For Felene M. Cayetano 🇧🇿📚🎬 stories are part of everyday life. They come from family memories, people she observes, the kitchen where her grandmother cooked, the stories passed down by elders and the languages and experiences she wants to preserve. She is an author, librarian, filmmaker and photographer, and in this episode of Season 8 of Intangiblia ™ those different roles come together in a conversation about something very practical: how do we help Caribbean stories reach the people who need to read them?
When a library becomes part of an author’s journey
Felene has worked as a librarian for 18 years, so she understands the relationship between books and libraries from both sides. She explains how authors can deposit their books, speak directly with librarians and, in some systems, have their work purchased for several library branches at once. Libraries can also create another kind of opportunity by hosting readings, introducing authors to new audiences and giving locally published books a place within their collections.
But getting a Caribbean book from one country to another is not always simple. Felene describes travelling and personally visiting bookstores, libraries and author communities to discover titles that might never appear through conventional distribution channels. For many independent authors, the challenge is not creating the book. It is getting the book into the hands of readers.
Finding the readers who are already there
One of the most interesting parts of our conversation is how practical Felene is about building an audience. Public readings can lead directly to sales, but schools can offer something even more sustainable. When a book becomes useful to teachers and students, it can develop a much longer life.
That may require authors and publishers to think beyond the original manuscript. A book might need discussion questions, teaching materials or another way of connecting it with a curriculum. Felene shares examples of independent authors finding opportunities through alternative schools when another route was unavailable. Her message is simple: there is rarely only one path.
Building a Caribbean network
The same idea applies across the region. Felene recalls meeting Caribbean authors and publishers through CARIFESTA and immediately recognizing common experiences across countries, languages and markets. The challenge is turning those connections into lasting structures for distribution, rights management, publishing and professional support.
Some of that work already happens formally, including through regional organizations, and some of it happens through something as simple as a WhatsApp group where people share opportunities and support one another’s work. For Felene, regional collaboration begins with people meeting, staying connected and continuing to build on what others have already started.
Leaving a creative footprint
Perhaps the most personal part of the conversation comes when Felene explains why she writes and makes films. She wants to preserve experiences, family histories and the Garifuna language, and to make sure different perspectives remain part of the cultural record. If creators do not tell those stories, she says, there may be no footprint left behind.
That is why libraries, schools, publishing networks and rights systems matter. They give stories somewhere to go after they have been created. They help a book move beyond the person who wrote it and become part of a community, a classroom, a library shelf or another generation’s understanding of where they come from.
Listen to “Felene Cayetano: Libraries, Authors and the Caribbean” and discover how libraries, education and community can help Caribbean stories travel further.
Intangiblia™ is a bilingual podcast available in English and Spanish.
Give Your Idea a Future
Ideas become valuable when they can move beyond the page, develop and reach the people they are meant to serve. Protection for the Inventive Mind is my interactive fieldbook for turning an early idea into something more structured, purposeful and ready to grow. Through practical exercises and clear IP guidance, it helps you understand what you have created, where its value lies and how to make informed decisions about what comes next.
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