It is often said that every techie has a hidden creative side. Is there any truth to this? Computer Science graduate Giscard Nazon certainly leads one to believe there is some truthfulness in that saying. An information technology professional for most of his life, Nazon has emerged with My Modern Woman an epic poem he self-published in 2012. The book’s subtitle is “For Men and Women”, which is appropriate, considering that men and women are complements of one another.

Nazon’s poem is full of well-chosen words: “There is fondness for darkness/When wretched candle lights/Battle from land to land/To become the headlight.” Further he writes: “My modern woman/I am honored and humbled/To be the man of her trust/The director that she chose.”

What inspired you to write your poem?
It came as a surprise to me. When I started writing it, I realized that a spiritual language was unfolding through it and it stood out from any pattern that could be found in my previous writings. I believe it was brought about as my worldview started to change following steps I had taken two years prior to redirect my spiritual life. [This] led me to a greater appreciation and understanding of the Christian faith. I believe my impulse then was to express through a character—My Modern Woman—my new understanding of and ability to recognize and relate to Biblical Christianity.

When did you start writing?
I started writing at the age of 18, during my last year of high school in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. My first poems were in French. I published two books that year. First, Naufrage en Haute Terre [Shipwreck on High Earth], which was only one poem that I released as a “single”—making an analogy to the music world—then Première Distance [First Distance], which was a collection of poems and various thoughts. It included the former publication and was thus considered the “album.” Then over the years, I began to write poems in English too and experiment with different writing styles leaning on greater freedom. But I did not write steadily, and also more rarely did I write in French. That went on for thirteen years until it came to the writing of My Modern Woman. I like to help people use technology efficiently and as issues arise, to bring a solution. I have also been a musician for a long time. I have been learning how to play the violin since I was a child, and for some time until in recent years, I have been composing and producing my music. That somehow spilled into my writing a little bit as I found myself using musical concepts, usually to mark a transition or bring emphasis on or around a certain word or thought. I found that to be an original way to bring my two creative engines together. I am also a keen observer of society, leaders, current events and their influence on society, and I strive to be a light to others in any capacity given to me. I am an endurer for Christ whom I now know and who knows me.

Anything, or anyone in particular who inspired My Modern Woman?
Yes, the book has two aspects. First – and that is how it started, it is a portrait of a woman. The first few and last few pages of the book depict that person and a context in which I, the author, relate to her. It is a created character that may present traits that I have observed or understood that a Christian woman ought to exhibit. The second aspect of the book was birthed from the first and even became the core of it. It was my road map as I became a Christian. It contains the foundations that I had to lay to gain a worldview befitting my conversion. It is made of a series of current topics, many that I was considering for the first time, and my inspiration or rather my call to duty by God, was to establish and express a Biblical stance on such topics.

What do you think of modern poetry?
I am curious to better understand modern developments in poetry, including the return perhaps to more traditional styles of writing. That has not been my focus of study, but in regards to My Modern Woman, I have been interested to identify it with a given genre. The writing is not conventional, which can be considered a characteristic of modern poetry, but at the same time there is also something formal about it, which is meant to be established by the enduring reader. Hence, the observation I made that the reading of my book has been a delight to some and a stumbling block to others. It seems to be a subjective matter what we can define as modern poetry, especially if the more recent trends have been a return towards more conventional styles of writing. But given that I did not make a style decision as I started to write my book, and the writing rather imposed its form, I am happy if it is considered modern and equally happy otherwise.

What’s next for you?
Next for me is to keep on writing. In fact, I will release an e-book this year. It will be a work in prose this time. The material is chiefly Christian and also written as to personally engage the reader to answer questions, ask questions and have an involved attitude towards the truth—that is, all that is accepted as truth.

Visit Giscard Nazon’s website HERE and learn more about his book HERE.

Guess what we’re going to be talking about today, oh, beloved reader. The site! I’m celebrating the sixth year of my website.

If you missed PART I of this, CLICK HERE!

Besides the blog, I’m working on several other projects. People see me tweet and update my pages at the wee hours of the morning, and ask me why am I still up. Even my followers. Well, sometimes, I just get so excited about things, I shun sleep. I don’t believe in resting sometimes. But maintaining a balance, I’ve learned, is absolutely essential. Like, as I’m writing this, I’m drinking this acai/berry juice blend. Have to replenish the soul as well as the intellectual.

Sometimes when you’re building something, you hope for the best. When the best happens plus other things you did not necessarily anticipate, it’s truly a blessing. Like people looking to your thoughts and opinions, and putting you on a pedestal. Brands reaching out to you. People you’ve admired from afar and whose careers you’ve studied from afar, approaching you to ask your advice on how to approach the Haitian-American populace, and just wanting to reach out to you to tell you how much they love what you’re doing and convey their admiration over the growth of your site and brand. Plus! Truly amazing.

For a long time, I was just writing, putting my best work forward, and putting my best foot forward, totally oblivious to the fact that I was inspiring so many people. That people who I never imagined were watching me, studying me, and acclaiming me.

Towards the beginning, I was scouting people to write about. As the site picked up on traffic, and increased in popularity, and my articles started to get circulated all over the web, people started to reach out to me. Then I started getting approached by publicists and the like. And of course artists, especially rappers and singers, who wanted me to review their music, or request performance write-ups. Then we’d get to start talking and then I’d bring up Haiti and then….

Artist: Wait. I gotta be Haitian to be on your site?
Me: Well…Yeah…I’m Kreyolicious and the website are all about those who are of Haitian descent. I have written about non-Haitians, but only when they are somehow significantly connected to Haiti.
[long silence]
Artist: Well, my best friend in elementary school was Haitian.
[or variations of this]
Well sorry, no. It—
My ex is Haitian.
My boyfriend is Haitian.
My roommate is a zoe.
I gave to the Haiti relief work.
Me: Well, your donation was appreciated. Would you like to be featured maybe on another site I write for?
[Tension evaporates. Artist begins to smile. If it’s a chat, I get smiley faces. If it’s a phone conversation, unexpected laughter comes on the line.]

Let’s talk a little about the future. Some of the biggest achievements behind being Kreyolicious are things you, oh beloved reader, don’t see on the website, but will see manifest as time goes along.

I wish to extend a big “Thank You” to my readers, lurkers, commentators and all those who make me a better person. I strive to become a better person. I’m always thinking of ways to grow in how I approach my craft. How can I improve my thinking? What projects can I undertake that will allow me to test my creative boundaries, my perceptions? Stuff like that!

So goes the life of a Haitian-American blogger Kreyolicious. The saga continues. The journey resumes.

If you missed PART I of my blogaversary post, CLICK HERE.

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For the past five years, it’s been the same thing for this Haitian-American blogger. I would sit there and tell myself that I would write a blogaversary post, come October. Then the blogaversary would come and go, and I wouldn’t write my planned essay. Then it seemed futile to write about it months and months later.

Sometimes, I was too busy trying to run this site to write such a post. But most of all…even though I had plenty to celebrate and rejoice in, in terms of the brand’s and the website’s milestones, I wanted more. My rationale was always, “Okay, I’ve accomplished this and that, but I need to do this and that.” But today, dear Kreyolicious readers, I am interrupting the flow of interviews, commentary and review articles on the site today to take the time to 1) thank all of you readers 2) appreciate the moment.

While I’m thanking my readers, I’d like to thank my web designer Zillz, who designed the site.

So, back to the subject at hand…

I think that a lot of times I didn’t want to come across as a braggart, so there were a lot of great things that were happening to me behind the scenes, some really great things, some really fabulous things, that I kept for myself…because I’m not the type to rest on laurels of the present…I want to continue building to create more laurels for the future.

I read this quote recently, and I will paraphrase it…and it basically said that we either live in the future or we live in the past too much. I think in this case, it’s the former for me. I was always focusing on what needed to be accomplished that I, at times, overlooked and under-appreciated what had been accomplished.

I remember when I was brainstorming becoming Kreyolicious and having Kreyolicious.com. Those were the days! I look back at some of the older articles I wrote. Lawd, is all I can say. Some of these articles were more like essays. And I went in this blogging game, knowing very well that shorter and concise was the best way to go. But, I’m also a huge believer in giving value and adding value. But to be frank, I became obsessed with giving value. Not sure if I would do anything differently if I were starting out now. I still believe in value, but now, instead of writing 1000-word articles, I break them down nicely for my readers into multiple parts.

Being a Haitian-American blogger has been loads of fun. I started out with 25 readers that I most likely got on Twitter, and it was on from there! I’ve won blogging awards, and have been blessed with so many great opportunities, and have come in contact with so many fabulous human beings. I’ve had people tell me that when they’re looking for Haitian music to buy, they come to the site. I’ve had celebs of Haitian descent contact me to help them connect or re-connect with the Haitian-American community. This site has grown larger than all my dreams for it, and my dreams for it were big.

Becoming Kreyolicious helped me become a better me. I still have to let go of my control freak tendencies. Learn how to delegate, and all…

I have a lot more planned for myself, for this site and for this brand. I want to tell you everything, and I know I’ve told you guys some things…but I think it’s best that I do the work, and let you see it, instead of blabbing my gums about “what I will do”. Thanks very much for your emails, your lovely messages, your thoughtful DMs and your upbuilding words. It’s been a joy growing with you, and I know that we’ll continue to grow together.

What are your thoughts on my website? And about me? Are you a Haitian-American blogger? Plug yourself, chile. Ain’t no shame. Talk to me!

Just a little note from your favorite chick Kreyolicious.

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