PHILIPSBURG:--- First-time author Safiyya Chance has been selected to represent the island’s writers at the 22nd Annual St. Martin Book Fair, taking place June 5 – 7, 2025, announced House of Nehesi Publishers (HNP).
Chance’s role as “literary ambassador” will be highlighted with the introduction of her new poetry book, Native Choir, during the opening ceremony of the literary festival on June 5, 2025, at 8 p.m., at Belair Community Center, said her publisher.
“It is a profound joy to represent the voices of St. Martin at the 2025 St. Martin Book Fair,” said Chance, who blogs at Laughing Over Spilled Milk. The secretary of the United Women’s Book Club also leads Cercle Littéraire, the club’s French-language literary section.
Chance looks forward to sharing Native Choir with family, friends, visiting authors, and book fair attendees, and, in her words, to “honor a shared duty.” That duty, she explained, is “to lend our words to the chorus of literature, stitching together the fabric of our past, the pulse of our present, and the unwritten promise of what is yet to come.”
Native Choir has already been reviewed by noted Ugandan artist Doddridge Busingye as “a poetic symphony” that explores “unity, betrayal, resilience,” and “balances power and restraint, reflecting tradition… and unseen forces.”
Before her current work in the health field in Marigot, Chance pursued political science coursework at Université Lumière Lyon 2 in France. In 2023, she earned a certificate in Managing Emotions in Times of Uncertainty and Stress—a course designed for educators and school staff—from the Yale School of Medicine, said HNP.
Each year, the book fair organizers select a published writer based on the quality of their writing, “to represent the writers and authors of St. Martin, North and South,” said lit fest coordinator Shujah Reiph. The writer’s photo appears on the official poster. They engage with guest authors, recite their work at the festival, visit a school to share their writing experience if possible, and take part in as many other book fair activities as they can.
At the opening ceremony where the introduction of newly published books is a key feature, Native Choir will be one of at least five books published in 2025 by authors from Tortola, VI, St. Vincent, and St. Martin, said Reiph.
Books published by HNP and new titles by guest authors are typically showcased daily at the exhibition table run by the Book Fair Committee (BFC).
“All the people of our island—North and South—are warmly invited to attend the opening ceremony, meet exciting writers, discover new books, and participate in workshops and other activities of the St. Martin Book Fair, from June 5 to 7,” Reiph said.
“All authors living on the island—whether self-published or traditionally published—are welcome to sell their books on the main book fair day, Saturday, June 7, at the University of St. Martin (USM),” said Reiph. “It’s a unique opportunity for all St. Martin people and visitors to discover and purchase more books in one place on the island than at any other time of the year.”
Writers and booksellers are encouraged to inquire about a free display table for June 7—available on a first-come, first-served basis—by contacting This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., according to a BFC information letter.
