#57 Laura Hyppolite on reclaiming identity as immigrants through poetic storytelling
“Sometimes immigration presents a false dichotomy, where you have to pick between your home country is and whatever country you’re immigrating to. So that’s what I’m asking, would the change in geography allow [the preservation of oneself]? Why can’t you just be a Haitian that happens to live in the US? I feel that sometimes the change in geography makes you feel like you have to pick, especially if you immigrated at a younger age. ”
In what ways can art forms such as poetry, which allow for total expression in their purest form, guide immigrants through their journey of reclaiming identity as they navigate foreign lands oftentimes culturally different to their homelands? How can people of the diaspora use storytelling to overcome cultural dichotomies, reinforced by colonial systems, and manage healthy co-existence of both worlds (life as an immigrant and life as a member of their own community) in order to live more connected, wholesome lives?
Mind Full of Everything returns after a 2-month hiatus with this inspiring conversation on reclaiming identity as immigrants through the lens of poetic storytelling with Laura Hyppolite. Laura is is a Haitian immigrant learning to navigate life in the United States. She has a true passion for the power of poetry, and she wants her voice to empower her readers to dive deeper within themselves. Her work transcends the personal and draws on connections with history and society. She poetically weaves tales that travels from the beaches and colours of Haiti to the slate and rough edges of city life in the United States. To Laura, in poetry there are no imposters, only personal truths which sing throughout one’s work. Through Hyppolite’s view of herself, we learn more about the beauty within each of us. Her first book Ordinary explores the intersections of culture, immigration, and identity.
What to look out for:
Laura’s journey into poetry and becoming an author
Easing and challenging systemic pressure for young immigrants to assimilate into a new culture through reviving historical knowledge passed on by natives of our homelands
Overcoming imposter syndrome as a storyteller who has settled on foreign, colonised land
Exploring the paradox of immigration and whether the change in geography can ever allow one to preserve themselves whilst navigating and settling abroad
Poetry and creative storytelling as medicine for generational wounds for communities and the land
Reading of one of Laura’s poems on retelling histories without the traditional oppressive and colonial lens
Laura’s resources:
Laura’s website
Laura’s book “Ordinary: A poetic anthology of culture, immigration & identity”
