On the morning of Sunday 26th May 2013, the members of the Coral Reef Bookstore’s West Indian Readers Book Club gathered at their usual meeting place and eagerly awaited the arrival of one of their most admired and respected authors, Edwidge Danticat of Haiti. Edwidge Dandicat was a guest author at the just concluded Lit Fest and was invited to the book club meeting by Mrs Dawn Reid, proprietor of the Coral Reef Bookstore, the official bookstore of the Anguilla Lit Fest.
In preparation for the meeting, members of the book club read Edwidge’s latest book Create Dangerously. The book is a non-fiction work which transports the reader to an often misunderstood Caribbean nation and allows them to personally experience, through the eyes of Edwidge, various periods in the tumultuous history of the world’s second republic. Captive within the pages are profound intellectual insights which demonstrate how history and circumstance shape the work of literary and visual artists, fuel creativity and cement a determination, despite personal sacrifice, to ensure that memory is preserved through artistic expression.
The members of the West Indian Readers Book Club were not disappointed. Edwidge Danticat proved to be a humble, personable, insightful person who was happy to answer the many challenging and thought-provoking questions from members about her book, her writing preferences and some of her previous work. Members were thrilled to have been afforded the opportunity to interact with the author and gain a firsthand understanding of the inspiration for the book, her opinions on various events which were chronicled and the personal experiences which influenced her writing. The personal book signings by Edwidge heightened the extraordinary experience.
The meeting turned out to be equally rewarding for Edwidge who thanked members for reading her books and expressed her appreciation for being afforded such a warm, welcoming and ‘local’ experience in Anguilla. As the meeting winded down, discussions strayed to common practices, traditions and beliefs shared by all Caribbean islands and Caribbean people wherever situated. Edwidge didn’t seem to mind and was quite at home in the animated discussions. By the end of the brunch meeting, about two and a half hours after it began, as Edwidge prepared to leave there was a sense that members were saying goodbye to an old friend. Kisses of gratitude were shared for such a phenomenal experience. The West Indian Readers Book Club will definitely be reading more of Edwidge Danticat’s work for years to come.
– Contributed
