Rick S. S. Grant is an author, motivational speaker, poet, storyteller, and professional development trainer whose work inspires audiences of all ages. He is best known as the author of four children’s books—When I Grow Up, Where I Live, Health and Safety for You and Me, and When Storm Winds Blow—each available in English, Spanish, and French Creole. His stories equip children with practical life lessons, ignite curiosity, create a sense of belonging, fuel imagination, foster understanding, and encourage personal growth.

Mr. Grant holds a unique place in Virgin Islands literacy history. His first three titles were consecutively featured in the Governor’s Summer Reading Challenge (2017, 2018, 2019), with When I Grow Up selected again in 2020—making it the only book in the program’s history to carry the official Governor’s seal under two administrations. He is also the only author in the Challenge’s sixteen-year history to achieve three consecutive features. Additionally, When Storm Winds Blow has been adapted by the Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency (VITEMA) as a hurricane preparedness resource for families. His literary work has earned recognition from Story Monsters Ink and received the prestigious Royal Dragonfly Book Award in Education/Reference, Children’s Picture Books (Ages 5 & Younger), and Health. His books are found in homes and libraries throughout the U.S. Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, St. Kitts and Nevis, and as far afield as South Africa, Peru, and Kenya.

A passionate literacy advocate, Rick regularly participates in initiatives such as Reading is Fun Week in the British Virgin Islands, the Week of the Young Child, the Governor’s Summer Reading Challenge, Poetry Out Loud, Hats Off to Reading, and the Men’s Read-In programs across the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Rick credits his Caribbean heritage for igniting his passion for literacy, describing his journey as: “St. Kitts created me, Tortola raised me, and the U.S. Virgin Islands molded me.” Guided by his life motto — “Inspiring Imagination to Identify Potential”— he empowers audiences of all ages to dream boldly, embrace creativity, and lead with purpose. He is a firm believer that “words build worlds,” Rick uses storytelling, training, and motivational speaking to spark curiosity, instill values, and nurture creativity in the next generation.

Beyond writing, speaking, and training, Rick serves as Strategic Advisor of the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority.

Rick is honoured to participate in the BVI Literacy Festival and continue his mission to empower children and communities to see themselves as dreamers, problem-solvers, and change-makers—because every long story begins with a short step.

Priscilla Hintz Rivera Knight is a cultural practitioner, curator and arts administrator. As a daughter of the Caribbean, Priscilla will go to any lengths to champion and support artists and arts organizations throughout the region. 

Priscilla earned a MA Degree in Arts Administration from Goucher College and a BA in Social Sciences with a concentration in Caribbean studies from the University of the Virgin Islands.

She was the editor and co-founder of Art Fusion magazine and has worked for and collaborated with such organizations as the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., the Turabo University Art Museum and Center for Humanistic Studies in Puerto Rico and Casa de las Américas in Cuba among others. She has curated exhibitions and realized projects in Cuba, Denmark, New York, Miami, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.