In the last couple years my work has guided me to Jamaica annually. The island has become a place where I feel most at ease being in progress, supporting my journey of becoming and giving me opportunities to share, create, and grow as an artist . From writing workshops to mural projects to conference presentations, I’ve met so many wonderful people who have supported and encouraged me through my anxieties of sharing and creating from knew spaces. 

As the island rebuilds, I recall the winds that once whispered through poems and those of Hurricane Melissa that now bear the weight of loss. Watching the aerial views of destruction in St. Elizabeth, I remember the gentle winds that once floated a dandelion along the shores of Treasure Beach—winds that now remind us of both the fragility of material constructions and the enduring strength of Jamaicans.

In this moment of rebuilding, I am reminded that resilience, like art, is a practice—a collective act of care, imagination, and persistence. The same winds that scatter petals and debris also carry seeds of renewal. May we, as a Caribbean, continue to nurture what grows after the storm.