On this episode we speak to Trinidad and Tobago author of Pleasantview, Celeste Mohammed.
Celeste has been a lawyer since 2001 but she has been telling stories all her life.
A native of Trinidad and Tobago, in 2016, she graduated from Lesley University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, with an MFA in Creative Writing (Fiction).
Celeste’s goal is to dispel all myths about island-life and island-people, and to highlight the points of intersection between Caribbean and North American interests. In particular, she aims to showcase Trinidad’s entrenched political, racial, and class alliances; the generosity (and yet, cruelty) of the average Trini; the sense of optimism (and yet, harsh reality) which permeates everyday interaction; and the musicality and resonance of Caribbean creole (kriol) expression.
We discuss all this and her remarkable debut collection of interrelated stories also referred to as a Novel in Stories, 'Pleasantview' in this conversation. Celeste takes us through how this novel in stories came to life, her early literary influences, nurturing her love for writing and making the bold decision to abandon a successful career in law to pursue her first love - writing.
It is quite the treat and we hope you will be inspired to boldly chase the things that persistently tug at your heartstrings!
Listen in and enjoy.