Joanne C. Hillhouse (b. January 5th 1973) is a writer from Ottos, Antigua-Barbuda in the Caribbean and was named the Anthony N. Sabga Awards for Caribbean Excellence arts and letters laureate in 2023. She is an international author, freelance content creator and copy editor, writing coach, course and workshop coordinator and facilitator, arts and culture advocate and commentator, and book blogger and vlogger whose independent media products include the CREATIVE SPACE series and the Blogger on Books (and #BookChat #unscripted) series. Her lit arts development programmes include the Jhohadli Summer Youth Writing Project/Jhohadli Writing Project workshop series and the non-profit Wadadli Youth Pen Prize.
Joanne has written for Essence magazine, Huffington Post, Writer’s Digest, Publisher’s Weekly, Caribbean Beat, and other publications; written and/or edited books (fiction and non-fiction) and other content – including internal and external corporate communications, marketing content for commercial entities, and social marketing content for non-profits.
She has a column CREATIVE SPACE that runs in the Daily Observer by Newsco (extended edition with extras on the Jhohadli blog and video on AntiguanWriter on YouTube).
She has worked (as writer, producer) on film and TV projects, and taught written communication at tertiary institutions (CATHODALE, Antigua State College, American University of Antigua), in addition to independent adult classes and commissioned staff training. She has judged a number of literary competitions including the Wadadli Youth Pen Prize, the Antigua and Barbuda Independence Literary Competition, and the Burt Award. Joanne graduated with a degree in Mass Communication from the University of the West Indies and has participated in creative writing classes and workshops over the years, notably at the UWI during undergrad, and, as a fellowship recipient, at University of Miami (Caribbean Fiction Writers Summer Institute), Middlebury College (Breadloaf Writers Conference), and Brown University (Texas A & M Callaloo Writers Conference). She has been sponsored by Commonwealth Writers for participation in editing and writing workshops, in Guyana (through Carib Lit) and Barbados, 2016 and 2018, respectively. Her published books include self-published poetry collection On Becoming, children’s picture books (With Grace, Lost! A Caribbean Sea Adventure, and The Jungle Outside), teen/young adult novels (of which Musical Youth was a Burt award winning title and starred top Kirkus Indie of 2020; and both Musical Youth and The Boy from Willow Bend are on Caribbean schools reading lists), and adult contemporary novels (Dancing Nude in the Moonlight, Oh Gad!). She’s published poetry, fiction, and non-fiction in journals and anthologies, e.g. Pepperpot: Best New Stories of the Caribbean (her story “Amelia at Devil’s Bridge” having been taught/studied at educational institutions in the Caribbean and US) and the 2020 NAACP Image Award nominated New Daughters of Africa (with “Evening Ritual”). She has repped the #268 at lit events around the world including the Caribbean, South America, UK, US, and UAE. Lit Hub named her in 2018 as one of ’10 Female Caribbean Authors You Should Know (And Add To Your American Lit Syllabus)’.
Her fourth children’s book, and eighth book overall, To be a Cheetah, with Antiguan and Barbudan artist Zavian Archibald, was forthcoming at this writing.
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