On February 7-8, the Department of Modern and Classical Literatures and Culture at Rice University organized a two-day international Symposium on “Haiti and the World.” I was invited to present a paper on my academic interests, and the two keynote speakers were Haitianist historian Laurent Dubois (Friday) and  the well-known Haitian novelist Myriam J.A. Chancy (Saturday). The conference organizers were Jacqueline Couti and Linsey Saint-Claire.

I took some random photos of the events, which I am pleased to share with you below:

For more details about the event, click on the links below:

https://events.rice.edu/event/396469-haiti-and-the-world-global-encounters-of-the-past

Program

This was published two weeks ago. https://www.sanjac.edu/about/news/2025/joseph-nominated-for-the-minnie-stevens-piper-award



“Dr. Celucien Joseph nominated by San Jacinto College for the Minnie Stevens Piper Award
Jan 30, 2025
Jacquelynn Conger

Joseph nominated by San Jacinto College for the Minnie Stevens Piper Award
Dr. Celucien Joseph nominated by San Jacinto College for the Minnie Stevens Piper Award
Jan 30, 2025
Jacquelynn Conger
Dr. Celucien Joseph
Dr. Celucien Joseph

Faculty and Staff Excellence Awards announced

Pasadena, Texas – San Jacinto College announced its 2025 Minnie Stevens Piper Professor Award nominee and the Faculty and Staff Excellence Awards recipients.

Dr. Celucien Joseph, San Jacinto College Central Campus English department chair, is the College’s 2024-25 Minnie Stevens Piper Professor Award nominee. Joseph has been teaching at San Jac for two years, with 20 years’ experience at the collegiate level.

“Dr. Joseph joined San Jacinto College with a vision to enhance the academic experience for both students and faculty and has made significant contributions,” said Van Wigginton, Central Campus provost. “One of his most noteworthy achievements is the creation of a new Technical Writing 1302 course specifically tailored for students in our Process Technology program. The course does not merely fulfill the curriculum requirements but significantly enriches the students’ learning experience by integrating practical applications relevant to their field of study and creates a classroom experience that aligns with real-world industry requirements.”


Dr. Celucien Joseph
Joseph has lent his expertise to a variety of committees and student organizations, including the San Jac Online academic support services work group; Mosaic, which supports San Jac students through mentorship; and Accents: The Student Literary Magazine.

Since 1958, The Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation has recognized outstanding professors from two- and four-year Texas colleges and universities, both public and private. As a non-profit, charitable corporation, one of its biggest programs is the Piper Professor Program. Ten awards of $5,000 are distributed annually to college professors for superior teaching based on submissions by each college or university.

San Jacinto College Faculty Excellence Award recipients include Dr. Albert Talley, department chair, bachelor of education; Dr. Nicole Bradley, biotechnology; Amber Tyler, welding technology; and Estrellita Coronado, pharmacy technician.

Staff Excellence Award recipients include Hollis Auzenne, senior administrative assistant, dean of instructional services office; Maria Dabrowski, advisor, campus financial aid service; Natalia Mendez, advisor, campus financial aid service; and Jeanie Wright, coordinator, Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.

The Administrator Excellence Award went to Shelley Rinehart, assistant vice chancellor, instructional and support program efficacy; and Rezaur Rahman, director of sustainability/energy management, facilities energy management.

“San Jacinto College is proud to celebrate the incredible accomplishments of our faculty, staff, and administrator Excellence Award recipients,” said Dr. Laurel Williamson, deputy chancellor and College president. “These individuals embody the values and mission of our institution, consistently demonstrating exceptional dedication to our students, colleagues, and community. Their ability to inspire, innovate, and collaborate reflects the highest standards of excellence, and their contributions have had a profound impact on the success and well-being of our College.”

Criteria for the College’s Faculty and Staff Excellence Awards nominations include addressing the nominee’s last two years of work and service in the following areas: ability to serve as a role model and work collaboratively with others; possessions of exemplary attributes or qualifications; contributions to addressing or meeting the needs of our students and/or our employees; and dedications, service, and involvement in the College community.

About San Jacinto College

Surrounded by monuments of history, evolving industries, maritime enterprises of today, and the space age of tomorrow, San Jacinto College has served the people of East Harris County, Texas, since 1961. The College is one of the top 10 community colleges in the nation as designated by the Aspen Institute and was named an Achieving the Dream Leader College of Distinction in 2020. The College is a Hispanic-Serving Institution that spans five campuses, serving approximately 45,000 credit and non-credit students annually. It offers more than 200 degrees and certificates across eight major areas of study that put students on a path to transfer to four-year institutions or enter the workforce. The College is fiscally sound, holding bond ratings of AA+ by Standard & Poor’s, and Aa2 by Moody’s.,”

For more information about San Jacinto College visit sanjac.edu.

Happy Sunday, Good People!
Here’s a new poem I wrote this morning to inspire hope in the midst of despair and life’s uncertainties. At first, I called the poem “I turn to You,” then I changed it to the current title below :

“The Gravity of You”

When the melody fades into silence,
You compose a new song within me.
When life’s embrace falters and releases its hold,
I turn to you, where dawn renews its promise.
If the sun hides its warmth at morning’s call,
Your steadfast star will guide my weary steps.

When the rivers and oceans run dry,
You will fulfill my need for water.
When my body becomes weak and my strength is gone,
In you I can be strong.
When the winds and storms of despair carry me away,
Your voice becomes the refuge that shields me.

When the land seems desolate and the leaves stop blooming,
You will plant the seeds of courage in me so my dreams might become the hope of tomorrow.
If despair consumes the path that I tread,
You are the light that engulfs me.
When my solitude weighs heavy and I drift without direction,
Your presence soothes my soul, and you remind me that I am never alone.

My Reading list for 2025: The Non-Fiction Works

Yesterday, I shared my 2025 reading list, featuring a selection of 15 novels that I’m excited to explore. In that same post, I mentioned my intention to also share a list of non-fiction works I plan to dive into during the year. These texts span a variety of disciplines—including history, theology, and sociology—and tackle compelling themes such as freedom, tyranny, nationalism, colonialism, authoritarianism, resistance, revolution, and democracy. Today, I’m thrilled to share with you 20 non-fiction books that I’ve carefully curated. Each one promises to challenge conventional thinking, provoke meaningful dialogue, and inspire actions that contribute to human flourishing. Through this reading journey, I hope to engage deeply with the authors’ ideas and the transformative messages they offer, sparking insights that resonate both personally and collectively.

1. The Intellectual Devotional by David S. Kidder & Noah Oppenheim

2. A History of Knowledge: Past, Present, and Future by Charles Van Doren

3. The Map of Knowledge: A Thousand-Year History of how Classical Ideas were Lost and Found by Violet Moller

4. The Death of Omnipotence and Birth of Amipotence by Thomas Jay Oord

5. Christian Imaginations of the Religious Other: A History of Religionization by Marianne Moyaert

6. The Hermeneutics of the Biblical Writers: Learning to Interpret Scripture from the Prophets and Apostles by Abner Chou

7. The First and Last King of Haiti: The Rise and Fall of Henry Christophe by Marlene L. Daut

8. Reclaiming Haiti’s Futures: Returned Intellectuals, Placemaking, and Radical Imagination by Darlene Elizabeth Dubuisson

9. I have Avenged America: Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Haiti’s Fight for Freedom by Julia Gaffield

10. Haiti and the Revolution Unseen: The Persistence of the Decolonial Imagination by Natalie Marie Leger

11. Aid State: Elite Panic, Disaster Capitalism, and the Battle to Control Haiti by Jake Johnston

12. The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates

13. How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt

14. On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder

15. On Freedom by Timothy Snyder

16. The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017 by Rashid Khalidi

17. Palestinian Identity: The Construction of Modern National Consciousness by Rashid Khalidi

18. Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism by Anne Applebaum

19. Ancient Africa: A Global History, to 300 CE Christopher Ehret

20. Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI by Yuval Noah Harari

My Reading List for 2025: The Fiction Genre

In 2025, I aim to embark on an exciting literary journey, starting with a carefully curated selection of novels. While this list focuses solely on fiction, I plan to create a separate compilation dedicated to non-fiction works, ensuring both genres receive their due attention to enrich the life of the mind and my literary curiosity. Currently, I have identified 15 novels that pique my interest, offering a diverse mix of themes, styles, and voices. This list is a starting point, and I look forward to discovering even more literary treasures as the year unfolds.

1. The Years by Annie Ernaux, Alison L. Strayer (Translator)

2. The Vegetarian by Han Kang, Deborah Smith (Translator)

3. Flights by Olga Tokarczuk, Jennifer Croft (Translator)

4. The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk, Jennifer Croft (Translator)

5. Paradise by Abdulrazak Gurnah

6. By the Sea by Abdulrazak Gurnah

7. Desertion by Abdulrazak Gurnah

8. Afterlives by Abdulrazak Gurnah

9. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

10. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

11. Red Sorghum: A Novel of China by Mo Yan, Howard Goldblatt (Translator)

12. American Street by Ibi Zoboi

13. Une somme humaine by Makenzy Orcel

14. Wizard of the Crow by Ngugi wa Thiong’o

15. Tinkers  by Paul Harding

I return to work this morning, January 2, 2025.
Guess the first person I saw on the College’s Front Page when I turned on my work computer!

It is the 2024-2025 Minnie Piper Nominee who held firm in his hands San Jac’s mace during the summer and fall 2024 commencement.
What an honor!
What’s a good way to start my first day at work today! 😊