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Governor Bryan Mourns the Passing of St. Croixย Attorney Eszart Wynter

Governor Albert Bryan Jr. today announced with deep sorrow the passing of St. Croix attorney Eszart Wynter, a respected legal mind, devoted public servant, and one of the Governorโ€™s dear friends.

Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. (Screenshot from V.I. Legislature livestream)

โ€œI mourn the loss of my dear friend, Eszart Wynter, a man whose life was defined by purpose, service, and an unwavering commitment to justice,โ€ Governor Bryan said. โ€œEszart was a prolific attorney and a distinguished statesman, but titles alone could never capture the measure of the man. He was, at his core, a tireless advocate for the poor and the marginalized.โ€

The Governor noted that Wynterโ€™s legal brilliance was matched by his generosity and his enduring commitment to ensuring access to justice, including through years of pro bono work for those who could not afford representation.

โ€œFor many, Eszart was not just a lawyer,โ€ Governor Bryan said. โ€œHe was hope when the system felt unreachable.โ€

Governor Bryan also reflected on the personal bond he shared with Wynter and the mentorship that shaped him both publicly and privately.

โ€œTo me, Eszart was also a mentor and a friend,โ€ the Governor said. โ€œI will forever treasure our many games of golf together. Competition was always part of it, but so was conversation, laughter, and his steady coaching. He was always teaching, always encouraging me to be better, not only on the course, but in life. His guidance was patient, thoughtful, and rooted in a genuine desire to see others grow.โ€

Wynter, the Governor said, was a man of wide-ranging interests and talents, a disciplined and balanced spirit who never lost sight of who he was and where he came from.

โ€œEszart was truly a Renaissance man, an expert pool player, a practitioner of martial arts, and a man of deep intellect and wide-ranging interests,โ€ Governor Bryan said. โ€œHe was deeply proud of his Virgin Islands heritage and lived his life in a way that reflected the strength, resilience, and richness of our people. He represented the very best of what it means to be a Virgin Islander.โ€

Governor Bryan said Wynterโ€™s legacy will endure through the lives he touched and the injustices he helped right, and he called on the community to honor Wynterโ€™s memory by continuing to serve others and stand firmly on principle.

 

โ€œAbove all, Eszart Wynter was a man of integrity, principled, compassionate, and steadfast,โ€ the Governor said. โ€œHe will be deeply missed, but never forgotten. May his life continue to inspire us to serve others, to pursue excellence, and to stand firmly on the side of justice. Rest in peace, my friend.โ€

The Governor extends heartfelt condolences to Wynterโ€™s family, loved ones, colleagues in the legal community, and all who are grieving his loss.

Bertha C. Boschulte Middle School Update

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The Virgin Islands Department of Education is providing an update to the community regarding operations at Bertha C. Boschulte Middle School. Beginning Thursday, Jan. 8, Bertha C. Boschulte Middle School will continue operating on an abbreviated schedule until further notice. This follows remediation efforts and additional roofing modifications that were completed during the recent holiday break.

Bertha C. Boschulte Middle School. (Photo by Ananta Pancham)

The abbreviated schedule is designed to maintain continuity of instruction while allowing the Bureau of School Construction and Maintenance the necessary time to continue with critical maintenance and repairs on campus. This decision was made with the utmost concern for the health, safety, and continued learning of students, faculty, and staff.

Under the modified schedule:

  • The school day will begin at the regular time of 7:20 a.m.
  • Students will be dismissed daily at 12:50 p.m.
  • Teachers will provide independent learning opportunities and homework assignments to be completed after dismissal.
  • All formative assessments, including tests and quizzes, will be administered in person while students are on campus and will not be sent home.

The Boschulte school administration will post and share the abbreviated schedule directly with students and parents. Parents and guardians are encouraged to closely monitor teacher communication platforms for daily assignments, expectations, and important updates. Students are responsible for completing all assigned work.

This adjustment follows a review of data indicating that many families continue to experience challenges with internet connectivity and device access. As a result, a fully virtual schedule was determined to be impractical at this time.

The VIDE remains committed to providing a safe, stable, and supportive learning environment while ensuring academic progress for all students. The Department appreciates the continued patience, cooperation, and support of the Boschulte school community as essential repairs move forward. Additional updates will be shared as more information becomes available.

Ysidora Fabiรกn Dies at 67

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Con profundo dolor, la familia de Ysidora Fabiรกn anuncia su fallecimiento. Ysidora fue una madre ejemplar, una mujer luchadora y de buen corazรณn, cuya vida estuvo marcada por el amor, la fortaleza y la entrega a su familia. Naciรณ el 2 de enero de 1957 en la Repรบblica Dominicana, tierra que siempre llevรณ en su corazรณn, y partiรณ de este mundo el 28 de diciembre de 2025.

Ysidora Fabiรกn

Le sobreviven sus amadas hijas Yessica Fabiรกn y Karina Fabiรกn; sus queridos hijos รngel E. Fabiรกn y David Fabiรกn; sus adorados nietos Luis Fabiรกn, Jesรบs Fabiรกn, Michelle Fabiรกn, Meridania Feliz Fabiรกn, David, Rachelle, y muchos otros nietos, demasiado numerosos para mencionar; su hermano Patricio Fabiรกn; su sobrina Leonela Fabiรกn; su sobrino Leonel Fabiรกn; sus familiares polรญticos Carmelo Santiago, Rosemarie Feliz y Julianna Dejesus; asรญ como sus amigos especiales, igualmente numerosos, quienes hoy lamentan profundamente su partida. Agradecemos a Dios por el tiempo que nos permitiรณ compartir con ella en esta tierra, por cada momento en el que pudimos cuidarla, acompaรฑarla y disfrutar de su vida y de su presencia.

Se informa que se llevarรก a cabo una velaciรณn privada para familiares cercanos y amigos el 9 de enero, en la Capilla Divine, de 3:00 p.m. a 5:00 p.m.. La velaciรณn fรบnebre se realizarรก el 12 de enero a las 10:00 a.m., seguida del servicio funerario a las 11:00 a.m., en la Capilla Divine, ubicada en #129 Peters Rest, Christiansted, VI 00820.

With deep sorrow, the family of Ysidora Fabiรกn announces her passing. Ysidora was an exemplary mother, a strong and hardworking woman with a kind heart, whose life was marked by love, strength, and devotion to her family. She was born on January 2, 1957, in the Dominican Republic, a place she always carried in her heart, and passed away on December 28, 2025.

She is survived by her beloved daughters Yessica Fabiรกn and Karina Fabiรกn; her cherished sons รngel E. Fabiรกn and David Fabiรกn; her adored grandchildren Luis Fabiรกn, Jesรบs Fabiรกn, Michelle Fabiรกn, Meridania Feliz Fabiรกn, David, Rachelle, and many other grandchildren too numerous to mention; her brother Patricio Fabiรกn; her niece Leonela Fabiรกn; her nephew Leonel Fabiรกn; her in-laws Carmelo Santiago, Rosemarie Feliz, and Julianna Dejesus; as well as her special friends, also too numerous to mention, who deeply mourn her passing. We thank God for the time He allowed us to share with her on this earth, for every moment we were able to care for her, accompany her, and enjoy her life and presence.

A private viewing for close family and friends will be held on January 9th at the Divine Chapel from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. A funeral viewing will be held on January 12th at 10:00 a.m., followed by the funeral service at 11:00 a.m., at the Divine Chapel, located at #129 Peters Rest, Christiansted, VI 00820.

Catch Limit Reminder for Snapper Season

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Commissioner Jean-Pierre L. Oriol of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources reminds the public that the seasonal closure for harvesting Black Snapper (Apsilus dentatus), Blackfin Snapper (Lutjanus buccanella), Vermilion Snapper (Rhomboplites aurorubens), and Silk Snapper (Lutjanus vivanus) ended at midnight on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, as outlined in 50 CFR 622.479(b)(2); 50 CFR 622.514(b)(2); V.I.R.R. Title 12, Chapter 9A ยงยง316-13 & 316-114.

Vermillion snapper

Beginning Jan. 1, 2026, harvest of these species will be permitted through midnight on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. These seasonal restrictions are designed to protect these species during critical spawning periods, ensuring sustainable fisheries and the long-term health of Virgin Islands marine resources.

โ€ข A recreational or commercial fishing license is required to harvest Black, Blackfin, Vermilion, and Silk Snapper.

โ€ข Harvest is allowed in both federal and territorial waters.

โ€ข Recreational bag limits:ย 

Black snapper

o Maximum 5 fish per person per day, with no more than 2 parrotfish.

o Maximum 15 fish per vessel per day, with no more than 6 parrotfish in federal waters.

โ€ข Hind Bank Marine Conservation District (south of St. Thomas): Fishing and anchoring by fishing vessels are prohibited year-round.

โ€ข Red Hind Spawning Aggregation Area (east of St. Croix): Closed to fishing from Dec. 1 through the last day of February.

Blackfin snapper

Recreational licenses can be purchased online at https://www.gooutdoorsusvi.com/ For questions or more information, contact: Division of Fish and Wildlife at DFWelectronic@usvi.onmicrosoft.com Or call 340-773-1082 (St. Croix) | 340-775-6762 (St. Thomas). โ€œWe ask for everyoneโ€™s cooperation to protect Virgin Islands resources for the present and future benefit of the people of the Virgin Islands,โ€ Oriol said.

Recovery Contractorโ€™s Claims Against PFA Dismissed

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Construction firm Hill International took the V.I. Public Finance Authority to court in September 2024 after the authority awarded a multimillion-dollar disaster recovery contract to a rival bidder.ย (Shutterstock image)

A federal judge dismissed a construction firmโ€™s claims that the V.I. Public Finance Authority violated territorial procurement and conflict of interest rules when it awarded a $137 million disaster recovery contract in 2024.

Hill International sued the authorityย and the V.I. Disaster Recovery Office after the PFA awarded the three-year contract to a rival bidder โ€” CH2M โ€” whose bid was nearly $107 million higher than Hillโ€™s. The company also alleged that the PFAโ€™s evaluation committee had a conflict of interest because three of its five members worked for the V.I. Public Works Department, which also employs two people who work for CH2Mโ€™s parent company. Further, Hill claimed that the governmentโ€™s request for proposals indicated that a minimum of two contracts would be awarded.

Last weekโ€™s decision by U.S. District Court Judge Juan Sanchez was in line with aย federal magistrate judgeโ€™s recommendationย to dismiss the claims last March. U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan Teague wrote that it was โ€œpurely speculativeโ€ whether the award was impacted by the PFAย handling the procurement rather than the V.I. Property and Procurement Department and that there were โ€œsimply no facts alleged in the complaintโ€ to indicate that the award โ€œwas the result of unfair competition, favoritism, or collusion.โ€

โ€œAs Judge Teague rightfully points out, Hill does not allege the evaluation committee members and these employees worked together, exchanged information, or in any way improperly influenced each other,โ€ Sanchez wrote. โ€œHillโ€™s allegation is only supported by โ€˜mere conclusory statementsโ€™ and speculation.โ€

Sanchez also agreed with Teagueโ€™s finding that Hill failed to provide evidence that the award was arbitrary and capricious, other than the $107 million price difference.

โ€œHe determined that the RFP constituted a best value procurement which did not require VIPFA to choose the lowest bidder,โ€ Sanchez wrote. โ€œThe Court also finds this RFP was a best value procurement and that Hill has not alleged sufficient facts to show the award was arbitrary and capricious based on price alone.โ€

In their response to Teagueโ€™s recommendation, Hillโ€™s attorneys argued that the PFA used a price realism analysis to determine whether Hillโ€™s bid was โ€œunreasonably lowโ€ and that this criterion wasnโ€™t disclosed in the RFP or by the evaluation committee. Sanchez wasnโ€™t convinced, and he noted that the claim wasnโ€™t part of Hillโ€™s initial complaint.

โ€œJudge Teague was correct in disregarding this new argument,โ€ he wrote. โ€œSecond, even if Hill could bring this unstated evaluation criteria claim, a plaintiff must show that the agency used a significantly different basis in evaluating the proposals than was disclosed and that it has been prejudiced as a result.โ€

Citing sworn statements by evaluation committee members, Sanchez said the committeeโ€™s concerns about Hillโ€™s bid appeared to be about the firmโ€™s allocation of labor and resources as well as a โ€œlack of detail in the construction management portion of the proposalโ€ rather than price.

Bryan to Deliver Final State of the Territory Address Jan. 26

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Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. will deliver the 2026 State of the Territory Address at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26, from the Earle B. Ottley Legislative Chamber on St. Thomas, Government House announced in a press release.

The Legislature is expected to consider and act on a request to move the address from Jan. 12 to Jan. 26 during its scheduled session Monday, Jan. 12, according to the press release.

The 2026 address will be Bryanโ€™s eighth and final State of the Territory Address. He is expected to outline the administrationโ€™s work over the past seven years, discuss the territoryโ€™s current outlook, and present priorities for the year ahead, the press release stated.

โ€œThis is a moment to speak plainly to the people of the Virgin Islands about where we stand, what we have built together, and what must still be done,โ€ Bryan said. โ€œIt is also a moment to honor the strength of our people. We have been tested, we have worked, and we have moved these islands forward. I encourage every Virgin Islander, at home and across the diaspora, to tune in.โ€

The State of the Territory Address serves as the governorโ€™s annual report to the Legislature and the public, outlining major initiatives and policy priorities affecting residents of St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John, the release stated.

An enhanced livestream will be available on facebook.com/governmenthouseusvi and facebook.com/viconsortium. The address will also air on Government Access Network Channel 27 for One Communications cable subscribers, WTJX Channel 12, and LEGVI Channel 26. Additional livestream options include facebook.com/wtjx and facebook.com/LegislatureUSVI, it stated.

St. John Rescue Needs Emergency $42,000 to Save Vital Boat

The specialized boat St. John Rescue depends on for the improbable is in desperate need. Routine maintenance revealed significant corrosion to its engines, meaning Marine II needs to be outfitted with new, powerful outboards capable of surmounting the dire conditions the boat is designed to face. The bill is a whopping $42,000, representatives of the nonprofit emergency services organization said Monday.

St. John Rescue fieldedย 57 emergency callsย in 2025 and sent out Marine II 38 times, said public information officer Langley Shazor.

Twenty-one of those calls were the hair-raising kind: vessels in mechanical distress or taking on water after running aground, missing paddle boarders, missing swimmers, snorkelers and divers, and drownings.

โ€œOur rescue vessel is also used to extract injured persons from remote areas such as beaches and hiking trails. This capability dramatically reduces the time necessary for patients to receive definitive care at the hospital,โ€ Shazor said. โ€œMarine emergencies are unpredictable, and having a fully capable primary vessel is essential to saving lives and protecting responders.โ€

With no morgue or related cooling services on St. John, Marine II was called on 17 times to transport bodies from St. John to St. Thomas, he said.

Other missions were to prevent potential catastrophe. The boat is regularly called on for community events as a standby in case of emergencies. In 2025, it was on call for the Beach to Beach Power Swim, Paddle for Paws paddleboard race, Coral Bay Yacht Club Sailboat Regatta, and Friends of the National Park Gala on Lovango Cay.

Marine II is no ordinary rescue boat, Shazor said.

The specially engineered rescue vessel is designed to operate in unforgiving environments like the North Sea. Itโ€™s capable of quickly deploying into heavy seas exceeding six feet, day or night, utilizing Garmin GPS charts, and marine radios capable of monitoring multiple VHF radio frequencies. Marine II carries 200 gallons of fuel for extended range and is powered by twin 200-horsepower engines capable of speeds exceeding 35 miles per hour while carrying eight people. Onboard, it is equipped with oxygen and airway management tools, trauma dressings and immobilization gear, as well as an automated external defibrillator for cardiac arrest, Shazor said. It is also equipped with dewatering pumps capable of removing 4000 gallons of water per hour from sinking vessels and tools capable of plugging a ranging size of holes in hulls.

โ€œMarine I, on the other hand, is a recreational boat designed to be operated in fair conditions,โ€ he said. โ€œIt is designed to be driven in calmer bays, is powered by twin 115-horsepower engines, and carries 70 gallons of fuel. It can reach speeds of roughly 25 miles per hour in calm conditions while carrying four rescuers. Marine I is not equipped with GPS charts so is unable to navigate at night.โ€

Theย volunteer-based organizationย is asking for the communityโ€™s support to help restore Marine II to service as quickly as possible. Donations and assistance toward the repower effort will have an immediate and measurable impact on rescue readiness and response capability,โ€ Shazor said.

Donations to St. John Rescue can be made at their Gifft Hill headquarters or sent to P.O. Box 1225, St. John, V.I. 00831 or through this link: https://stjrescue.networkforgood.com/projects/78175-the-life-we-save-could-be-yours.

Registration Opens for Six-Week Childrenโ€™s Art Class Taught by KC Art at Virgin Islands Childrenโ€™s Museum

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KC Art Creations offers new six-week childrenโ€™s art classes at the Virgin Islands Childrenโ€™s Museum on St. Thomas. (Shutterstock image)

Registration is now open for a new six-week childrenโ€™s art class led by a local artist at the Virgin Islands Childrenโ€™s Museum on St. Thomas, with sessions beginning Jan. 18.

The Sunday program offers young people a consistent space to explore visual arts, including sketching, painting, comics, manga, and other creative forms. Classes are held weekly at the museum and are structured as a full six-week session.

The cost is $100 per child, which covers all six weeks of instruction. Two levels are available each Sunday: a beginner class from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and an advanced class from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Both classes are offered at the same price.

The class is led by Karim Callwood, the artist behind KC Art Creations and the popular VI Guardian comic book. Callwood said the program began before the COVID-19 pandemic, when a parent asked him to help teach a child how to draw comics. What was meant to be a one-on-one lesson quickly expanded through word-of-mouth.

โ€œI started the class โ€ฆ out of a parent who wanted me to teach their child to do comics,โ€ Callwood said. โ€œOn the day when I was going to teach that one child, it ended up being 24 children. A bunch of parents heard about it, and they joined too. Thatโ€™s how it started.โ€

While the class began focused on comics, it has expanded to include painting, portraits and other forms of drawing. Callwood said the shift was driven by student interest and the desire to give children more freedom in how they express themselves.

Callwood said his class is designed to let students explore the forms of art that interest them most. โ€œIn my class, I give them the opportunity to express what they want to do,โ€ he said. โ€œSome people may want to paint backgrounds. Some people may just want to draw portraits. Some people want to do comics.โ€ He added that he guides students through their creative choices by asking questions about their interests and ideas.

โ€œWhen they come into the class, I ask them specific questions: What do you like to do? What do you love? What do you want to do? Whatโ€™s in your heart, whatโ€™s in your mind, that you want to create?โ€ Callwood said. โ€œThey will explain to me, and I get to help them.โ€

Callwood said parents often tell him there are limited opportunities for artistic children in the territory, particularly options that reflect modern interests and styles. โ€œMany times, the parents have told me, thereโ€™s nothing for these children to do, you know, for them to express their art,โ€ he said.

In an effort to combat this, Callwood is also seeking support to launch a digital art class, an idea he has developed for years but has been limited by access to equipment. โ€œIโ€™ve been trying to get some tablets to start a digital class, because we are in a digital age,โ€ he said. โ€œIโ€™m hoping that I could maybe get some kind of sponsorship or something, because the kids are asking for these digital classes. I donโ€™t know how to get it done.โ€ He added that he believes he would need about 10 tablets to launch a class.

Callwood emphasized the broader community benefits of programs like this one. โ€œThis is a community โ€ฆ itโ€™s not just about art alone,โ€ he said. โ€œItโ€™s a community of children building bonds and friendship. So in my class, thereโ€™s no discrimination, no argument. What matters is building friendship, doing art, and working together.โ€

Registration is now open for the six-week Sunday sessions at the Childrenโ€™s Museum. Families interested in enrolling their children or learning more about KC Art Creations can visitย https://www.kcartvi.com

Fortifying Resistance: Reflections on ‘Embodied Histories: Art, Archive, and Memory in the U.S. Virgin Islands’

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Cynthia Oliver and Paloma McGregor, choreographers, who led portions of the Embodied Histories: Art,
Archive, and Memory in the U.S. Virgin Islands. (Screenshot from YouTube video)

Sometimes the most consequential work does not happen on a stage or inside an institution, but in the quiet spaces between meals, in shared pauses, in conversations that stretch late into the evening. That was the energy that carried Embodied Histories weekend, a gathering of artists, scholars, and cultural workers whose collaboration felt less like an event and more like a reckoning.

โ€œWe need to strike while the iron is hot,โ€ said Monica Marin, chief curator of the Division of Libraries, Archives and Museums, reflecting on the urgency that shaped the weekend. For Marin, the work is not episodic. It is long-form, relational, and deeply rooted in a belief that Virgin Islands artists are not simply creators, but living archives. โ€œOur artists are archives,โ€ she said. โ€œThey are reclaiming the narrative. They are excavating the historical record. They are the truth tellers.โ€

In this interview, Monica Marin, Paloma McGregor, Cynthia Oliver, and Chalana Brown reflect on Embodied Histories, reclaiming Virgin Islands narratives, and the power of collective cultural work.

That conviction runs through Marinโ€™s decades-long practice, which bridges contemporary art, movement, and decolonial scholarship. Her interest in tangible and intangible heritage converged years ago through collaborations with two art historians, Thor Mednick and Bart Pushaw, whose research on decolonial practice and the repatriation of Indigenous and African diasporic artifacts mirrored her own questions about absence and access.

โ€œWe donโ€™t have our tangible artifacts,โ€ Marin said plainly. โ€œWe had petroglyphs in Salt River โ€” Atabey and the bat god โ€” excavated by Nazi archaeologists. Theyโ€™re sitting in the basement of the National Museum. Our students need to know who the people of AyAy were and be able to see what they made.โ€

The absence is not abstract. Marin spoke of early African percussion instruments documented on St. Croix plantations, of basketry, woodworking, dolls, and material culture that shaped everyday life but now live in off-island collections. โ€œImagine being able to borrow those things,โ€ she said, โ€œand reimagine them through contemporary artists.โ€

Embodied Histories took that idea seriously, structuring the weekend around both tangible and intangible heritage. Woodworker Kurt Marsh spoke about vanishing craft traditions and the urgency of keeping them alive. Priscilla Hinds-Rivera Knight shared basket-weaving knowledge alongside work on a forthcoming catalog. Pushaw presented images of Virgin Islands life sourced from auction houses, including a striking post-emancipation painting of Black Virgin Islanders dancing. Movement artists, scholars, and performers explored how the body itself becomes a vessel for memory and reclamation.

โ€œDance is a space of revolution,โ€ Marin said. โ€œPeople arenโ€™t always familiar with the body as a medium, but when youโ€™re watching someone perform, you start to feel in ways other art forms canโ€™t reach. It hasnโ€™t been properly archived, even though Bamboula and Cariso were used to communicate.โ€

That sense of embodied knowledge resonated deeply with participants. Paloma McGregor described movement as โ€œa way of activating our full intellectual capacity,โ€ calling the body โ€œan ancestral archive coming forward.โ€ For her, returning home to the U.S. Virgin Islands to work alongside Crucian cultural producers was fortifying. โ€œYou might be able to go faster alone, but you canโ€™t go deeper alone,โ€ she said. The weekend, she added, felt like a call-and-response between the territory and the mainland, weaving shared struggles alongside shared visions.

Cynthia Oliver, a Crucian dancer and scholar whose work examines pageantry, feminism, and performance as resistance, spoke about curiosity as an act of preservation. โ€œIโ€™ve always been intellectually curious about how things come to be โ€” the backstory, the history,โ€ she said. โ€œItโ€™s about revealing Black genius.โ€ Even the smallest gestures, she noted, are rooted in cultural memory. โ€œThe air hits my skin and goes into my lungs,โ€ she said gently. โ€œAh deh yah! It changes the attunement.โ€

Throughout the weekend, the line between artist and archivist dissolved. โ€œThe institution is sort of like us,โ€ said Stephanie Chalana Brown, emphasizing that the preservation of cultural knowledge does not have to wait for formal validation. โ€œPeople of the diaspora have always done this work.โ€ Still, the hope remains that these living archives will one day be housed locally. โ€œHopefully the archives will be in our libraries here,โ€ Brown said.

For Marin, the work ahead is already unfolding. Plans are underway for continued gatherings, including work on St. John next summer and a longer-term vision for a major exhibition in the near future. The collaborations, she stressed, are lifelong. โ€œThere were moments that touched me to the soul. It affirmed why we do this work โ€” to honor their legacies and pass the torch to the next generation.โ€

This project was initiated and organized by curator Monica Marin, Bart Pushaw, and Thor J. Mednick, with help from co-curator Juliana Berry and project assistant Lydia Myrick, and hosted by Crucian Heritage and Nature Tourism.
This project is supported by the St. Croix Foundation, Terra Foundation, NEFA National Dance Project, Mark J. Bevington, and Ryan Flegal and Corina Marks of Featherleaf Inn.

Community Writing Series Offers Space for Healing and Creativity in 2026

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Pass the Word VI will offer a workshop, a monthly series creating space for reflection, creative expression, and community connection. (Shutterstock image)

St. Thomas-based creative writing organization โ€œPass the Word VIโ€ will host its first session of 2026 on Tuesday from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. at Mystic Brew.

Titled โ€œStanding at the Waterline,” the workshop will be facilitated by guest writer Angela Vaughn-Likewise and is designed to provide a reflective, community-oriented space for writers of all levels.

Founded and curated by Katie Landry, the monthly workshop series began in 2023 with the intention of creating a consistent outlet for communal processing and creative expression. Landry was inspired after attending a writing-for-healing workshop led by Anne Nayer and Rosalyn Rossignol, where she witnessed participants engage with grief, trauma, and personal history through writing. โ€œI recognize that what we donโ€™t process outside of our bodies gets stored inside. Every month, I try to organize one or two workshops so the community has a structured opportunity to process difficult experiences in a supportive environment,โ€ Landry said.

The January theme, โ€œStanding at the Waterline,” refers to the transitional space between past and future, a concept Landry hopes will resonate as participants enter the new year. โ€œWe want people to feel that pause, and to honor it. Not everything in life is clearly defined. This is about allowing that undefined space to exist together,” Landry said.

Pass the Word VI emphasizes accessibility and inclusivity. No prior writing experience is required, and attendees are not expected to share their work. โ€œAll you have to do is come. The goal is to be in community,” Landry said.

Landry selects a diverse rotation of guest facilitators each month, prioritizing those who value community-building and understand the therapeutic potential of writing. Looking ahead, Landry and her team have planned several new formats for 2026, including archival writing workshops led by co-host Sara Kirkpatrick, which will use historical documents and photographs as creative prompts. Additionally, there will be outdoor writing workshops, led by co-host Jahfiyah Gumbs, which will combine nature exploration with writing practice.

Interested participants are encouraged to bring a notebook and a pen. As Landry emphasized, the series aims to foster what friend and collaborator Holly Nicole calls โ€œa brave space, if not always a safe one.”

Pass the Word VI also hosts regular open mic nights and youth writing workshops, reinforcing its role as a hub for literary arts and community connection on St. Thomas.

For more information, follow Pass the Word VI on Facebook and Instagram for updates and future event details.

Upcoming January 2026 Events:

Jan. 6, 6โ€“8 p.m.: “Standing at the Waterline with Angela Vaughn-Likewise” at Mystic Brew

Jan. 11, 3โ€“5 p.m.: “In the Beginning was the Word” with Anne Nayer

Jan. 13, 7โ€“9 p.m.: Community Storytelling Open Mic, “Second Chances” at Hotel 1829

Jan. 20, 6โ€“8 p.m.: Youth VIBE Workshop & Open Mic at Barefoot Buddha

Jan. 22, 7โ€“9 p.m.: Spoken Word Open Mic, “Reclaiming Ourselves” at Cutlass & Cane

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