Myriam J. A. Chancy’s Novel Centering Haitian Culture Inspires Maryland Humanities Programming
September 12, 2024
(Baltimore, MD) – Maryland Humanities is delighted to bring author Myriam J. A. Chancy to the Lower Eastern Shore during the organization's 2024 One Maryland One Book Author Tour. Chancy visits The Museum of Eastern Shore Culture (218 W Main St in Salisbury) on October 13 at 2:00 p.m. for a free community event. Eastern Shore Residents are invited to gather, and discuss the issues important to this community and how it relates to What Storm, What Thunder, Chancy’s novel about the 2010 earthquake that struck Haiti. Tickets are required and available here.
In What Storm, What Thunder—Maryland Humanities' 2024 One Maryland One Book Selection—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.
In What Storm, What Thunder—Maryland Humanities' 2024 One Maryland One Book Selection—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.
What Storm, What Thunder is an inspiring novel that was named a Best Book of the Year by NPR, Kirkus, Library Journal, The Boston Globe, and The Globe and Mail . The book made the shortlist for the Aspen Words Literary Prize and the longlist for the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature. Chancy’s 2010 novel, The Loneliness of Angels, also made the latter list. This April, Chancy released her latest novel Village Weavers, which confronts the intersectionality of race, class, and nationality through the lives of Haitian and Dominican families in 1950s Haiti.
When asked about her novel What Storm, What Thunder Chancy shared that, “The novel takes its title in part from an epigraph by Frederick Douglass. “Himself from the Baltimore area, writing in his essay, ‘What to the Negro is the fourth of the July?’ in 1852 [Douglass writes] ‘For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.’”
When asked about her novel What Storm, What Thunder Chancy shared that, “The novel takes its title in part from an epigraph by Frederick Douglass. “Himself from the Baltimore area, writing in his essay, ‘What to the Negro is the fourth of the July?’ in 1852 [Douglass writes] ‘For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.’”
Of course, Douglass was not calling for disaster, but for seismic change in America’s social order in ways that I believe the reality of the earthquake called for in the Haitian context in more recent years.”
Myriam J. A. Chancy
Maryland Humanities CEO Lindsey Baker says: “This year’s One Maryland One Book theme feels important and timely. I’m looking forward to seeing what resonates with Marylanders about What Storm, What Thunder and the amazing programming I know our partners will come up with.”
For more information on the One Maryland One Book Author Tour, visit our website at www.mdhumanities.org or click HERE to see the full schedule. For questions about how to sponsor this year’s Author Tour, check out our sponsorship benefits packet and reach out to our Development Specialist Ellie Benedict at ebenedict@mdhumanities.org. For questions about our upcoming Author Reception, reach out to our Director of Advancement Claudia Allen at callen@mdhumanities.org.
For more information on the One Maryland One Book Author Tour, visit our website at www.mdhumanities.org or click HERE to see the full schedule. For questions about how to sponsor this year’s Author Tour, check out our sponsorship benefits packet and reach out to our Development Specialist Ellie Benedict at ebenedict@mdhumanities.org. For questions about our upcoming Author Reception, reach out to our Director of Advancement Claudia Allen at callen@mdhumanities.org.
One Maryland One Book is a program of Maryland Humanities presented in partnership with The National Endowment for the Humanities and Howard County Library System. It is sponsored by The Institute of Museum and Library Services via the Maryland State Library Agency, with additional support from the Haitian Studies Association at University of Maryland, College Park; Gender & Women's Studies at University of Illinois at Chicago; University of Florida Center for Latin American Studies; Salisbury University; Brown Advisory; Jennifer Shea; Bruce and Kate Beveridge; Dr. Kimberly Moffitt; Saima Sitwat; President Ronald Nowaczyk, PhD; and Frostburg State University.
About Maryland Humanities
Maryland Humanities creates and supports bold experiences that explore and elevate our shared stories to connect people, enhance lives, and enrich communities. For more information, visit www.mdhumanities.org. Maryland Humanities is generously supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities; the State of Maryland; the Citizens of Baltimore County; private foundations; corporations; small businesses; and individual donors. Connect with Maryland Humanities on Facebook, X, Threads, Instagram, and YouTube.
Maryland Humanities creates and supports bold experiences that explore and elevate our shared stories to connect people, enhance lives, and enrich communities. For more information, visit www.mdhumanities.org. Maryland Humanities is generously supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities; the State of Maryland; the Citizens of Baltimore County; private foundations; corporations; small businesses; and individual donors. Connect with Maryland Humanities on Facebook, X, Threads, Instagram, and YouTube.
