From the Frontlines: What It's Like to Volunteer at a Literary Festival

 

I start this week's blog by answering a question a new friend of mine asked when I first told them that I volunteer often. The question was "Why all yuh does do them ting?". I laughed  then as I laugh now in answering that question. This weekend, I volunteered at what can only be described as a bibliophile's dream—The NGC Bocas Lit festival. This has been my 3rd year volunteering after I heard about the festival in 2011. I had always thought it sounded interesting and jumped at the chance to work behind the scenes when the opportunity came up. 

Day 1

This year, I missed the volunteering orientation but made it to my first shift on Friday afternoon. It had been a long but fulfilling and good day. When I arrived, I was greeted by other volunteers who had worked the earlier shifts. They directed me to get  my volunteer tags and t-shirt and informed me that I would have to wait for the coordinator to give instructions and my assignment. This was not a good first encounter. We butted heads immediately over the t-shirt. I had arrived in my work clothes and had not yet changed into t-shirt by the time the coordinator arrived. This was eventually sorted out and I was posted to the section where panel discussion, one on one and debates were to take place.

From the moment I arrived at the venue, I knew that the festival was going to be a success. The venue was already packed and more people were coming in. I was pretty happy that the venue was air conditioned but was more struck by the fact that adults became like children again with their buzzing excitement to hear their favourite authors. I met with the pleasant and welcoming venue coordinator who gave further instructions. As the day unfolded, I directed the visitors to their seats, answered questions, took headcounts, liaised with other volunteers who were changing shifts and roamed with the mic between audience members during the  Q&A. In between sessions, I stopped to purchase books from upcoming and interesting authors and those whose sessions piqued my interest. I also stole time away to share in the excitement of the experience with my friends who visited the festival. As th evening progressed I was told that I would be moving to one of the satellite locations Big Black Box! I was very excited! There was to be book readings and a live performance by the band 3 Canal. 

When we arrived, I chatted with the new batch of volunteers and we bonded over our love for and of art, music and books. All agreeing that the festival was the perfect place to get our fill of all three. After we set up and decorated in preparation for the event, we settled into our new roles in merchandizing and sales. We were briefed by our coordinator and settled in for the start. There was a steady stream of buzzing visitors to the free event. While the event was going on, we interacted with the patrons by giving information and selling merchandise. Of course buying some ourselves. 

As the event progressed, I had the opportunity to briefly interact with literary luminaries I admire as they made their way to the stage. I loved observing the looks of awe and delight on people's faces as they were transported to other worlds through the power of an author's words. Despite the long hours on my feet, the experience proved incredibly rewarding. 

Day 2

We were fully in weekend mode! When I arrived on day 2, the venue was packed and buzzing! I barely had time to pin on my tag.  As I interacted with patrons and listened to some of the region' best writers, I was struck by the sense of community that formed among participants. Strangers became friends due to common book choice. People argued whether the character from books was good or bad or discussed the influence of writing on one’s life. For me, the most memorable parts of this experience was getting to know other volunteers and visitors, who, like me, loved books or literature. I liked when we shared our views on literature, and talked about how we would like to see out favorite author. Although we had different lives, we all shared the same values: we all loved to read and literature.

Day 3

My final day of the festival started at midday. There was a different reason for the rush and buzz today. The festival would be coming to a close with the most anticipated feature—the Slam Spoken Word Poetry Competition. After lunch it was all everyone could talk about. I was excited as well as I had been to one of the sein finals and knew that the finals would be thrilling. My feet were sore and I was utterly drained but I felt both high-spirited and nostalgic. As the sun began to set, I listened to an address by a riveting writer before I said goodbye and thanks to everyone I had met this year. I made my way home to prepare to attend the closing public event—the Poetry Slam.

The three-day adventure had been an unforgettable ride—a flurry of articulate expressions, concepts, notions, and friendships. Having a modest participation in the party of creativity and intellectual enthusiasm reignited my zeal for the writer community. I now simply take off the hat of volunteer and adopt the role of the patrons I had helped over the last three days. 

Reflecting on my experience over the last three days made me realize that volunteering is more than giving up and of your time. It's about an experience that brings people together and in this case, there was the added benefit of celebrating the power of literature and building a community of people around storytelling.

Copyright © Lana. S. 2024