Author Edwidge Danticat speaks at Queen’s College.

Last week, author Edwidge Danticat participated in a reading and a question and answer session for the “Writers at Queens” series run by Queens College. The event was open to the public, including Townsend Harris students.

“I love stories. I don’t remember a time in my life where I didn’t love stories,” Professor Danticat told the audience at the LeFrak Concert Hall at QC. “I used to listen to very vibrant storytellers in my family –  my aunts, my grandmas – they all just told stories.” 

Professor Danticat, who teaches African American and African Diaspora Studies at Columbia University, was born in Haiti and later moved to New York. She has written multiple novels, children’s and young adult books, works of nonfiction and more.

QC Professor in Creative Writing and Literary Translation Nicole Cooley serves as director for the “Writers at Queens” series. In an interview with The Classic, Professor Cooley said that Professor Danticat was chosen to participate in this event due to her exceptional work pieces.  

“It just felt like she would be the perfect guest to highlight Women’s History Month,” Professor Cooley said. “She’s so wonderful because she’s written all of these novels, all these books of stories, all these books of nonfiction, also seven books for children & young adults.”

Professor Cooley also discussed the accessibility of the event, which is available to the public in person and on Zoom. “We want to be as inclusive as possible, which is why we made it open to the public, and we have it live streamed. I really want it to be easy to access–otherwise, who is it for? It’s not an inclusive democratic feeling if not open to all,” she said.

According to its website, the Writers at Queens series “is a literary series for the entire Queens College community, both graduate and undergraduate students, celebrating the identity and creativity of Queens as a richly multilingual, culturally pluralistic community, one of the most diverse in the United States.”

John Rice, Assistant to the MFA Program in Creative Writing & Literary Translation Adjunct Lecturer, said, “[Professor Danticat] really speaks to the large Caribbean population of Queens. She really just touches on the diaspora of being out of place — from the Caribbean and moving to a whole different country. We felt that she was a really good match for the community here at Queens College.”

During the event, Professor Danticat discussed how her wide range of publications preserves her personal and cultural identity while connecting it to societal themes. Discussing Brother, I’m Dying, an autobiographical narrative detailing struggles in Haiti and the United States, she said, “Every word that I put down on paper is an act of both witness and love.”   

Professor Cooley teaches Professor Danticat’s stories in her courses.  She said, “The world is on fire. And so, gathering in a community to listen to language that really matters, and to listen to words that speak the truth– to me it feels more important than it ever has.”

Similarly, Q&A moderator and Queens College alumna Nadia Misir said, “Now, more than ever, people need a place to gather and feel a little bit of joy. I think Edwidge said it beautifully when she described how these moments allow you to sit with yourself and learn. I think that’s really important now.”

Audience member Tess Hurwick said, “I enjoy hearing other people talk about their own work.  I think the content of their work is just as interesting as the breakdown of it after they finish.”

For Professor Danticat, the power of storytelling grows with discipline. She recommends young writers to “to read often.” She stressed the importance of consistency for young writers. She said, “People don’t talk enough about discipline in writing. It’s important to set a time aside for writing and do it routinely. If you don’t sit down to write, nothing will come.”