News

Last Wednesday (10 February), local authors Sam Oakley and Graham Morse shared with a captive audience about their experiences in writing and self-publishing during a session dubbed, 'How to Write the Book You've got Inside You'. The first-of-its-kind literary event, held at the George Town Public Library, was a collaborative effort between the Cayman Islands Public Library Service (CIPLS) and the Cayman Arts Festival (CAF).

During the event’s first segment, Sam Oakley conversed with Graham Morse about his experiences writing his most recent novel, Fatal Fix. This was followed by a discussion with Karen Chin of local publishing house, Christian Lifestyle Magazine (CLM) Publishing. The event's final segment allowed members of the audience, mostly comprised of potential or published authors, to pose questions to either of the three speakers.

CIPLS Director Paul Robinson described the event as the CIPLS' method of assisting local authors. "This event was aimed at supporting Caymanian writers. By condensing and simplifying the publishing process, we were able to give our writers some of the tools to ensure that more of their books are on our shelves in the near future," Mr. Robinson remarked.

CAF Executive Director Marius Gaina expressed his pleasure to partner with the CIPLS on this event. “When CAF decided to launch its literary programmes as part of the 2021 Cayman Arts Festival, partnering with CIPLS was the most natural choice given the topic at hand and the success of our previous collaborations, and we were not disappointed. With CIPLS on board, we were able to effectively work together to deliver this amazing event. It is a great honour to work with such amazing professionals and we thank them for hosting our event and their continued support,” said Mr. Gaina.

Featured author, Graham Morse lauded the CIPLS and the CAF for hosting the event and inviting him to participate. "I am delighted to participate in this inaugural literary event and share my experience of the process of writing and publishing my novel, Fatal Fix. I have felt for some time that literature has been underrepresented in the Cayman Islands. Music has reached a wide audience and recognized local talent, local artists have been exhibited and developed a loyal following, but writers remain largely unknown. I hope this event has encouraged those who came to 'write the book inside them,' and that the library and the Cayman Arts Festival will continue to foster this dream. "

Audience member Tom Peterman also had high praises for the event. "The fringe event held on 10 February at the Georgetown Public Library was a warm and welcoming, intimate setting. What I liked best about the evening was to see the personality of Graham Morse unfolding throughout the interview, much like a character developing in a novel. Learning about the discipline of writing and the creative process was fascinating! The hard work involved gave me a new appreciation of authors everywhere. Who knew that so much was discarded during the editing process? Getting technical advice is always helpful, but experiencing the author in person and seeing him "fleshed out", was especially rewarding. I am quite grateful to the Cayman Islands Public Library Service for hosting this worthwhile event,” said Mr. Peterman.

To learn more about the range of programmes and activities offered by the CIPLS, contact the Cayman Islands Public Library Service by telephone at 949-5159 or by email at paul.robinson@gov.ky.