Selebrasyon!!!
“Over a thousand and one nights, Scheherazade told the King stories and he fell in love with her.” Ah! Whether Arabian or Haitian, women are magicians weaving stories of old to delight the young, the young at heart and everyone else. A festival of Haitian culture that included such storytelling took place on Saturday, October 16th […]
Our grief will not silence us
“Granmè Mélina once told a story about a daughter whose father had died. The daughter loved her father so much that her heart was shattered into a hundred pieces. When it came time to plan for the jubilant country wake. which was once held the night before all funerals, the daughter wanted no part of […]
Who will be King?
Krik ? Krak !!! In Haiti, stories are introduced by the invitation to hear the tale. The person willing to tell the story shouts out: KRIK! If people want to hear the tale, and they nearly always do, they answer in chorus: KRAK!! So, “Mesye, dam, la sosyete, Krik? Krak!”, my name is Michèle and […]
krik? krak!
I sat under the palm fronds, safely ensconced in the folds of Manzèlore’s wide skirt that smelled of ti-baume, of fey kowosol and other wild herbs; only a sliver of moon illuminated the sky. Corn crackled as it grilled on an open fire and Manzèlore, the kindest, most generous soul I have ever known, who […]
Michèle Voltaire Marcelin is a poet/writer, performer and painter who was born and raised in Haiti, sojourned in Chile, and currently lives in the United States. The publication of her first novel “La Désenchantée” (CIDIHCA, Montréal-2006) was followed by its Spanish translation “La Desencantada” and two other books of poetry and prose: “Lost and Found” and “Amours et Bagatelles” (CIDIHCA, Montréal-2009) - translated into Spanish by Editorial ALBA as "Amores y cosas sin importancia" - all of which garnered rave reviews. Her writings are also featured in 3 anthologies published in France: "Cahier Haiti" (published by RAL'M-2009), "Terre de Femmes" (Editions Bruno Doucey-2011) "Revue Intranqu'îllités" (2012). She speaks and writes fluently French, English, Spanish and Haitian Creole. She has a BFA from the Leonard Davis Center for the Performing Arts at CUNY and a Masters from The New School for Social Research.