After a certain statement was made by a certain president about Haitians coming from an expletive [s*&%#@!e] country (which he denies), I felt the need to share part of my world. There are Haitian people in my friendship circle and family and also in my world as a writer. I wanted to share the marvelous contributions that people and people of Haitian descent in the field of kidlit (and I snuck a few other genres in, as well). These individuals are rockstars in their own right and since I know there are many who I have missed, I will continue to update this list. Since I am not Haitian however, I have a huge respect for this nation and its accomplishments. (We Caribbean people often say that it was only a difference of which slaveship we arrived on or which ports they stopped off at or sold Africans to which made a difference in which Caribbean island one originates.) Besides the connection of Haiti being the first free Black republic, a nation built by self-emancipated former slaves, I have a love for Haitian dance and zouk music and kompa. I was even the first to propose and teach a Creole French course in the Toronto District School Board, where I work.
But I digress. In this article, you will also individuals with whom I have had the pleasure of meeting and/or working (hence the photos that include me). I will be updating this blogpost with news from Haitian-born and Haitian-descended authors.
And for more reading about Haiti, check out these children and young adult books on the Keryolicious blog here.
So without further ado, I present to you Haitians in KidLit.
But I digress. In this article, you will also individuals with whom I have had the pleasure of meeting and/or working (hence the photos that include me). I will be updating this blogpost with news from Haitian-born and Haitian-descended authors.
And for more reading about Haiti, check out these children and young adult books on the Keryolicious blog here.
So without further ado, I present to you Haitians in KidLit.
Edwidge Danticat (right), author and activist and me
Edwidge Danticat
Best known for her award-winning debut novel Breathe, Eyes, Memory and writing books selected for Oprah's Book Club, Edwidge Danticat is also often called on to comment on the events of Haiti and the Haitian-American diaspora which is a breath of fresh air and clearly thought-provoking. She is humble and both times I met her (once in New York City and the other in her hometown Miami(, I was starstruck. She also does a lot of work in Haiti.
Best known for her award-winning debut novel Breathe, Eyes, Memory and writing books selected for Oprah's Book Club, Edwidge Danticat is also often called on to comment on the events of Haiti and the Haitian-American diaspora which is a breath of fresh air and clearly thought-provoking. She is humble and both times I met her (once in New York City and the other in her hometown Miami(, I was starstruck. She also does a lot of work in Haiti.
Author Ibi Zoboi (left) and I at the Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA)
Ibi Zoboi
Ibi Zoboi (left) is an author and scholar based in Brooklyn, New York. Her debut novel American Street was met with accolades and many awards and nominations including the National Book Award in 2017. For more news about her upcoming books, check out her website here and Twitter at @ibizoboi.
Ibi Zoboi (left) is an author and scholar based in Brooklyn, New York. Her debut novel American Street was met with accolades and many awards and nominations including the National Book Award in 2017. For more news about her upcoming books, check out her website here and Twitter at @ibizoboi.
Leonicka Valcius (right) is a publishing professional, founder of DiverseCanLit, and board of directors chair for the Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD) and me
Leonicka Valcius
Leonicka Valcius is a publishing professional who has whose work encompasses children's literature and other genres. She is the founder of DiverseCanLit, a growing online resource promoting equity and inclusion in Canadian publishing and literature. She is also the Chair of The FOLD Foundation Board of Directors. For more information visit www.leonicka.com and follow her on Twitter @leonicka. Leonicka is an amazing person to work with and knows the publishing industry so well. She is based in Toronto.
Leonicka Valcius is a publishing professional who has whose work encompasses children's literature and other genres. She is the founder of DiverseCanLit, a growing online resource promoting equity and inclusion in Canadian publishing and literature. She is also the Chair of The FOLD Foundation Board of Directors. For more information visit www.leonicka.com and follow her on Twitter @leonicka. Leonicka is an amazing person to work with and knows the publishing industry so well. She is based in Toronto.
Alix Delinois (left) is an illustrator, artist, and educator, retired librarian Dr. Rita Cox, and me
Alix Delinois
Alix Delinois (left) illustrated many books for well-known authors including Edwidge Danticat (Eight Days: A Story of Haiti pictured above), Itah Sadu (Greetings Leroy pictured below), and Walter Dean Myers (Muhammad (Muhammad Ali: The People's Champion). He is an illustrator, visual artist, and teacher based in New York City. Check out his work here.
Alix Delinois (left) illustrated many books for well-known authors including Edwidge Danticat (Eight Days: A Story of Haiti pictured above), Itah Sadu (Greetings Leroy pictured below), and Walter Dean Myers (Muhammad (Muhammad Ali: The People's Champion). He is an illustrator, visual artist, and teacher based in New York City. Check out his work here.
Dany Laferrière
Unlike anyone on this list, I have never met Dany Laferrière in my life however his picture books are entertaining and the film adaptations to his award-winning novels are amazing. He is an author, journalist, and the first Quebecer and Black person to the Académie française, a council that meets on matters pertaining to the French language. Dany is Haitian-Canadian and lives in Montreal.
* Please note that I had to remove Dany Laferrière's images from my website. Unbeknownst to me, there was a copyright infringement and I had to pay a fine.
Unlike anyone on this list, I have never met Dany Laferrière in my life however his picture books are entertaining and the film adaptations to his award-winning novels are amazing. He is an author, journalist, and the first Quebecer and Black person to the Académie française, a council that meets on matters pertaining to the French language. Dany is Haitian-Canadian and lives in Montreal.
* Please note that I had to remove Dany Laferrière's images from my website. Unbeknownst to me, there was a copyright infringement and I had to pay a fine.
While living and working in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, I was blessed to meet several talented people. Two of them were women poets of the Haitian diaspora who have writing in the works.
Poet Christine Jean-Blain (far right) is a New York City-native of Haitian descent based in Dubai.
Christine Jean-Blain
Although I lived in Dubai for 3 months, I started a writing group for women of colour during Ramadan and I called it Ramadan Write-In. These were a series of 5 workshops in Abu Dhabi and Dubai usually in air-conditioned cafes which were a huge welcome to the blazing white-hot 45 degree Celsius days. While in Dubai, I met my co-worker Christine Jean-Blain and was pleased to learn that she was a poet, spoken word artist, and aspiring author. Christine has a way with words, so much so that she has been published in a variety of online mediums. You can check out her work here.
Although I lived in Dubai for 3 months, I started a writing group for women of colour during Ramadan and I called it Ramadan Write-In. These were a series of 5 workshops in Abu Dhabi and Dubai usually in air-conditioned cafes which were a huge welcome to the blazing white-hot 45 degree Celsius days. While in Dubai, I met my co-worker Christine Jean-Blain and was pleased to learn that she was a poet, spoken word artist, and aspiring author. Christine has a way with words, so much so that she has been published in a variety of online mediums. You can check out her work here.
Daj (far right) is a nurse by day but a poet by night and me at the beach in Dubai
Dajena Victor
Now based in Montreal, Dajena is a lover of spoken word especially the Christian spoken word variety. Currently she has a project "in the works" which is coming out in March. You can check her out on Instagram at @dajvic. You can see an interpretation of her poem La Voix below.
Now based in Montreal, Dajena is a lover of spoken word especially the Christian spoken word variety. Currently she has a project "in the works" which is coming out in March. You can check her out on Instagram at @dajvic. You can see an interpretation of her poem La Voix below.
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