Calabash's literary beach party: rain couldn't dampen the spirits of international literary fans in Treasure Beach, Jamaica.

Nestled in a fisherman's village on the south coast of the Caribbean island of Jamaica, a literary revolution takes place. For the third consecutive year, the Calabash International Literary Festival, held in Treasure Beach, celebrates the written word, and the "revolutionary" aspect of the festival strives to create an atmosphere that is earthy, inspirational, daring and diverse for the writers, the readers, and the guests who venture out.

"Calabash wants to be the festival of choice for the world's most gifted authors," says founder and artistic director Colin Channer, author of Satisfy My Soul (One World/Ballantine Books, January 2002, ISBN 0-345-43789-6) and Waiting in Vain (One World/Ballantine Books, August 1998, ISBN 0-345-41178-1).

"There are many spaces for authors to read, but I don't think there is currently a space where you can consistently get authors of color, writers of high caliber, in the same place at the same time of the year.," says Channel. "We saw a need for that and created Calabash."

The author roster for the 2003 festival read like a Who's Who for African Diaspora literature. From Britain's historical fiction author Bernardine Evaristo to the Southern-raised writer ZZ Packer, the participants of the three-day festival vary as widely as the voices and cultures they represent. During one particular evening of this year's three-day event, the impending rain might have been enough to disperse a crowd at most other outdoor literary events. But the attendees at Calabash, however, simply rolled up pants, took off their shoes or pulled up their feet in chairs, or moved chairs closer together underneath the tent and listened to authors read from their works.

The events are free and open to the public; attendees don't have to book it, they don't have to buy tickets, they just have to walk in and grab a seat. It is very Democratic and it doesn't seem to be aimed at a particular strata. "It says the doors are open wide, come in and partake. That is probably unique, and if it isn't unique then it is pretty damn special," adds Jamaican-born poet Everton Sylvester.

Even with all of the wonderful things that make up Calabash, rumors and speculations of "elitist authors" who were "boycotting" the event were as much a part of the whispered conversation as the subtle acknowledgement of bell hooks and John Edgar Wideman mingling with the crowd. But the elitist authors' lack of presence was background to the experience of being a part of a transformation of culture to art. As Channer puts it, "It is not just people receiving art, but also people creating Art. It is a two sided thing."

For information about the 2004 Calabash International Literary Festival, visit the Web site at www.calabashfestival.org.

--Michelle R. Gipson, who lives in Atlanta, is a freelance writer and editor at Atlanta Daily World.