The Write Away! Y.A. Literature Project

Bocas Lit Fest Donates 325 Books to Schools (Trinidad and Tobago Newsday, 30 October, 2020)

I’m so pleased that The Protectors’ Pledge is among the books being used in T&T secondary schools as part of Bocas Lit Fest and Scotiabank Trinidad and Tobago’s The Write Away! young adult literature project (Virtual creative writing workshops accessible through the T&T Ministry of Education’s School Learning Management System). More information about this fantastic initiative facilitated by the amazing Lisa Allen-Agostini can be found here: The Write Away Young Adult Literature Project  

2019: The Year of…

2019 will be a year of courage. For some it will take the form of stepping into the unknown and pursuing an opportunity or dream, while for others it will be to finally say no to a situation that has gone on for too long. May our eyes and minds be open to recognize our own times of strength and the particular brand of courage that others possess.  

It will be a year of learning. There are those who will learn how to be still and really listen, and others whose triumph will lie in discovering their voice and raising it to be heard. For the benefit of ourselves and others, may we carve out time for introspection, reflection, and constructive interaction. 

2019 will also be a year of adjustment: of perhaps welcoming new members into families, groups, and tribes, or adapting to the painful reality of life after the loss of someone dear. May we be blessed to receive support and love when we are in need and be in a position to provide them to others when needed.   

For all of us, I hope that this is a year of growth, clarity of purpose, and discernment. May our moments of joy far exceed any of sadness, and may the sense of optimism and hope that we feel during this first week of January never dip too low during the next twelve months.

Wishing you peace, love, and a happy New Year,

Danielle      

Thanksgiving

Here’s to remembering that there’s at least one person or thing for whom/which we can be thankful –today and every day– and that our smiles, words of kindness and wisdom, as well as our actions can be someone else’s blessing.

Peace and love, 

Danielle

Win an Autographed Copy of The Protectors’ Pledge!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Protectors' Pledge by Danielle Y.C. McClean

The Protectors’ Pledge

by Danielle Y.C. McClean

Giveaway ends June 28, 2017.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Cover Reveal

Hello, friends! I have been bursting to share the brand new cover of The Protectors’ Pledge — 3rd place winner of the 2016 Burt Award for Caribbean Literature and due for publication by CaribbeanReads Publishing at the end of May 2017. Many thanks to Ryan James and Cherise Harris for the front cover illustration and back cover elements, respectively. Read the official announcement from CaribbeanReads here and follow the link to pre-order your copy 😉 

I Wonder

Are we at the stage where we need to watch a person’s story unfold on screen—a big screen enhanced by surround sound, with each moment of drama, angst, hope, fear, and disillusionment perfectly matched with accompanying music and sound effects—before we can see that individual’s humanity and recognise it as equal to our own and deserving of the very same rights, protections, dignity, and aid that we would expect and demand for ourselves, our friends, and families?

Will we be flocking to see a film, years from now, about a family, perhaps like yours or mine, forced to abandon everything that at one point symbolized security and safety, grasp at whatever opportunity for survival is presented, and flee in terror? Will we choke up when its members are separated from each other and are forced to leave loved ones behind? Will we cheer and pump our fists when what’s left of that family defies all odds and boards a plane to safety; and then weep, shocked and aghast, when, upon arriving at the expected safe harbour, they are denied entry and put back on a plane to the very nightmare that, only moments before, they were thanking God that they had escaped?

What do you think? A five star rating? Lots of Oscar nominations?

There are countless stories: those of refugees, green card holders, visitors, and persons on student and work visas. All with lives. All with human rights. Persons like us.