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Massachusetts, USA – (September 14, 2015): On September 11 and 12, 2015, Caribbean children’s author, Carol Ottley-Mitchell, completed a resoundly successful author’s visit and book tour to the greater Boston area.

The initiative was a brainchild of Randolph Town Councillor Kenrick Clifton. “My objectives were three-fold. I wanted to expose Caribbean culture and literary arts to our community; to create an opportunity for a fellow national; and equally important I wanted to use books and literary arts as a bridge to enhance and improve the understanding amongst the multiplicity and diversity of cultures within our community here in Boston,” states Councillor Clifton.
On Friday, September 11, Mrs. Mitchell presented to several hundred students, teachers, and administrators at two elementary schools in Randolph. The author’s presentation and readings exposed the audience to Kittitian and Nevisian culture and landmarks including the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park, the setting of the first of the Caribbean Adventure Series, Adventure at Brimstone Hill.

Mrs. Mitchell was very pleased with the outcome of her elementary school visit. “I have years of experience doing school visits, but I must say that this weekend’s visit to Boston was one of my favorites. The welcome that I received from the schools’ administration was outstanding and the children were wonderful, really inspiring. They were so curious about Chee Chee, the vervet monkey who is at the center of many of my books that it was easy to feel that he had been brought to life in their imaginations. I hoped to heighten their love of reading by giving them a personal connection to the books. I also hoped to bring to them an appreciation of Caribbean culture and an understanding that while there are differences in our lifestyles at the heart of it, people are very similar worldwide. Based on the responses that I have received I believe that I was able to accomplish this.”

 

The author’s tour culminated on Saturday, September 12, with an enormously successful presentation at the town’s historic Turner Free Library. According to Assistant Library Director Elizabeth Murphy, “This was one of the most anticipated author visits and it exceeded all expectations. Books were literally sold out and Ms. Mitchell was brilliant and the children were so curious and engaged.”

As a result of the success of the tour, other schools and towns have already expressed interest in Mrs. Mitchell’s work and have extended invitations for her to return to Massachusetts.