Jamaica Book Festival to Lead First-Ever Caribbean Collective at Bologna Children’s Book Fair
The Jamaica Book Festival (JBF), with support from the Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BCBF), the Italian Trade Agency (ITA), and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), will lead the first-ever official Caribbean Collective delegation to the 2026 Bologna Children’s Book Fair in Italy from April 13–16.
This landmark initiative represents a major step forward for the Caribbean’s creative and publishing industries, signaling a deepening of regional collaboration and a growing global presence for Caribbean children’s literature and imaginative content.
The Bologna Children’s Book Fair is the world’s leading international event dedicated to children’s publishing, illustration, rights, licensing, and multimedia content. The Caribbean delegation will include Latoya West-Blackwood (Jamaica), Founder and Festival Director of the Jamaica Book Festival; Delvin Howell of Barbados-based Beyond Publishing Caribbean; and Jeunanne Alkins of Trinidad and Tobago-based Everything Slight Pepper, publisher of the Bright Eyed brand.
Through the Caribbean Collective, the delegation will present a curated selection of children’s books and creative content from across the region, while engaging international publishers, rights professionals, distributors, funders, and potential partners. Beyond showcasing the region’s storytelling, the initiative is designed to open new pathways for rights development, cross-border collaboration, and sustainable growth within the Caribbean’s children’s publishing ecosystem.
As Caribbean nations continue to strengthen cultural and creative ties, this unified presence at Bologna reflects a broader shift toward producing and exporting more imaginative, diverse, and globally competitive content in children’s literacy.
For the Jamaica Book Festival, this initiative is part of a wider commitment to strengthening the children’s publishing ecosystem in Jamaica and across the Caribbean, ensuring that regional stories are not only created but also seen, valued, and circulated internationally.
“This is a significant moment for Caribbean publishing,” said West-Blackwood. “The region has extraordinary stories, creative talent, and cultural value. However, we have not always had a coordinated presence in international spaces where rights are traded, partnerships are formed, and new opportunities begin. The Caribbean Collective is about changing that, it is about showing the world that Caribbean children’s literature and content deserve to be seen, supported, and taken seriously.”
Reflecting on both the challenges and opportunities of creating within the region, Alkins said, “One of the biggest hurdles of living in the Caribbean is the logistics of moving physical products. Hopping from island to island can be just as complex and costly as shipping across the globe. That’s why I’m especially thankful for the dynamic team at the Jamaica Book Festival. This strategic opportunity to dive headfirst into the world of content licensing at the 2026 Bologna Children’s Book Fair opens new pathways for Bright Eyed’s stories to travel further. Whether through partnerships with publishers or reimagined in digital formats, I’m grateful to be heading to Italy as a Caribbean Collective, ready and open to what’s next.”
Howell added, “I believe this is a strong move to showcase what the Caribbean has to offer on the global stage, not just through the power of our stories, culture, and perspective, but through the quality of our products and our potential impact within the publishing sector.
I also hope this initiative acts as a rallying call within regional publishing to continue to support, develop, and encourage creatives and industry growth across the Caribbean.”
About JBF
The Jamaica Book Festival (JBF) is an annual festival of ideas powered by books, celebrating Caribbean storytelling through author talks, children’s events, industry programming and special initiatives that promote literacy, cultural exchange and a stronger reading culture in Jamaica and across the region.
About Bright Eyed
Bright Eyed is a Caribbean-born edtech brand designing playful, powerful learning experiences that connect children and families to culture, science, and storytelling. Our work spans books, workshops, games, and immersive exhibitions—each built on the belief that education should feel like an adventure.
About Beyond Publishing Caribbean
Beyond Publishing Caribbean is a relatively new indie comic publisher. From their humble beginnings over 10 years ago, the brand has started to make a name for themselves on both the regional and international stage.
They’ve won accolades such the as ADDY awards, ANGEL awards, Glyph Comics Award nominations, A Russ Manning Award Nomination and a number of local National awards in the field of comics.
Media Contact
For partnership, support, or media inquiries, contact:
Latoya West-Blackwood