishing
world, including Dawn
Davis, who had an illustrious
career with HarperCollins,
before joining Simon &
Schuster as the VP and
Publisher of 37 INK, an
imprint within the Atria
Publishing Group. Since
launching 37 INK, she has
published many award-
winning publications; Alex
“Shujah” Reiph, is a leading
St. Martin national activist,
cultural organizer, and trade
unionist. He is president
of the Conscious Lyrics
Foundation and producer/
host of the long-running
Conscious Lyrics radio
magazine, on 95.9 FM. Reiph
was a founding member of
the St. Martin Educational and
Cultural Organization (SMECO)
in 1984. In 2003, he partnered
with Lasana M. Sekou and
started the St. Martin Book
Fair, which celebrates its 16th
anniversary in 2019. Reiph
holds an Associate of Arts in
General Liberal Arts from the
University of St. Martin; and
Yona Deshommes, of the Atria
Book Group of Simon & Schuster
where she holds the title of
Associate Director of Publicity
for many celebrity and award-
winning authors, including
Kevin Hart, Common and Alice
Walker.
Special vacation packages for the event are off ered by
a number of Anguilla’s leading properties,
including the host venue, Paradise Cove Resort, and
sponsor hotel, The Reef by CuisinArt.
“This refreshing cocktail
of outstanding authors,
poets and publishing
professionals sharing,
motivating and inspiring
Festival afi cionados,
set in the lush tropical
gardens of Paradise
Cove Resort, and framed
in the vibrant national
colours of Anguilla-
turquoise, orange
and white- combined
with the extraordinary
beauty of Anguilla’s
beaches and the unique
opportunity that Lit
Fest provides to mix
and mingle with other
like- minded people
in a luxurious, yet laid-
back holiday destination
- this is the essence of
the Anguilla Litfest:A
Literary Jollifi cation,
and it is sure to be an
elixir for anyone looking
to relax, rejuvenate or
reinvent themselves.”
says Sherille Hughes,
President of the Anguilla
Literary Foundation.
“We look forward
to welcoming back
old friends and to
introducing a new cadre
of Anguilla Lit Fest
fans to this unique and
totally authentic island
Festival!”