It all started with a simple question: what might happen if Saint Lucian writers had the space to find their voices? That idea has now become a published collection with 12 emerging local authors.
Tiwé Listwa: Emerging Voices from Saint Lucia, an anthology of short stories, poetry and essays, was launched on August 8 at the Finance Administrative Centre as part of this year’s Emancipation events.
The book grew out of a three-day writing retreat held in October 2025 at the site of a former plantation, where participants were encouraged to explore Saint Lucia’s history, culture and identity while developing their craft.
For Amanie Mathurin, founder and creative director of the Listwa Collective and lead editor, the journey started more than a year before the retreat.
“The idea for a writing retreat and accompanying anthology first came to me in early 2024. It began with the incessant tug of a simple question: what could happen if we bring ten Saint Lucian writers together and give them a space to build community, develop their craft, and find their voice?” Mathurin said.
But the intention, she explained, was never simply to teach people how to write. She wanted participants to think about how their writing could confront history and tell Saint Lucian stories from their own perspective.
“At the heart of this idea was a desire to help them see writing as more than storytelling and imagination. I wanted them to appreciate writing as an exercise in courage and a tool of narrative justice. A means of confronting the past, making sense of the present, and imagining new possibilities for the future.”
That idea eventually took shape through the inaugural Tiwé Listwa Writing Retreat. Writers came together for sessions covering storycrafting, language, culture and identity, history and research, folklore and publishing.
Participants joined in traditional oral storytelling, traced aspects of their own family histories and toured the former slave plantation where the retreat was held. Jamaican poet and author Kei Miller was among those who joined the writers during the weekend, sharing his experience and knowledge.
The result is a collection that features work by Tia Christopher, Monique Auguste, Petana Emilaire, Lyndell Halliday, Kerwin Eloise, Hayzan Louis, Kristina Daniel, Amanda Faye Clarke, Amanie Mathurin, Tresha Lionel, Danielle Ayla Du Bois and Christa St Ange.
Their pieces range from history and folklore to personal reflections on family, community, and identity. Mathurin says the finished book shows both love for Saint Lucia and concern for its challenges.
“Tiwé Listwa: Emerging Voices from Saint Lucia is many things. It is at once a love letter to our homeland and an expression of quiet concern; a plea to be heard and a call to care,” she said.
For the writers, seeing their ideas become a physical book was the final chapter of a journey that began months earlier.
Author Christa St. Ange described the project as “a carefully crafted Saint Lucian writing space and experience like no other”.
“I was able to pick at and probe so many thoughts that were triggered during our writing retreat. The outcome: A love letter to Saint Lucia posing as this impressive anthology of exceptional written works. I am immensely proud to be one of those featured,” St. Ange said.
Fellow author Hayzan Louis said that, before living it, the experience from retreat to publication was difficult to imagine.
“Living this experience, from the retreat to the launch, honestly felt like a dream. I could have never imagined the range of emotions I would feel … from being part of such an enlightening retreat surrounded by so many inspirational people, to creating a piece of my own that could hopefully inspire others.”
There was another surprise waiting for the writers at the launch. Although their work filled its pages, the authors had not seen the finished book or its cover beforehand. The artwork by Jonathan Gladding was unveiled for the first time that evening.
Ten of the 12 authors also read excerpts from their work. The evening also included performances by violinist Michael Fletcher, vocalist Shan Lucien and the Youth In Arts masqueraders.
The Cultural Development Foundation funded the launch.
