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Article by Ainsworth Morris 

Bibliophiles from around the world are gearing up to gather for the 16th biennial Calabash International Literary Festival between May 23 and 25, where Emmy award-winning actress Sheryl Lee Ralph is a part of the memoir line-up. 

The event, which will be held at its beloved home Calabash Bay in Treasure Beach, St Elizabeth, is no stranger to hosting award-winning writers, and for this year’s staging, it will also host four acclaimed writers and global literary giants: Ian McEwan, British novelist and screenwriter; Michael Ondaatje, Canadian novelist and poet; Marlon James, Jamaican writer and Shehan Karunatilaka, Sri Lankan writer. 

This announcement was made at the event’s launch, which was held on the lawns of the historic Devon House on Wednesday (April 23).

There, Justine Henzell, producer for Calabash, announced to the ‘Calabashites’ gathered that this year’s event staging will be held under the theme ‘Bless Up‘, and literature lovers from around the world are invited to gather for three unforgettable days of storytelling, poetry, music, and conversation under the sun.. 

“You expect the unexpected at Calabash. It’s one of the things that we treasure. The Calabash family is so important, and the fact that we can tell the world that Treasure Beach is open for business is incredible, not even a year after [Hurricane] Beryl,” Henzell said during her address.

“Passion is the only price of entry. You just have to make it down. We are earthy, inspirational, daring and diverse. We remain free and open to the public. We are so simple. We are not all things to all people. We are just Calabash: The greatest little festival in the greatest little district in the greatest little country in the world,” she said.

She pointed out other Jamaican authors at the launch, such as Diana McCaulay, who has published six novels, and said “‘The House for Miss Pauline‘ [novel] is getting great reviews and we will be having the launch at Calabash”.

There will also be a ‘Lovers Rock‘ – short stories commissioned by Audible, of which McCaulay has one piece that will be unveiled. 

Henzell excitedly highlighted that two of the bookers, Ondaatje and Karunatilaka, who are both born in Sri Lanka, will meet at Treasure Beach for the first time. 

The internationally acclaimed Calabash International Literary Festival, which began in 2001, will also cater to emerging writers, established writers, focusing on fact and fiction, and memoirs.

After its brief pause during the pandemic and its triumphant return in 2023, Calabash has returned with its same intimate, electrifying energy that has made it one of the Caribbean’s most cherished cultural events.

Treasure Beach is well-known for its charm, community spirit, and rustic beauty. Hundreds of literature lovers, some of whom were present at the launch event, are already looking forward to staying in the small hotels or pitching tents on the beach, which adds to the transformation of the vibrant hub of creativity and connection during the festival weekend. 

Attendees can look forward to readings, panels, music performances, book signings, and local culinary delights—all set against the backdrop of the Caribbean Sea.

Calabash also promises to be more than a literary festival for 2025. It will also be a cultural homecoming, a global village where ideas, voices, and stories come to life in a truly Jamaican way.

The full lineup and program schedule will be announced in the coming weeks on the social media pages for Calabash . 

Visitors are also being encouraged to book accommodations early, as Treasure Beach tends to fill up quickly during the festival weekend.

Calabash takes place on May 23 to 25.