Imprinted

Imprinted is a history of literacy and the development of a literary culture in the Caribbean from the late 19th century to contemporary times. It explores the places and spaces of such a cultural journey, during and after the colonial period. Entwined within this critique is the story of the author's own reading history, from a child reader devouring the books (Black Power heroes and romance fiction) in her family home in Dominica to the concerns of a literary scholar of a digital age. A remarkable investigation full of personal reflection and awareness of the social, political and economic dynamics that shape Caribbean reading experiences.

Schuyler Esprit is the founder and director of Create Caribbean Research Institute, the first digital humanities centre in the Caribbean. Her research areas of interest include Caribbean literary and cultural studies, environmental and ecological humanities, and digital humanities. Her writing on these topics has appeared in a range of academic and news publications. She was born and raised in Dominica, holds a PhD in English literature from University of Maryland, has taught at a number of colleges and universities in the United States and the Caribbean, including The University of the West Indies, and she is currently based in Jamaica. She worked on the committee for the Nature Island Literary Festival, held annually in Dominica, and served as chair from 2014 - 2015. Her introduction to a new edition of The Orchid House by Phyllis Shand Allfrey was published in 2015.