New anthology Unstitching Silence brings together Caribbean voices to address gender-based violence

A new anthology collating fiction and poetry by Caribbean writers on gender-based violence is set to be published this month.

Unstitching Silence brings together new writing by Christine Barrow, Sara Bastian, Neala Luna Bhagwansingh, kevanté ac cash, Courtney Conrad, Kevin Jared Hosein, karen lee, Caroline Mackenzie, Tancia Pratt and Dwight Thompson.

The anthology is edited by Trinidadian poet, Shivanee Ramlochan and Dr Lucy Evans, Associate Professor in Postcolonial Literature at the University of Leicester.

In 2021-2024, Dr Evans led an international research project in collaboration with Dr Gabrielle Hosein and Dr Sonjah Stanley Niaah (University of the West Indies):, Representing gender-based violence: literature, performance and activism in the Anglophone Caribbean, funded by the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council.

The project sought to critically analyse representations of gender-based violence in literary writing, spoken word poetry and popular music, to generate new creative work on the theme of gender-based violence, and to equip young people to take leadership in activism against gender-based violence using literature and the performing arts.

Alongside Unstitching Silence, the project also produced an open-access teaching resource, GBV Education for Youth: a Caribbean Arts-based Facilitation Guide. This was co-created with partner organisations Tribe Sankofa and ROOTS Foundation TT. It is targeted at secondary school teachers and youth programme facilitators.

Reflecting on the project, Lucy Evans said:

“Gender-based violence – physical or psychological violence that is connected to gender norms and power dynamics – is a critical issue globally which affects the lives of many people in the Caribbean. It is a challenging subject to speak, write and read about, but it is a subject which requires attention, reflection and debate. Our project brought together researchers, writers, performing arts practitioners and teachers from Jamaica, Trinidad and the UK to address this challenge. It has empowered young people in the Caribbean to explore, understand and speak out against gender-based violence. It has also foregrounded the voices of Caribbean writers in this issue, with the publication of Unstitching Silence.”

Discussing Unstitching Silence, Shivanee Ramlochan said:

"Working with Dr. Lucy Evans on Unstitching Silence has been an honour and a privilege. Evans' meticulous, research-based insights and scholarship on gender-based violence in the Caribbean were invaluable to the curation, editing, and overall development of the manuscript. With the publication of this anthology, I hope for greater, more nuanced awareness of the many harms inscribed in violence rooted in gender norms. The ten writers in Unstitching Silence have reminded us of the power that is generated when artists speak out against injustice. Their voices have the potential to aid in ending stigmatization, and to be a formidable catalyst in reducing harm." 

Unstitching Silence will be published by Peekash Press, dedicated to publishing Caribbean writers, on 17 February 2025.