LYONEL GERDES
LYONEL GERDES is a Haitian American author, journalist, poet, and educator born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Growing up in Les Cayes, a coastal city known for its beauty and culture, Gerdes experienced the turbulence of political persecution, which led his family to relocate to Haiti’s capital. In 1975, he migrated to Miami, where his career flourished in education and journalism. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Gerdes overcame a 40-year writer’s block and published a trilogy of memoirs – Les Cayes, Haiti…, Port-au-Prince, Haiti…, and Miami, Florida… — which explore his life from his early years in Haiti to his experiences as an immigrant in the U.S. His works reflect the resolve born of his tumultuous childhood and a lifelong pursuit of self-identity. Gerdes’ writing is driven by a deep desire to offer readers new perspectives on life, using his journey as a powerful example of personal and cultural resilience.
A Message from Fellow Writer Dany Laferrière
It's nice to know you're in your writing phase, or rather, in your writing season, for over a decade. You took your time, and that's it. You've become an author with a rare niche. You tell stories, you bring to life places and eras that were beginning to slumber under a layer of explosive news. Your flowery memory is important, transmitting to us the cinema of our youth, about to disappear over the hill. Luckily, you're here, my brother. Ah, the street was called Saint-Urbain. And that summer, I learned to drive next to you. You rediscovered your youth with your poetry published in Le Petit Samedi Soir and the music you listened to during your adolescence. Happy New Year 2025.
Growing Up in the Golden Age
Les Cayes, Haiti - Memoire
Port-au-Prince, Haiti: Duvaliers’ Pax Haitiana
Dynasty & My Coming of Age
Miami Florida: A Sunshine State’s Unauthorized and Unredacted Journey and Memoir
Miami Florida: A Sunshine State’s Unauthorized and Unredacted Journey and Memoir