Jamaican poet Yashika Graham has been shortlisted for the 2025 OCM Bocas Prize for Poetry in recognition for her debut collection ‘Some of Us Can Go Back Home’, published by Blue Banyan Books.
Graham, a Westmoreland native, is a graduate of the University of the West Indies, Mona, and an Honorary Fellow in the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program.
Her work is rooted in Jamaica’s heritage and cultural landscape. Some of Us Can Go Back Home specifically focuses on a poetically crafted emotional journey, exploring love, loss, healing and the search for belonging.
Graham described her work as being filled with powerful imagery and heartfelt narratives, inviting readers to reclaim their sense of self, even in the face of trauma and uncertainty.
“Yashika Graham’s debut collection is a song to sustain the spirit,” says Shara McCallum, poet and author of No Ruined Stone. “She tackles difficult subjects … all while grounding the poems in family, faith, and home.”
Graham has been compared to the likes of Lorna Goodison, Olive Senior and Edward Baugh.
The OCM Bocas Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the Caribbean. It celebrates the best of Caribbean literature published in the preceding year.
For the 2025 edition, the Bocas Prize has expanded its shortlist to include five books per genre category.
Other nominees in the poetry category include renowned authors Anthony Vahni Capildeo and Mervyn Taylor, while acclaimed writers Edwidge Danticat and Dionne Brand both appear in the nonfiction category.
In response to her nomination, Graham expressed gratitude for the recognition. “To be shortlisted for such a revered award alongside so many brilliant writers is a true honour.”
The winners of the OCM Bocas Prizes in the categories of poetry, fiction and nonfiction will be announced on Sunday, April 6.
During the 15th annual Bocas Lit Fest in Port of Spain, Trinidad on On May 3, the overall winner of the OCM Bocas Prize will be announced.
The winner will also be awarded a US$10,000 cash prize.
