June is Caribbean Heritage Month — but for those of us from the Caribbean, culture isn’t limited to a month. It’s in the food we eat, the words we speak, the music in our hips, the flags we fly, and the stories we pass down — whether on paper or through memory.

We may call it Johnny cakes, fry bake, festival — but we’re often talking about the same golden dough. And somehow, that feels just right.

This month, I’m celebrating the stories rooted in the places and people who made me:

Where the Guava Tree Stands

Neither Out Far Nor In Deep

Sweet Like Sugar Cane

These aren’t just novels — they’re cultural offerings.
Teaching is one of the ways I keep that culture alive. It shows up in the laughter during read-alouds, in passionate debates about fictional characters, in the quiet power of journal entries… and in the handwritten notes from students that make it all worth it.

Here’s to the aunties by the fire, the kids with mango juice running down their elbows, and the storytellers who dare to keep it all alive.

✨ What’s a dish your island swears it invented — even though you know everyone else makes it too?
(Go on, tell the truth. Your auntie’s not watching.)

With gratitude,
Leah T. Williams
@kittiwriter1
🌴 Caribbean stories. Young voices. Real life.