Edwidge Danticat, a Haitian-American author, was born in 1969 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Her parents emigrated to New York when she was a small child, leaving her to be raised by her aunt and uncle. She spoke Haitian Creole at home, and French at school.

When she was 12, she moved to Brooklyn, New York to live with her parents. She published her first piece of writing at the age of 14 in a magazine called New Youth Connections, which featured writing by teenagers. The story was called "A Haitian-American Christmas: Cremace and Creole Theatre." She credits this experience with giving her the confidence to continue to write.

She went on to receive a BA in French literature from Barnard College, followed by an MFA in creative writing from Brown University. She has taught creative writing at New York University and the University of Miami.

Her writing deals heavily with her and her family's experiences as Haitians and immigrants. She is also an advocate for issues surrounding Haiti, including prejudices toward Haitian immigrants. Her 2007 book Brother, I'm Dying exposes the injustices her uncle underwent attempting to immigrate the United States following the destruction of his home by rioters.

She currently lives in Miami with her husband and two daughters.

by Michelle Sands.

Bibliography

The Butterfly's Way (anthology editor)

Brother, I'm Dying (2007)

Anacaona: Golden Flower, Haiti, 1490 (2005)

The Dew Breaker (2004)

After the Dance: A Walk Through Carnival in Jacmel, Haiti (2002)

Behind the Mountains ( 2002)

The Farming of Bones (1998)

Krik? Krak! (1996)

Breath, Eyes, Memory (1994)

Information Page

• Danticat, Edwidge (24 November 2008). "Ghosts". The New Yorker 84 (38): 108–113