''The Caribbean Review of Books'', or ''CRB'', is a literary magazine based in
Port of Spain
Port of Spain (Spanish: ''Puerto España''), officially the City of Port of Spain (also stylized Port-of-Spain), is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the third largest municipality, after Chaguanas and San Fernando. The city has a municip ...
,
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
, reviewing books of
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
interest—by Caribbean authors or about the Caribbean—and publishing original fiction, poetry, and other literary material. It is the second periodical to use this name.
The first ''Caribbean Review of Books'', 1991–94
The original ''Caribbean Review of Books'' was founded in 1991 by the
University of the West Indies
The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in th ...
Publishers' Association (UWIPA) in
Mona, Jamaica
Mona is a neighbourhood in southeastern Saint Andrew Parish, Jamaica, Saint Andrew Parish, approximately eight kilometres from Kingston, Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica. A former sugarcane Sugar plantations in the Caribbean, plantation, it is the sit ...
, from where it was published quarterly until 1994. Edited by Samuel B. Bandara, acquisition librarian at the university, it was intended to be "the complete source for Caribbean book news" (as stated below the masthead of Issue number 1, dated August 1991, and on subsequent issues), and combined book reviews with bibliographical information, interviews, and other features.
When some crucial UWIPA resources were absorbed into the newly founded
University of the West Indies Press
The University of the West Indies Press (or UWI Press) is a university press that is part of the University of the West Indies.
References
External linksUniversity of the West Indies Press
Press
Press may refer to:
Media
* Print media or ne ...
in 1993 and no external funding could be secured, ''The Caribbean Review of Books'' ceased publication.
The revived ''Caribbean Review of Books'', 2004–
A revival of ''The Caribbean Review of Books'' was one of the early objectives of the Caribbean Publishers Network (Capnet), founded in 2000. When external funding again proved difficult, one of Capnet's founding members, a small publishing house in Trinidad called
Media and Editorial Projects Limited Media and Editorial Projects Limited (MEP or MEP Caribbean Publishers) is a private publishing company based in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.
The company was established in 1991 by Jeremy TaylorVaneisa Baksh"Going to Ground Again" ''Trinid ...
(MEP) decided to take responsibility for the project."The Caribbean Review of Books (CRB)" , Media & Editorial Projects (MEP Publishers).
In May 2004, under publisher
Jeremy Taylor
Jeremy Taylor (1613–1667) was a cleric in the Church of England who achieved fame as an author during the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell. He is sometimes known as the "Shakespeare of Divines" for his poetic style of expression, and he is fr ...
and editor
Nicholas Laughlin
Nicholas Laughlin (born 6 May 1975)"In brief" Nicholas Laughlin's website. is a writer and editor from
Prince Claus Foundation
The Prince Claus Fund was established in 1996, named in honor of Prince Claus of the Netherlands. It receives an annual subsidy from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Fund has presented the international Prince Claus Awards annually si ...
, and continued support from MEP. However, like its predecessor, the ''CRB'' suspended print publishing in mid-2009. It was re-launched in May 2010 as an online publication, to coincide with its sixth anniversary.
In November 2013, the ''CRB'' began a partnership with the
Bocas Lit Fest
The NGC Bocas Lit Fest is the Trinidad and Tobago literary festival that takes place annually during the last weekend of April in Port of Spain. Inaugurated in 2011, it is the first major literary festival in the southern Caribbean and largest li ...
Trinidad and Tobago Newsday
''Trinidad and Tobago Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in Trinidad and Tobago. ''Newsday'' is the newest of the three daily papers after the ''Trinidad and Tobago Guardian'' and the ''Trinidad and Tobago Express'' respectively. The newspaper was fo ...