All is set for the third annual Jamaica Brew Literary and Film Festival, which will unfold on Saturday, January 31, at the Broward County Southwest Regional Library in Pembroke Pines, presented by the Consulate of Jamaica in Miami.
The free, day-long event opens at 9:00 a.m. with complimentary Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee, followed by book sales and signings featuring a wide cross-section of Jamaican and Caribbean authors and poets. Special presentations and panel discussions will run throughout the day, with the festival concluding at 5:00 p.m. after a two-hour showcase of short films.
The festival is held in recognition of Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Day, observed on January 9, and was created to spotlight Jamaica’s creative industries. According to Consul General Oliver Mair, the event serves as a platform for Jamaican storytellers. “It’s about telling our stories to the world—our worth and who we are as a people,” he said.
New this year is a Children’s Corner, inspired by the traditional Ring-Ding games and cultural legacy of national icon Louise Bennett-Coverley (Miss Lou). The area will also feature exhibitions by emerging artists. Another highlight will be a theatrical-style presentation unveiling the acronym B-R-E-W, with each letter symbolizing what is being “brewed” at the festival, kicking off formal presentations at 10:00 a.m.
Themes of resilience will take center stage through video features and discussions reflecting on Jamaica’s recovery from Hurricane Melissa. The story of author and farmer Keith Wedderburn, drawn from his latest book Give Thanks For Life – Surviving Hurricane Melissa, will be shared. Acclaimed dub poet Malachi Smith will lead an on-stage conversation on resilience and recount experiences from the eighth Jamaica Poets Nomadic College and School Tour, which visited schools in some of the island’s hardest-hit communities last December.
As a curtain-raiser to Black History Month, the festival will also explore the legacy of Alexander Bedward and the Jamaica Native Free Baptist Church, examining its challenge to colonial authority. The Talawah Mento Band and Jamaican Folk Revue will perform selections from their upcoming musical Bedward, offering cultural context to the discussion. The short film segment will include a special tribute highlighting the life and legacy of Jimmy Cliff.
The 2026 festival will feature a diverse slate of writers and creatives, including Sharon Gordon, winner of the 2025 What’s Your Story Jamaica storytelling competition. Her audiobook Sheribaby recently made history as the first audiobook in Jamaican dialect to receive Grammy consideration. Other participants include Kacy Garvey, Richard Blackford, Simone Russell, Raul “Blaze” Davis, Kaysia Earley, Curtis Myrie, Oberlene Smith Whyte, Dr. Aza Weir-Soley, and communications specialist Gail Abrahams, who will present her debut book Heels, Hustle, HEART.
Admission is free, but registration is required via jamaicabrew2026.eventbrite.com. Organizers say the festival continues to grow as a vibrant space for literature, film, history, and cultural expression—sharing all that’s brewing in Jamaica’s creative world.
