I'm happy to be part of this chorus of people who are trying to tell more complex stories about Haiti.

To be able to create you have to have peace of mind on some level.

My models were oral, were storytellers. Like my grandmothers and my aunts. It's true, a lot of people in my life were not literate in a formal sense, but they were storytellers. So I had this experience of just watching somebody spin a tale off the top of her head. I loved that.

Their Maker, she said, gives them the sky to carry because they are strong. These people do not know who they are, but if you see a lot of trouble in your life, it is because you were chosen to carry part of the sky on your head. -pg. 25

Vodou is one of the religions practiced in Haiti, a rich religion for the people.

When you are working on something, you have to believe that people will still be reading when you're done!

We've had fiction from the time of cave drawings. I think fiction, storytelling, and narrative in general will always exist in some form.