Manmay LaKay Magazine Issue 2 April 2018 | Page 52
Nothing in life comes easy and I
assume it wasn't smooth sailing. Did
you encounter any challenges
publishing these books? If so, what
were they and how did you overcome
them?
Fortunately, I did not encounter any
insurmountable obstacles publishing
the books. I felt very strongly that I
wanted to use St. Lucian artists to
illustrate the stories.
I was able to partner with two very
talented St. Lucians who each did one
book. There were, however, some
challenges with their production
timelines, so we had to enlist the
assistance of a Brazilian artist to
complete some of the books.
My partner and I worked together
meticulously to be certain that we were
creating a quality product. [Whispering]
He deserves most of the publishing
credit though. We decided to self-
publish because we did not want this
project to be just another commercial
venture to make money for big
publishing companies.
Ah! I see. Your secret is safe with me by
the way lol. Are the books in every
school library in St.Lucia and around
the Caribbean yet?
Even at the basic cost price of
producing the books, we found that
many schools in St. Lucia do not have a
budget to purchase books for their
libraries. We have donated books to
several schools, and are actively seeking
sponsorships to provide books
to St. Lucian schools and children, who
may not be able to afford even the
basic cost price.
Which is why you're soliciting
donations to help donate books to the
libraries in St. Lucia. This is
remarkable and such a wonderful
initiative. Where can donations be
made?
We've set up a GoFundMe page and
we're asking any St. Lucian who can
afford to help with this project by
donating at,
https://www.gofundme.com/lucian-
stories-for-st-lucian-kids.
What are your hopes for this series?
Our culture is what defines us and
gives us a sense of identity. It is what
sustains us. It is the foods we eat, the
clothes we wear, the way we speak, the
music we listen to, our celebrations,
our values-our culture makes us who
we are. So my hope is that St. Lucians
(children and adults) both at home and
those living in the diaspora will read
the Wyetta series and learn to nurture
their cultural selves through
indigenous literature.