World Nomads: Talks

Reading and Writing Multilingual Haiti With Dany Laferrière and Madison Smartt Bell, moderated by Kaiama L. Glover Saturday, May 2 at 1pm Celebrated for his irreverent humor and innovative manipulations of the French language, Dany Laferrière is among Haitian literature’s most prominent contemporary voices. Madison Smartt Bell’s rich and elegant historical fiction has brought the tragedy and triumph of Haiti’s history to the world stage. These two exceptional authors join Kaiama L. Glover for a discussion of the particular challenges in writing about Haiti from other parts of the Americas. Venue: FIAF, Le Skyroom Admission: Free and open to the public Note: In English and French with interpretation ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Frankétienne: Haitian Identity With Frankétienne Saturday, May 2 at 3pm In an exclusive World Nomads event, in partnership with PEN World Voices, renowned Haitian poet, novelist, dramatist, and painter Frankétienne will discuss his decision to stay in Haiti and how it influenced his work as an artist, placing him in a unique position from which to reflect on the question of Haitian identity. His radical poetics and unbridled linguistic experimentation represent the most extraordinary aspects of Haiti’s literature and culture. Having published more than 30 plays, poetry collections, and works of prose fiction, Frankétienne is widely heralded as one of the most important figures of modern Haitian literature. Venue: FIAF, Le Skyroom Admission: Free and open to the public Note: In French with English interpretation ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Krik? Krak! Saturday, May 2 at 5pm No literary series on Haiti would be complete without a celebration of Haiti’s vivid oral culture. Participants will engage in a session of krik-krak—a Haitian storytellers’ ritual of warming up their audiences by asking “Krik?” and taking the collective response “Krak!” as their cue to begin to tell stories and jokes. Join these renowned writers for this very special happening, where stories yet to be defined will take shape. Venue: FIAF, Le Skyroom Admission: Free and open to the public Note: In English, French, and Creole See fiaf.org for a complete list of PEN World Voices events on May 2