Maryland Humanities kicks off the 2024 One Maryland One Book author programming on September 5, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. EST with a virtual panel featuring Myriam J. A. Chancy, author of the 2024 Book Selection What Storm What Thunder. She will be joined in conversation with Haitian writers, scholars, and thinkers. Dr. Mamyrah Prosper of the University of California, Irvine will serve as the moderator followed by an audience Q&A.

Chancy’s novel follows a cast of characters during the 2010 earthquake that struck Haiti.  The Haitian-Canadian-American author masterfully charts the inner lives of the characters affected by the disaster in scenes before, after, and during the earthquake. She artfully weaves together the lives of an NGO architect, an expat and water-bottling executive; Sara, a mother haunted by the ghosts of her children; Leopold, a small-time drug trafficker; Didier, a musician and cab driver who lives in Boston; and many more.

Click here to join us for the wonderful conversation: register here.

Reading What Storm, What Thunder is not a prerequisite for enjoying the event: it welcomes both readers of the book and those interested in learning about Haiti as it explores Haitian culture and literature.

Along with Chancy and Prosper, the panel includes:

• Dr. Ermion Pierre of Essentia Center for Integrative Health, LLC;
• Dr. Marie-José Nzengou-Tayo of University of the West Indies, Mona Campus; and
• Dr. Sabine Lamour of Brown University and Université d’État d’Haïti.

Learn more about Maryland Humanities’ One Maryland One Book program here.