The way the media cycle works, the way the news works, and the way people's attention span works, is that we only learn that people exist when there is crisis.

That's whatever news topic, whatever political process any country is going through - whenever they are in the news, that's when they exist. If you don't see them they don't exist.

I also know there are timeless waters, endless seas, and lots of people in this world whose names don't matter to anyone but themselves. I look up at the sky and I see you there.

In Haiti you had the Duvaliers for 29 years and they were very well supported by the United States.

Often when you're an immigrant writing in English, people think it's primarily a commercial choice. But for many of us, it's a choice that rises out of the circumstances of our lives. These are the tools I have at my disposal, based on my experiences. It's a constant debate, not just in my community but in other communities as well. Where do you belong? You're kind of one of us, but you now write in a different language.

Being a shy child, I always longed for a mask. Even in my adult life, I have glasses, they are my mask.

We need literature because we wouldn’t fully know ourselves without it. We need good literature to be fully human.