Haitian Poets

This month, I am mixing things up a bit. Instead of sharing about just one poet, during February and March, I will be highlighting the work of Haitian poets.

Some of Haiti's well-known poets are:

• Jean Brierre
• Rene Depestre
• Leon Laleau
• Rene Philoctete
• Marlene Phipps
• Jacques Roumain
• Patrick Sylvain

Here is a link to the full list of Caribbean poets. If you know of a Haitian poet that is not on the list, please leave me a comment with their name(s) and I will update the list.

Below are some interesting readings on Haitian poetry, including a few anthologies:

• Love and Other Poems by Haitian Youth (Des Poemes d'Amour et d'Autres Par Des Jeunes Haitiens. Paul Germaine. Trilingual Press, 2004.
• Open Gate: An Anthology of Haitian Creole Poetry. Paul Laraque, et al. Curbstone Press, 2001.
• Poetry in Haitian Creole: A Guide for Beginners and Translators. Emmanuel W. Vedrine. Soup to Nuts Publishers, 1993.
• The Renaissance of Haitian Poetry. Naomi Mills Garrett. Presence Africaine. 1963 (Even though this is pretty dated, I thought I would include it).
• Through A Black Veil: Readings in French Caribbean Poetry. E. Anthony Hurley. Africa World Press, 2000