Alex Paul
Arts and Entertainment Editor
Rhode Island College’s very own alumna, Dr. Dionne Irving-Bremyer, joins us for a book signing and discussion about her latest novel, “The Islands.”
Originally from Toronto, Ontario, Irving-Bremyer’s work has appeared in numerous journals and magazines. Irving-Bremyer was a graduate student at RIC from 2003 to 2005, earning a Master of Arts, during which she also worked as a graduate assistant in the admissions office.
A striking and elegant second installment to her novel, “Quint”, “The Islands” has been described by Publishers weekly as, “[A] penetrating collection . . . In lucid prose, Irving depicts her characters’ chilly shocks over unexpected gaps in intimacy with their loved ones as they work to fit into non-immigrant Black spaces, making for stories that are both class-conscious and richly atmospheric. Irving’s inviting combination of subjects and style heralds a welcome new voice.”
As a collection of short stories, “The Islands” focuses on the lives of three Jamaican women, all immigrants or descendants of immigrants. Their stories are set during different time periods and in different locations. Even though their lives have them separated, they are connected by their emotional displacement and their disconnected feelings. As they live in a world where their unspoken culture creates a tension between what is said and unsaid.
This book focuses on their stories of immigration, class, race, the effects of colonialism and sexual discrimination. “The Islands” is longlisted for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. This book is also a “New York Times Book Review” Editor’s choice.
Irving-Bremyer currently teaches in the Creative Writing Program and the Initiative on Race and Resilience at the University of Notre Dame. Her work also focuses on climate change and how the changes and destruction of the Earth’s current landscape will affect and erase cultures.
Currently on tour debuting her second novel, Irving-Bremyer will be stopping by RIC. During this event she will be reading from her novel, along with a book signing after a Q&A session.
Irving-Bremyer’s passionate second novel is available for purchase through multiple ways. This list includes cash only at the RIC bookstore, Barnes and Noble, Amazon and on her website: https://www.dionneirving.com/.
It is such an honor for her to be joining us. We hope you can attend this amazing opportunity to support and hear from an esteemed RIC alumna.
The event is scheduled for Wednesday, April 5 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in Gaige Hall, room 200.