Jamaica Kincaid
(b. 1949)

Jamaica Kincaid was born Elaine Potter Richardson on the West Indian island of Antigua. Although she grew up in a home without electricity or running water, Kincaid's early childhood was a happy one because of her deep connection with her mother. As a teenager however, she yearned for an independent life, far from her family and the place of her birth.

She moved to the United States at the age of 16, held a series of unskilled jobs, and made an unsuccessful attempt to get a college degree. Despite these setbacks, she entered the New York publishing world, writing articles for Ingenue magazine. Her first published piece was an interview with well-known feminist, Gloria Steinem. Her articles landed her a job as a staff writer for The New Yorker, a position she held until 1995. It was at this time that she adopted the pen name Jamaica Kincaid, a symbol of her new, independent self.

In 1983, Kincaid's first book, At the Bottom of the River, a collection of short stories and reflections, was published. This was followed by Annie John (1984), A Small Place (1988), Lucy (1990), and the national bestseller, The Autobiography of My Mother (1996).

Kincaid currently lives in Bennington, Vermont with her husband and their two children.

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