On the morning of July 13, 2026, the halls of the State University of Haiti (UEH) buzzed with uncommon energy as hundreds of students, faculty members and university leaders gathered for a once-in-a-generation dialogue with celebrated Haitian-Canadian author and Academician Dany Laferrière. Held under the theme “The Childhood of a Writer, the event marked a highlight of Laferrière’s national tour, organized at the personal invitation of UEH leadership, and opened a rare space for deep conversation about literature, collective memory and the art of storytelling.
In his opening address to the packed auditorium, UEH Rector Dieuseul Prédélus framed the visit as far more than a simple cultural event, highlighting its profound symbolic weight for Haiti’s leading public higher education institution. Prédélus argued that the role of a national university extends far beyond technical academic training: it must act as a steward of the Haitian people’s collective memory and collective imagination. Haitian literary works, he emphasized, represent an irreplaceable national heritage that UEH has a fundamental duty to preserve, teach and amplify to new generations. To turn these commitments into action, Prédélus announced a new institutional initiative to deepen collaboration between UEH’s academic programs and Haiti’s literary community, including expanding the collection of Haitian literary works in university libraries, integrating these texts into graduate research programs and centering Haitian voices in academic conferences. He closed his opening remarks by urging attendees to embrace the rare opportunity to learn from one of Haiti’s most widely read and beloved contemporary authors, who carries a perspective rooted deeply in Haitian experience.
For Laferrière, the invitation carried special personal meaning: this marked the first time he had received an official invitation to engage with the university community from his native country’s leading public higher education institution, a recognition that left him visibly moved as he opened his remarks. He began by tracing the origins of one of his most iconic works, *L’Odeur du café*, sharing that the story had lived within him for decades before he put pen to paper. He recalled the opening line that unlocked the entire work for him: “I spent my childhood in Petit-Goâve, a few kilometers from Port-au-Prince.” That simple, unadorned opening, he explained, taught him a foundational writing rule that he has followed throughout his career: every great story starts with simplicity. Reconnecting with the name of his childhood hometown revealed to him the quiet poetic power of the place and memories that shaped him, with the figure of his grandmother Da at the center of those early years, forever seated on her porch with her coffee pot at hand.
Moderated by UEH Professor Darline Alexis and Literature master’s student Francesca Mintor, the conversation covered the core influences that shaped Laferrière’s craft. He shared that unlike traditional storytellers, his grandmother told stories of ordinary daily life, filled with real people rather than mythic figures. It was from her that he learned the subtle art of pausing mid-narrative to build suspense and hold a listener’s attention, a skill he still draws on in his work decades later.
When attendees raised questions about the role of political upheaval and national crisis in his writing, Laferrière offered a reflective, deliberate perspective. He explained that he has made a deliberate choice not to let tragedy and misfortune dominate his creative imagination. “I can’t be both the disease and the cure,” he told the crowd, noting that when confronting crises from anti-Black racism in North America to dictatorship in his home country, writers need to step back to see the full texture of everyday life: the small gestures, personal details and ordinary people that make stories feel authentic and human.
Throughout the exchange, Laferrière wove in practical, actionable advice for the young aspiring writers in attendance, turning the dialogue into a masterclass on the craft of writing. His core advice? “Don’t explain. Show.” A single vivid, concrete detail, he argued, carries far more power than pages of abstract commentary. To illustrate his point, he referenced the iconic scene of rain in Petit-Goâve, and the “thirty-sixth row of bricks” where passersby gather to stay dry – a small detail that immediately brings the entire scene to life for a reader.
Turning to his popular Vava children’s book series, Laferrière pushed back against common assumptions about children’s literature, arguing that it requires far more care and intentional craft than many audiences recognize. He emphasized that children are far more perceptive readers than adults often give them credit for, noting that a young reader will return to the same book dozens of times, picking up subtle details that adult readers overlook entirely.
In response to a wide range of student questions covering everything from the role of nostalgia in writing to the loneliness of the creative life and the unique challenges facing writers in contemporary Haiti, Laferrière returned to a core theme: writing is an inherently personal practice. He urged young Haitian writers to reject artificial, forced storytelling, cut unnecessary prose that bogs down narratives, and trust their own unique perspective on the world. His blunt advice for emerging writers: “Kill your cherished sentences when they slow down the narrative.”
The entire conversation unfolded in a warm, approachable atmosphere, with extended time for Laferrière to answer questions from audience members after the formal discussion. Far from a simple reflection on his own childhood, the event left attendees with a profound meditation on collective memory, creative freedom, and the unique power of literature to act as a space for resistance and personal reinvention. For all in attendance, it was an unforgettable morning immersed in Haitian literary culture.
