Maya Gwynn
With KVCR Public Media, I'm Maya Gwynn with Black Perspectives IE, a show where we learn about the amazing things members of the Black community are doing in the Inland Empire. My guest today is Miriam J.A. Chauncey, literary scholar and novelist. Thank you so much for being here today.
Myriam J.A. Chancy
Thank you for having me. I appreciate it.
Maya Gwynn
After doing my research with your work, I've seen that and you can correct me, it centers on women's experiences and political upheaval.
Myriam J.A. Chancy
To some degree. In terms of my work on Haitian women, for sure.
Maya Gwynn
How do you navigate writing women as both witnesses and agents of change?
Myriam J.A. Chancy
Well, I am a literary scholar on one side, and I'm a novelist on the other. And so, as a literary critic, I'm really interested in Caribbean women writers who have done both like who have created characters who are agents of well, who are maybe contemplating politics while the author is themselves an agent of change through the writing. And then as an author, I think because the characters take you in different places than you might expect, sometimes your characters cannot take that step. They maybe can't be on the front lines. And I'm really interested in the psychology of the characters. And so as a novelist, I grapple more with what black women face, Caribbean women face, and how they navigate those shifts in their lives depending on their age, and you know, where they're situated, geographically and so on.
Maya Gwynn
What ethical choices do you make when writing about silence or marginalized figures, whether they're women, queer people or low income or maybe someone who occupies all three of those identities?
Myriam J.A. Chancy
I take that question really seriously. So I'm Haitian by birth. Both my parents are Haitian from different class background. So having that background enables me to really think through when I'm creating a character. Not only who are they in the world, you know, what is their background, but also what do I need to learn in order to make sure that I'm fully representing that person? So I do my research, and I take it very seriously, because my readers, whatever their background, but especially if they're Haitian, especially if they're Caribbean, especially if they're black, queer, or come from lower income backgrounds, will say that does or does not reflect my background. And so far, people have told me it is very reflective of their own experiences, even if, for example, in the Caribbean, from a different island. Like the current novel Village Weavers, which is set in Haiti from the 40s and that takes you to France and the DR and then back to the US, just won an award in the Caribbean as, like an overall -
Maya Gwynn
It was the 2025 Fiction OCM Bocas Award.
Myriam J.A. Chancy
It was the fiction award, and then they invited me down and actually won the overall prize for Caribbean literature for the year. And but what was underscored by the jury was that it reflected Caribbean realities, that people could read this novel and find themselves reflected in the characters. And that was something they were looking for, you know, a book that really fully encompassed the Caribbean experience.
Maya Gwynn
How you balance the demands of historical accuracies and the emotional truths of fiction?
Myriam J.A. Chancy
Yeah, there's nothing more ponderous than, you know, reading a historical novel and then getting a history lesson when you want to find out what happened to the character, what's she doing now? So what I do when I actually construct a novel, and when I constructed Village Weavers, I actually had a table, you know, where I put in the characters names, their ages in different years. So when is this person born? You know, when this life event happens? For example, these girls meet, when they’re seven. So what year are they seven? And then what happens in Haitian history in that year, what happens in world history in that year that would be of concern to a seven-year-old or would impact them? And I did this for every age at which I was writing a full scene, so that I really understood what they would or would not care about.
Maya Gwynn
What would be reflecting in their life at that time. How has your Haitian Heritage shape the woman and the writer you are.
Myriam J.A. Chancy
Oh my gosh, I think it's, it's given me everything. You know, the older I get, the more I realize, but I'm so happy I was born in Haiti. And they say, why are you so full of pride about Haiti? I think it's because I was born in Haiti. I was born in the middle of a dictatorship. I was not aware of it when I was a child, you know, as most children would not be, and it's only when, you know, I got older, like a teenager, and the dictatorship ended when I was 16, and we had not been going back for about 10 years. At that point, people were coming to see us, mostly in Canada, that I realized, you know, how protected I had been, but also how informed I had been because my mother left under the dictatorship, partly, you know, because she was against, you know, the human rights abuses. She had made a speech in front of the dictator, graduating from law school that should have killed her, but her name had already been sent to France because she won a scholarship to go to France, you know, with that, and she was allowed to leave. But that kind of background does give you a sense of where you came from, and also the kinds of risks that people took to keep you alive. And so I don't take that lightly. So that's why all of my novels are about the complexities of Haitian life. And every time I think I'm gonna stop writing about Haiti, I'm just gonna write, you know, some kind of mainstream novel, I can't do it. Something brings me back to Haiti.
Maya Gwynn
One of my favorite YouTubers is a beauty influencer who's Haitian, and she talks so much about like, because Haiti had the revolution, and it's been a backlash against Haiti that so many people you have to inform yourself, because the world and the government isn't going to do it.
Myriam J.A. Chancy
That's right. Yeah, I think there's a lot of anti-Haitian sentiment. Some of it, much of it does come from misunderstandings about the revolution, not understanding that we really did free ourselves, but that it was also a movement to free everyone. You know, once Haiti was established in 1804, you know, there were Polish defectors from the French army, free people of color joined in, white plantation owners, even who, you know, had created families with, you know, African people there, defected and became part of the revolution. And the idea was that everybody became free and everybody became black, but regardless of ethnic background, the first Haitian constitution of 1805, declared every Haitian citizen, regardless of ethnicity, a black person. And that's about black pride. And, you know, in black culture and African culture.
Maya Gwynn
Oh, that was good history. We’re gonna move into our rapid fire portion. So just the first thing that comes to your mind, no wrong answer. Okay, if your work had a theme song, what would it be?
Myriam J.A. Chancy
It probably would be a Sade song - Stronger than Pride.
Maya Gwynn
Oh, I love that. And if you had to teach a master class to give a TED talk on a random skill you have, what would it be?
Myriam J.A. Chancy
Ooh, making crepes.
Maya Gwynn
Ooh, do you have a favorite IE restaurant or landmark that reminds you of the Inland Empire.
Myriam J.A. Chancy
Of the Inland Empire, probably the mountains.
Maya Gwynn
No one said that yet. And how can people keep up with your work and support you?
Myriam J.A. Chancy
Instagram I'm Myriam J.A. Chancey. The full thing, that's where they can find me. DM me, follow me and see what I'm up to.
Maya Gwynn
Awesome. Thank you so much for being here.
Myriam J.A. Chancy
Thank you for having me here, Maya. Appreciate it.
Maya Gwynn
Myriam J.A. Chancey is a literary scholar and novelist. Support for this segment comes from Black Equity Fund at IECF, advancing racial equity and supporting long term investments in black led organizations in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Join us again next week for Black Perspectives IE. For KVCR Public Media, I'm Maya Gwynn, thank you.
