PEN/Bellwether winner Fabienne Josaphat spoke with me about being born into storytelling, writing socially engaged fiction, and the revolution and injustice at the center of her new novel KINGDOM OF NO TOMORROW.

Fabienne Josaphat was born and raised in Haiti, and graduated with an MFA in Creative Writing from Florida International University.

Her sophomore novel KINGDOM OF NO TOMORROW was the 2023 winner of the PEN / Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction. Barbara Kingsolver established the biennial prize in 2000 to highlight previously unpublished works of fiction that addressed issues of social justice.

Barbara Kingsolver, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Demon Copperhead, said of the book, "This beautifully convincing slice of history is powered not just by good research, but by lots of suspense, compelling characters, and understated political themes that …. bring the fierce vision of the Black Panthers to new generations of readers, adding some stunning context to the modern Black Lives Matter movement."

In addition to fiction, Josaphat writes non-fiction, screenplays, and is an anthologized poet. Her work has been featured in The African American Review, The Washington Post, Teen Vogue, The Master’s Review, Grist Journal, and many others.

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In this file Fabienne Josaphat and I discussed:

Why her grandfather’s stories helped shape her into a writer

The surreal journey from award-winner to publication of her second novel

How the Black Panthers were maligned by mainstream media

The importance of preserving the oral storytelling tradition of her culture

What writers can do to tame distraction

And a lot more!

Show Notes: 

PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction - PEN America

Kingdom of No Tomorrow by Fabienne Josaphat  (Amazon)

Fabienne Josaphat on Instagram

Fabienne Josaphat on Twitter

Kelton Reid on Twitter

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