Letters From Deadman's Cay

Spring 2003

Paperback 96 pages

Poetry

Letters from Deadman’s Cay is a fictional account of an actual experience that took place on an out-island in The Bahamas. Through a collection of first-person prose poems arranged in a narrative, the author of the letters describes the feelings of isolation she endured on a small, remote island, and her eventual acceptance by the islanders. The authenticity and compassion of the community—which lacks material goods taken for granted in her own country--brings the visitor to the beginning of an understanding of this simple but rich way of life.

In 2001, Nina Berkhout traveled to an out-island in The Bahamas in order to establish a community museum. Collecting artifacts, interviewing the residents on the island, and becoming part of the community, Berkhout’s compelling story is matched by her descriptive, deft, and lyrical prose in this stunning first collection.