The Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) officially announces the publication of the Call for Proposals for both the Accelerated and Regular Procedures grant facilities under the well known Direct Assistance Grant Scheme as part of the Regional Private Sector Development Programme (RPSDP) funded by the European Union under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) on January 17, 2014.

The Direct Assistance Grant Scheme is a reimbursement grant funding facility specifically designed to provide financial assistance to legally registered firms, individuals and Business Support Organisations (BSOs) who have the potential to export their products and services.

After conducting a series of workshops for firms and BSOs throughout 2012 and 2013, across CARIFORUM to increase the schemes awareness and ultimately increase the number of applications received, the release of this Call for Proposals is expected to result in a record number of applicants to utilise the funds made available via the 10th European Development Fund.

Grants of up to €30,000 can be received by firms that meet the eligibility criteria, whose applications are accepted and are exporting or demonstrate their potential to export goods and services.  “The announcement of this facility is timely in view of many of the regions private sector requiring financial assistance to develop or enhance their businesses to be more competitive in the international market” expressed Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director at Caribbean Export.

Applying firms are encouraged to work with their national BSOs who have been trained to provide assistance when preparing applications.  As in previous calls Caribbean Export has facilitated the submission of applications in four languages (Dutch, English, French or Spanish) ensuring access by firms from the non-English speaking Caribbean.

The deadline for this Call for Proposals is March 7, 2014 and more information about the Direct Assistance Grant Scheme can be found at www.carib-export.com.  Contact: Kirk Brown, Senior Grant Advisor (kbrown@carib-export.com) or Celestine Moe, Grant Advisor (cmoe@carib-export.com), Caribbean Export Development Agency, Tel: +1(246) 436-0578, Fax: +1(246) 436-9999

CCC Press (www.cccpress.co.uk) is showcasing new writing in English from around the world in their new series of country anthologies.  The World Englishes Literature (Fiction) series (www.new-ventures.net) has so far published anthologies of stories from Cameroon, Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya and Malaysia. The anthologies focus on the production of new writing in English or local Englishes, which is edited and presented with a critical introduction.  This is a call for the projected collection from Jamaica, the Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, and Barbados. 

Submission Guidelines for Short Stories
Word count:  3000-8000 words

There is no theme; the work only needs to reflect Jamaica, the Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago or Barbados in some manner.

This is adult fiction (in the sense that it is not “children’s fiction”).

The work must be written in an English (i.e., not translated from another language) and must be written by a resident of Jamaica, the Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago or Barbados (This is not a collection of diaspora writing.).  

The story must be “new” in the sense that it is “unpublished” and has not been published in any form.  

Please send submissions by email to tiffanyuaustin@gmail.com, attached as a Microsoft Word document and formatted as follows:
Name of author (Times New Roman, 12pt, bold, left justified).
Contact address, telephone number and email (Times New Roman, 12pt, bold, left justified).
Title of short story (Times New Roman, 14pt, bold, centered, underlined).
Body text (Times New Roman, 12pt, justified, 1.5 line spacing, black).
Page numbers and name of author on every page please.
Word count at the end of the story (Bold, left justified).
Maximum of two entries per person please.
Please submit by May 1, 2014.

The Caribbean Writer is seeking works that explore the defining moments of the Caribbean experience, the symbolism in the places that dot the Caribbean landscape, the journeys that inform our experiences, the memories that will not let us go. We hope to highlight and document Caribbean life in its broadest sense. We also invite works that provide a critical and historical overview, of times, places, and memories that reflect the wit, resilience and resourcefulness of Caribbean people as well as the implications of certain periods that have helped to define the notion of the contemporary Caribbean. 

Major events in the history of the Caribbean and the experiences of people wherever they live the Caribbean experience is relevant in very profound ways. Memories of these events are meaningful not only because they provide fodder for introspection and change, but also because their implications are articulated on a number of levels. Memories of natural disasters, calamities, migrations, pivotal national decisions, national movements, societal trends, populations shifts, alienation issues, economic swings, internal struggles, and survival strategies ripple through the diaspora and have had such an impact on people that they possess an abiding ability to elicit passionate responses that can create new rifts or forge new alliances.

Caribbean publication accepting submissions for new volume
Deadline: February 28, 2014

Theme: Re-Visioning the Future of the Caribbean through Time, Place and Memories

 Get more information from The Caribbean Writer 

British Council Scotland is providing three scholarships to enable gifted literature and creative writing students from Commonwealth countries to attend the Scottish Universities' International Summer School (SUISS) in July and August 2014.