I wrote my first stories and poems in French and in Haitian Kreyol. Lovestruck classmates used to ask me to write letters for them. I didn’t know the targets of their affection. I was their Cyrano de Bergerac. I filled page after page with poetry and yearning. When I landed on Plymouth Rock (Brooklyn, NY) and learned English, I wrote to make sense of the fluorescent world far from my birthplace, Haiti.
Rain ruined a bankers box of stories, essays, and poetry I had written longhand–in all my languages. I was so traumatized I stayed away from creative writing for years. Consolation came in the form of writing lyrics and music for various bands. That was a long time ago. I’ve written a ton since then: countless papers for a BA in English Lit, a Master’s in Education, and an MFA in Creative Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Great school!
My heart’s work went into a collection of interrelated stories, DRIFTING, published by Akashic Boks in 2014. My first novel, MOUTHS DON’T SPEAK, was published in 2018 by Akashic Books. My personal essays, Pushcart-Prize nominated poetry and critically acclaimed short stories have been published in Pleiades, The Hong Kong Review, Rumpus, The Caribbean Writer, Smartish Pace, Phoebe, Meridians: feminism, race, transnationalism, and other journals; anthologies include: Us Against Alzheimer’s (We need a cure); Mozayik: Yon Konbit Literè (written in Haitian Creole), Haiti Noir I, and others. I wrote a bilingual picture book, Fabiola Goes to School. A brilliant Kreyolist and MIT linguistics professor helped me get the language just right. I’m proud of that work.
I’m working on several projects and revising and revising and revising and revising. Whew! That is the fun part, though. Stories come through in the revision process. The characters are fully formed and dictate what they want me to tell you about them. Creative writing is my passion. Collecting vintage typewriters is a close second. Oh, and I have to grow exotic flowers and veggies. It’s the Haitian in me.
You can find me on Instagram and Facebook . I tried Twitter, now X, but that world spins way too fast for me. Our daughter tweets enough for all of us.
