About

Born in Haiti, I am the daughter of a humble man and of a woman who wanted her girls to be the most that they could be…

I like to write using my three languages: Haitian Creole, French and English.  My life inspires me.  I have been an amnesic and I seek to remember and to renew my lost identities.

I am deeply politically inclined and work to shape a better world.  I long to no longer be enslaved.  I dream to be recognized and acknowledged.

Author Profile: Maryse Noël Roumain
Born in 1949 in a province of southern Haiti, Les Cayes, ninety-six kilometers away from the Capital City Port-au-Prince, Maryse Noël Roumain describes herself to have been marked by her father’s modesty and her mother’s ambitions for her six girls and only son to be the best they can be.
At the age of 19, Maryse immigrated to New York City and then to Paris where she studied Psychology at the Sorbonne. While in Paris, she became politically involved and immersed herself in the struggle for Haiti. There, she met her husband, Claude Roumain, who comes from a political family, and who dedicated his life to work for a better Haiti.
In the 70s, she came back to New York where she pursued a doctoral degree and a career in Child Development research at Columbia University and the City University of New York. After her studies, Maryse worked in the field of Education to improve bilingual programs and used her expertise to strengthen community-based organizations servicing Haitian communities.
She went back to Haiti in 1987 after the collapse of the Duvalier regime and lived there for ten years, working in the field of Education at a critical moment when her country was transitioning to Democracy, while remaining politically active.
Maryse started to write in 2004. She began by writing letters to her brother telling him about her life and the political situation in Haiti. In 2009, she published a book: Life Goes On, a Reflective Diary, and subsequently short stories as well as political commentaries.
Today, she is engaged in political reflection and action for a democratic Haiti and a better world.
She is now publishing Evocations of my Past: Sketches of a Haitian Woman’s Life, an autobiography that recalls part of her life. In this book, she gives recognition to God, the higher power within her, who is her interlocutor and mentor.
The New York-based Artist and Museum Educator, Paul Lambermont, said of her last book:
“Reading Evocations of My Past helped me to understand a great deal about growing up in Haiti, about the history and culture of Haiti and shed a valuable light on the experiences of immigration.“