Originally from Jacmel, Anse La Raye/Canaries, Lubrin is an internationally recognised literary figure whose work bridges poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and social inquiry.
On 20 January 2026, Saint Lucia will once again gather in honour of its Nobel Laureate as acclaimed writer, poet, and scholar Canisia Lubrin delivers the 2026 Sir Derek Walcott Memorial Lecture at the Finance Administrative Centre, Point Seraphine.
Originally from Jacmel, Anse La Raye/Canaries, Lubrin is an internationally recognised literary figure whose work bridges poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and social inquiry. She is currently Assistant Professor and Graduate Programme Coordinator for the Creative Writing MFA at the Guelph/Humber School of Theatre, English, and Creative Writing, and serves as Poetry Editor at McClelland & Stewart. Her writing is widely published, anthologised, and translated into four languages, and is noted for its rigorous engagement with questions of social justice, form, language, and the possibilities of art.
Lubrin’s work has received wide critical acclaim. Her debut collection, Voodoo Hypothesis (2017), was named a CBC Best Book, while The Dyzgraphxs (2020) won the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Poetry and Literature, the Griffin Poetry Prize, and the Derek Walcott Prize. In 2020, she also received the Canada Council’s Joseph S. Stauffer Prize and the Windham–Campbell Prize for a body of work. Her most recent book, Code Noir (Knopf, 2023), further affirms her international standing, and in 2021, The Globe and Mail named her Poet of the Year. She is a 2022 Civitella Ranieri Fellow and has held teaching and writer-in-residence appointments at leading universities and literary institutions.
Lubrin’s lecture, titled An Listwa Manmay San Liv: A (Hi)story of Children Without Books, explores Saint Lucia’s folk imagination through a close reading of White Egrets, widely regarded as Sir Derek Walcott’s final poetic work. Drawing on Walcott’s poetry alongside that of other Saint Lucian writers, the lecture reflects on the social and political forces that shape this imagination and its influence on the island’s literary history. From there, Lubrin examines the many voices that define Caribbean expression, presenting Caribbean literature not as narrow or marginal, but as rich, outward-looking, and deeply connected to the wider world. The lecture invites audiences to listen, read, and imagine Caribbean experiences in new and meaningful ways.
As part of the 2026 Sir Derek Walcott Memorial Lecture programme, the Cultural Development Foundation is also presenting Walcott Expressions, a public creative initiative designed to deepen community engagement with Walcott’s work and extend his legacy across generations and artforms. Through this initiative, Saint Lucians are invited to reinterpret Sir Derek Walcott’s poem “Love After Love” using any artistic medium, including spoken word, music, dance, visual art, film, or mixed media. Selected works, including the cash prize winner’s submission, will be showcased at the Memorial Lecture on 20 January 2026. Submissions close on 18 January 2026, with entries accepted via social media by tagging @cdfsaintlucia, or by email to info@cdfstlucia.org
The initiative affirms poetry as a living, participatory practice and positions Walcott’s work as an active source of contemporary creative expression.
In keeping with its educational mandate, the CDF will host a special session for Theatre Arts and Literature teachers and select students to be held on Thursday, 22 January 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the conference room of the Cultural Development Foundation. Facilitated by Ms. Lubrin, the session will provide educators and students with the opportunity to engage directly with her work and ideas, fostering dialogue around Caribbean literature, creativity, and critical practice.
Through the 2026 Sir Derek Walcott Memorial Lecture and its associated programmes, Saint Lucia continues to honour the legacy of its Nobel Laureate not as a fixed monument, but as a living, evolving conversation—one carried forward by voices such as Canisia Lubrin’s and by the creative responses of the nation itself.