I Think Novels Just Really

America's Relationship With Haiti Has Always Been Very Complicated. I Often Say To People, "before We Came To America, America Came To Us In The Form Of The American Occupation From 1915 To 1934."

It Seemed From The Media That We Were Being Told That All Haitians Had Aids. At The Time, I Had Just Come From Haiti. I Was Twelve Years Old, And The Building I Was Living In Had Primarily Haitians. A Lot Of People Got Fired From Their Jobs. At School, Sometimes In Gym Class, We'd Be Separated Because Teachers Were Worried About What Would Happen If We Bled. So There Was Really This Intense Discrimination.

I'm Happy To Be Part Of This Chorus Of People Who Are Trying To Tell More Complex Stories About Haiti.

Write What Haunts You. What Keeps You Up At Night. What You Are Unable To Get Out Of Your Mind. Sometimes They Are The Hardest Things To Write, But Those Are Often The Things That Are Worth Investigating By You Specifically. . .

...women, Brave As Stars At Dawn