Anika M. Christopher, poet, activist, and cultural curator, was spotlighted this year by the BVI Literary Festival as one of the lead organisers behind the festival’s launch and for her continued efforts to amplify Caribbean voices on international platforms. Christopher, who helped spearhead the festival while working at the Department of Culture, was instrumental in shaping its foundation during its inaugural year, a legacy now reflected as the festival celebrates its fifth anniversary in 2025.
Christopher’s influence extends beyond literature. In 2023, she was crowned Miss British Virgin Islands and later represented the territory at COP29, where she participated in a panel at the CARICOM Pavilion on climate action. At the same event, she presented her poem “The Women with Fish” during the global preview of Today Today, Congotay!
Her body of work includes the 2021 publication of Planting Peace and contributions to the Caribbean climate justice anthology Writing For Our Lives.She has also relaunched Bush Tea Books, a publishing house focused on Caribbean literature, and launched the We Sea Change docuseries on regional climate issues.
Christopher’s achievements have been recognized with the Gloria Lyn Prize and the Peepal Tree Prize in 2022. She holds a first-class honours degree in Literatures in English and Creative Writing.
In addition to her published works, Christopher has represented the Virgin Islands as part of the CARIFESTA XV literary delegation, where she showcased Planting Peace and introduced her upcoming Virgin Islands puzzle series.
As the BVI Literary Festival celebrates five years, organisers commend Christopher and other early contributors for establishing the foundation of what is now the territory’s premier literary event.
