Ep87: Jamaica Kincaid on her life, writing & our Earth

On this week's episode, I'm speaking to the incredible Jamaica Kincaid, and I am absolutely thrilled!

Jamaica has been writing for decades, and is often considered a classical author of our time, bringing us work that is timeless, important and emotive.

Born in Antigua, Jamaica Kincaid is a Caribbean American writer whose essays, stories, and novels are evocative portrayals of family relationships and her native Antigua.

Kincaid settled in New York City when she left Antigua at age 16. She first worked as an au pair in Manhattan. She later won a photography scholarship in New Hampshire but returned to New York within two years. In 1973 she changed her name to Jamaica Kincaid, from the name she was born with - Elaine Potter Richardson This was (partly because she wished the anonymity for her writing), and the following year she began regularly submitting articles to The New Yorker magazine, where she became a staff writer for twenty years. 

She has won multiple awards over an incredible career, including the Prix Femina Etranger, RSL International Writer and The Paris Review Hadada prize for lifetime achievement.

A keen gardener, she has written several books on the subject, including My Garden (2000) and Among Flowers: A Walk in the Himalaya (2005), a memoir about a seed-gathering trek with three botanist friends.

Her latest book is poetic, illuminating and surprisingly witty. An Encyclopedia of Gardening for Coloured Children is a delightful ABC of the plants that define our world and reveals the often-brutal history behind them. Jamaica’s decolonial investigation of the garden world is supplemented by brilliant illustrations from the great American artist, Kara Walker, resulting in an inventive and sometimes quite practical exploration of the truths of history in our gardens – perfect for all ages.