Step into a bookish wonderland
The Book Fairy’s Festival returns July 11-13 with wellness, wonder and lots of storytelling
Published:Sunday | July 6, 2025 | 12:12 AM
For Shanique ‘Shanz the Book Fairy’ Sinclair, literature has always been more than just words on a page – it’s an experience, a portal, and most of all, a powerful tool for change. When she hosted the inaugural Book Fairy Festival last year, it was with a clear vision in mind.
“Well, one of my main goals was to really bring back the art of storytelling in a way that takes us back to our ancestral roots by incorporating music and fusing it with the stories that define us,” she told The Sunday Gleaner. “The dimensional storytelling was just that, and it really made me happy to see so many people so deeply engaged and mesmerised.”
The first staging set the tone for a rich, immersive experience – and this year, Sinclair is turning the page with even more magic.
EXPANDED WELLNESS CHAPTER
“This year we are building out the wellness component even more and we are so excited about it,” she explained. Patrons can expect a Lit Wellness Lounge, complete with a tea station, reading nook, and the return of My Free Likkle Bookhut, a space to take or leave a book. The area will also feature the Odiyo Audiobook team, skincare sessions, and immune-boosting IVs from the Fairy Loft team, and creative corners for making bookmarks, journalling, and the Peace Pebble Project, where visitors leave kind notes for strangers.
“I don’t think words will do justice to what our patrons will experience,” she added.
A LITERARY LINE-UP
This year’s star-studded line-up is packed with award-winning authors from home and abroad, including Jamaican literary icons Diana McCaulay and Olive Senior. “They can look forward to all our fantastic award-winning authors… our eloquent moderators, our friendly and fun-loving Fairy team and the friends they will make while there,” she said. A full schedule is available at www.bffja.com.
The Artisanal Village promises to be a treasure trove of local creativity, from handmade treats to curated lifestyle pieces – a celebration of Jamaican talent and craftsmanship in true fairy style.
MORE THAN A FESTIVAL
“I am hoping to continue changing people’s lives through a shift in how they process and absorb reading and wellness,” Sinclair said. “We are not only putting on a literary wellness event, we are giving the people an experience like no other.”
She paints a vivid picture of what’s to come: “We want people to feel like The Chronicles of Narnia. Once you walk through the doors of The [Jamaica] Pegasus hotel and into The Book Fairy Festival, you would have felt the same way it feels to get lost in a really good book.”
LOOKING AHEAD
Looking ahead, Sinclair envisions a future where the festival becomes a catalyst for transformation, one rooted in literacy, wellness, and community empowerment.“I would like to see the festival full of Jamaicans with a changed mindset towards literature and wellness who are reading and growing holistically,” she shared. “I would like to see [the festival achieve] so much growth that we are able to truly empower our other arms, such as the My Free Likkle Bookhut… as well as our Love Our Boys initiative donating and helping to set up libraries in boys’ homes.”
Her commitment to improving reading culture is evident. “We continue to create spaces such as the Book Fairy Festival and our book exchange events… this coupled with the development of our online community through highlighting more local authors and giving them that platform and our writing workshops… will be the stepping stones to changing how the people of Jamaica see and feel about the literary arena.”
THE FAIRY TOUCH
But what makes her most excited? “Truly, the curation of it all is what makes me excited. The set design, however, is what I am too excited to sleep about. With my ideas and Prime Minister Youth Awardee Anna-Lisa Guthrie on deck… patrons can come prepared to take their IG-worthy pictures with our photo props that are out of this world.”
Still, the journey hasn’t been without its challenges. “Honestly, when I think about the festival, I often feel teary-eyed because of the incremental growth I have seen in patron interest and even volunteerism. So many people want to be a part of [it] and want to help outside of friends and family. It has been a very emotional planning journey, however, because of how difficult it has been to get sponsorship and corporate support for the event so much of it has been out of pocket with the bolstering help of my parents,” she shared. “Nonetheless I rest in comfort knowing that I am executing a God-given purpose… I feel as though I am sharing my heart with everyone who walks through that door next weekend.”
A book fairy she’s always been – in height and in heart – Sinclair’s ‘Book Fairy’ name isn’t just a whimsical title. “A very dear friend of mine used to call me a fairy and when I started my online book presence I felt as though I was bringing joy into people’s hearts through my reviews and recommendations just as a fairy would… plus I am four feet nine inches so that definitely just sealed the deal,” shared Sinclair about the origins of her ‘Shanz the Book Fairy’ moniker.
The idea for the festival grew organically out of her love for books, her author chats on Friday Night Bookish Lyme (FNBL), and the loyal community that blossomed during the pandemic. “[The] super chill author [chats] began during COVID… I eventually… incorporated bringing on our favourite authors… where people could get to see and know these authors as the human beings existing behind the books we love.”
Among her standout guests on FNBL are Cherie Jones, Myriam J. A. Chancy, Roland Watson-Grant, Mateo Askaripour, Callie Browning, Jonathan Escoffery, and the late Alex Wheatle.
Beyond books, Sinclair wears many hats. She is the managing director of Global Insight International Exchange, which specialises in cultural exchange programmes across the world for university students and graduates; an international recording artiste boasting hits such as the title song for the HBO series Get Millie Black; and a realtor associate with Keller Williams Jamaica.
Still, it’s the books that are a key fuel for her soul. Her most recent read? Ever Since We Small by Celeste Mohammed. “Trust me, if you read her previous book Pleasantview you will not be disappointed. And guess what, you can catch her at The Book Fairy Festival next weekend too,” shared Sinclair.
The Book Fairy Festival is set for July 11-13 at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.