Help Kristina Attend Prestigious Writing Workshop

Hello my people, tout moun, mi gente-

I just received the great news that I've been accepted to the Tin House Autumn Workshop for writers in Portland, OR! It's an incredible honor, with an acceptance rate of only 10%, and an amazing lineup of authors, agents, and guests.

Unfortunately, I was not awarded the BIPOC scholarship to attend. And this opportunity is too exciting to pass up, so I am asking for your help.

In the past year I have been working hard on reviving my writing aspirations by applying for fellowships and workshops. This particular acceptance brought me great joy and hope and I am thrilled beyond belief at the prospect of attending this workshop which will open major doors for me.

I have to put down a $400 deposit within two weeks. The remaining tuition of $600, is due by the end of October. And I will need an additional $500 for travel and $500 for accommodation and food. I would be grateful for any help at all! Thank you for considering me.

What I am working on:

My novel follows 5 generations of two sides of a Haitian family from the 1930s to 2010s. In the 1950s, Emeline and Luis fall in love. Luis becomes involved with the political scene but not with the old guard- he has his own revolutionary ideas steeped in Marxist ideals competing with the old status quo, communist movement and the Noirisme movement of Duvalier. As Duvalier’s voice grows louder, strange visitors keep coming to all the houses of Jérémie questioning the loyalties of the people. Luis is known to be a poet and influencer. Armed men visit one day at the height of the 1956 campaign for the next year’s elections and attempt to assassinate known political opponents in the city. Luis is shot but survives. That’s when he and Emeline decide to flee to the US despite Emeline’s initial protest since she doesn’t want to leave the island. She eventually leaves first to join relatives in NY. Luis and the children will follow after he fully recovers. Upon fleeing the country, the family is stripped of their property and reputation. They make NY a safe haven for their family and forget the past. In 2016 during a moment of crisis in her own life, Riva finds letters written between her grandparents in 1956. The letters serve as a catalyst for Riva to start her life anew and find herself- connecting to a culture she always suppressed growing up in a white-dominated society of Staten Island, NY. She is inspired to reunite the two sides of her family and return to Haiti again with many surprises along the way.

Mesi anpil. Thank you so much.

Kristina