Acknowledgments
I am deeply grateful to many who, over the course of the journey to usher this book into the world, showed unending support and generosity. First, I am indebted to the fifteen women gathered in this collection for lending their brilliant art and words to this project. And, I am always centered and buoyed by the abiding love of my beloveds: Ingrid Ali, Candace Ali-Lindsay, Vanya Lindsay, Stephen Ali, Grandma Alice Luckey, and Cosmo Whyte.
In the early days of this project, I began writing Chapter 4, ‘The Geography of Separation,’ under the tutelage of a memoir workshop taught by the great Hettie Jones—an experience I hold dear to my heart. I also thank literary agent Faith Childs for being a fervent champion of bringing this project to light.
At New York University, I thank Kathy Engel for her gracious mentorship and the faculty and staff of the Department of Art & Public Policy for the thriving scholarly community they engender. I thank Dr. Deborah Willis for her meaningful gestures to be inclusive of Guyana as she charts innovative scholarship on women, art, photography, and migration, and for her invitation to contribute to Women and Migration: Responses in Art and History (2019). I am grateful for the support of the Office of the Provost, particularly the Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program and the support of Charlton McIlwain, Cybele Raver, and Farooq Niazi. This book is freely available in an open access edition thanks to the support of the Office of Global Inclusion and the Dean’s Office at the Tisch School of the Arts, Dean Allyson Green, Fred Carl, and Karen Shimakawa.
I thank the following friends, colleagues and institutions for their guidance and unwavering work to elevate Guyanese writing, art and culture in this project and beyond: Kate Angus, Gaiutra Bahadur, Patrick Bova, Alessandra Benedicty, Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, David Dabydeen, Victor Davson, Celeste Hamilton Dennis, Erin Haney, Terrence Jennings, Roshini Kempadoo, Oneka LaBennett, Brenda Locke, Allen McFarlane, E. Ethelbert Miller, Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Pamela Newkirk, Zita Nunes, Samuel Roberts, Karen Wharton, and the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Aljira, a Center for Contemporary Art, and Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute.
Finally, Alessandra Tosi and her talented team at Open Book Publishers showed this project the utmost care, thoughtfulness, and generosity. I am thankful to them beyond measure.