Author Jerrice J. Baptiste, of Prattsville, has scheduled a visit to the Stamford Library to speak about her new book, “Coral in the Diaspora,” about community life in her native country of Haiti.
The event is slated for 3-4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18 with local poet Sandra Arnone.
Real-life stories and characters inspired Baptiste’s fictional book. She drew on everyday aspects of family gatherings and people, such a 106-year-old great-grandmother, a grandfather and various other community characters.
“The stories are a collection of real-life stories and locations, such as backyards, and places where people feel comfortable at home and talking or having dinner together,” Baptiste said Thursday, Sept. 12. “It’s a very welcoming atmosphere where people take care of each other.”
“Coral in the Diaspora,” which was published Aug. 1 by Adobe Press, also describes the natural beauty of Haiti with imagery of the island, the markets and exotic fruits, such as papayas, mangos and pomegranates.
“It has a universal positive image,” Baptiste said. “It captures the lives of the Haitains, how generations of people, elders and other generations live and learn and work together.”
Half of the proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to a primary school in Haiti called Ecole Mixte la Rédemption.
Baptiste’s Aunt Mirlande Derosier Laurore is the volunteer executive director of the school, and her uncle Roodly Laurore, who is a published Haitian poet, is a volunteer teacher.
Mixte la Rédemption School was founded in 2006, with the aim of providing education to the underprivileged and needy children of Duvivier, a neighborhood within the municipality of Cité-Soleil, according to a media release from Adobe Press.
Baptiste is also scheduled to speak at noon Saturday, Sept. 21 at the Mountaintop Library in Tannersville.
Baptiste is a poet and author and the founder of Authentic Poetry workshops in the Hudson Valley for the past 20 years. She has been a recurring teaching artist and poet at the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies in Rhinebeck and was a recipient of a CREATE grant for Poetry Performance and Teaching in Prattsville in 2022, according to the release.