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occupation of the town as backdrop. The novel was officially launched earlier in the year, in April, in Vieux Fort and Soufriere. Since then the author has visited several primary and secondary schools on the island, and have held book signings in Vieux Fort and Castries.
The international Book Tour involves reading and book signings in several cities. The first stop was on Tuesday 17 October in Toronto, hosted by A Different Booklist and the St. Lucia consulate in Toronto, where the author was greeted by a very engaging and appreciative West Indian audience. So much so that in the middle of his book reading, several in the audience said that the author has read enough, for they didn’t want him to spoil their reading fun. Instead a lively discussion ensued about the authors background, his writing inspirations, the damaging socioeconomic effects of military bases in small towns, and the role of Eugene, the stall keeper, in the novel. Proving that the audience meant business about not spoiling the book for them, everyone in attendance purchased a book or two. The audience’s only disappointment was that the author’s previous two books—Death by Fire and The Struggle for Survival: an historical, political and socioeconomic perspective of St. Lucia—weren’t available for purchase. Indeed, there seems to be a growing interest in St. Lucian literature.
Dr. Reynolds next stop on the tour is Atlanta, Georgia, Saturday 21 October, which will be part of the St. Lucia Georgia Association Jounen Creole concert. Atlanta will be followed by four New York City stops (October 22 to October 29), all of which will be part of various Jounen Kweyol celebrations. Next stop is Washington DC, Saturday 4 November, as part of the St. Lucia Washington DC Association’s Jounen Creole Concert, hosted by the St. Lucia DC Association and the St. Lucia Embassy in Washington DC. Finally, the author heads to the UK where the book event will be held at the St. Lucia High Commission in London on November 9, hosted by the High Commission and the Unity of UK St Lucian Associations (see attachment for full tour itinerary).
Author with Toronto Fan
Of course, the purpose of the tour is to promote The Stall Keeper, in particular, and in general to broaden Dr. Reynolds’ readership. However, we are hoping that generally the tour will help develop the overseas market for books and other St. Lucian cultural products. The St. Lucian diaspora represents a great potential market, because they are concentrated in cities such as London, New York, Toronto, Miami, etc., and therefore reachable, and there are St. Lucian Associations and/or St. Lucian Consulates/Embassies willing to facilitate such initiatives. Also, being separated from their homeland the diaspora may have a greater yearning for St. Lucian cultural products. Therefore, we are hoping that the book tour will help cultivate and broaden the overseas market for books and other St. Lucian cultural products.
A well-established readership base among St. Lucians at home and abroad, will serve as a springboard to reach the general West Indian audience wherever they reside, and then the whole wide world audience. Moreover, exposing the St. Lucian diaspora (particularly the youth and the second, third, … generations, who may be becoming increasingly alienated from their culture) to St. Lucian cultural products, would help ensure that they remain grounded in their St. Lucianess.