So on Saturday 25 March 2017, I had the chance to go to Libreri Mapou Bookstore in the Little Haiti section of Miami, FL where I met Jan Mapou. I read about him in “Ainsi Parla la Terre; Te a Pale; So Spoke the Earth” which was edited by Jessica Fievre and I knew that I had to speak to him. I’d actually reached out to him via Facebook but hadn’t hear anything back so when the chance presented itself, I immediately jumped on it to visit his bookstore (and hopefully him). I happened to be in Florida for a family function and I decided to take the time to drive from Ft. Lauderdale to Miami to learn from this man who had once been a prisoner of Francois Duvalier back in the 1960s. My cousin and I got there and when we entered the store there were a two other people in the store besides the gentleman that was sitting behind the counter. I will admit, at first appearance it was just a regular bookstore; but when you looked at the different things: books, artwork, videos (yes he had some VHS tapes in there) and DVDs, pamphlets, and journals with most of them (like 99%) about Haiti. I was in the mecca of Haiti in the US and all I wanted to do was read books and talk to Mapou (as he is known) about my thesis specifically and about Haitian literature in general. While my cousin and I were in there people were coming in and out of the store. One young lady came in to help organize the bookstore and a few other people came in to say hi or to request that Mapou attend this function or that function that they were having and wanted him to speak. Mapou, as it turns out accommodated all his patrons and friends and did so effortlessly. After entering the bookstore, I was greeted by the patrons inside and I greeted them back. The gentleman behind the register asked if I was looking for anything in particular and I spilled my guts about the subject of my thesis and wanting to pick the brain of the great Jan Mapou who was a Haitian literary genius and wanting to discuss it with him. The patrons there cracked a smile and informed me that the gentleman behind the counter was the person I sought and I was immediately in awe of this elder gentleman who is a pioneer in the Haitian literary arts and culture movement. I spoke to Mapou about Jacques Roumain and “Gouverneurs de la Rosee” aka “Foslawouze” aka “Masters of the Dew” and he taught me about the possible backstory of how Manuel Jean-Joseph returned to Haiti from Cuba. Listening to Mapou speak was one of my most cherished moments that I have experienced in my literary journey and I felt honored to have been in his presence as we discussed Haitian literature, poetry, and theater. A moment that was truly amazing was when Mapou began discussing the founding of Sosyete Koukouy, a Haitian cultural and literary preservation society which was organized to protect and educate Haitian arts and culture and how that lead to him being arrested and jailed at the notorious Fort Dimanche penitentiary in Haiti in the 1960s. Mapou schooled me on so much including Haitian Kreyol forms of poetry and even the history of Haitians in Cuba. Quite the awesome experience!