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! 😊

My new poem, “Beyond the Noise, Only You,”
captures a profound love set against the lively, chaotic streets of Cap-Haïtien, Haiti, where I grew up and left for the states when I was 15 years old. If you’ve been to Okap, you will understand not only the meaning of the poem, but the dynamics between incessant horn blowings from both Tap-Tap and motorcycles. However, the speaker in the poem found love and pleasure in the midst of the noise and beyond the noise 😊

Amid the bustling scene—crowded streets, honking cars, and wild motorcycles—the poet finds himself entirely captivated by his beloved, the new girl he just meets while waiting for the bus in the midst of the noise. While others may be overwhelmed by the city’s noise and disorder, the poet sees only beauty, focusing solely on the presence of his new love.

When they reach the boulevard—as a kid, this is the place I used to spend my afternoons riding my bike and eating ice cream with friends—where bright lights illuminate the night, the poet feels that the true light radiates from within him—a love that is unwavering, enduring, and powered by an inner force that only death can extinguish. Through this vivid setting, the poem illustrates how true love can create a sense of eternity, belonging, even amidst life’s chaos, grounding the poet in a powerful and everlasting devotion to his new lover he meets in Okap’s boulevard.

“Beyond the Noise, Only You”

On bended knees, feet pressed to stone,
I hear your voice, soft and low,
Creole words spun sweet and slow,
As if meant only for my soul.
We meet, we meld, and love becomes us.
We stroll the streets with hearts unbound,
Innocent, untroubled, with no care to be found.
The city’s pulse, its noise and beat,
We welcomed both, in rhythm sweet.

Come, let’s walk through Okap’s streets,
Where chaos and life collide and meet—
Motorcycles and drivers wild,
Horns blaring, crowds like rivers untamed,
Yet all I see is you, my love, new and eternal,
And nothing else can call my name.
Amid the clamor, loud and wild,
I found my peace, my heart beguiled—
Beyond the noise, in quiet grace,
Your love whispered soft, and I embraced its trace.

The noise was wild, but I stayed calm,
Unmoved by the city’s relentless hum—
Yet your first smile, quiet and sweet,
Stirred a storm that swept me off my feet.
We reach the boulevard, where lights blaze bright,
But if you’d look, you’d see a light
Shining deeper in my eyes, my heart,
The fire that love ignites and sparks.
In every sound, in every stride,
We found love’s whisper, side by side—
As we embraced the chaos, we felt it too,
Love blooming in the noise, pure and true.

This love, unending, fierce and pure,
Runs on a pulse no storm can cure—
Powered by a generator deep in my soul,
This flame will burn until I grow cold.
No one here in Okap knows
How these dusty streets, loud and bold,
Can make a “Kapwa” behold
The boundless sight of eternity’s road.

* The Kreyòl word “Kapwa” refers to the native of the city of Cap-Haitien.

* The Kreyol word “Okap” is the equivalent of Cap-Haitien, Haiti’s second largest city.

Regardless of the outcome of the presidential election, whether your candidate wins or loses, consider following these principles:

1. Treat others with kindness, even those who hold opposing political views or ideologies.

2. Uphold human dignity, civility, and tolerance, whether in moments of victory or disappointment.

3. Use your actions and ideas to support our democracy and foster human flourishing.

4. Avoid vengeance, and refrain from spreading hate, xenophobia, or fear, whether in public or private.

5. Act with love and understanding in all that you do.

#lovewins
#lovewinseverytime

“Tough Questions for a Big God”

The greatest external challenge to the divine will and sovereignty of God in the world is the human capacity for individual will and freedom. This freedom complicates the workings of divine love and justice in the world. God’s justice will not be fully achieved without human cooperation, and divine love and power alone is not sufficient to make all things right in the cosmos.

A God who honors human autonomy cannot simply remove suffering and eradicate evil at will. This phenomenon explains the mystery of the intersection between divine freedom, human freedom, and the enduring problem of evil—the heart of theodicy.

Moreover, since the beginning of creation and human history, there are few recorded events where God directly eradicates evil within human communities. Such instances of divine triumph are rare in global history. In contrast, human communities worldwide have seen a persistent rise in evil and the spread of suffering across nations. In other words, we lack concrete evidence, past or present, that God has decisively eradicated evil or is actively doing so in these fragile and uncertain times for contemporary societies.

How can we be sure that God will ultimately create a future world better than the present one?

How can we trust that human beings will attain greater moral goodness in the world to come?

How can we be confident that, in the end, God will eliminate all forms of suffering and evil in the universe?

Happy Tuesday, Good People! Here are the book contracts that I’ve signed with four different academic publishers:

1. “Haiti in a Global Frame: An Intellectual History” (University Presss of Mississippi)

Status: I finished writing this manuscript two years ago, but was not pleased with the way I structured the manuscript and the topics that were part of my conversation. The book has eight chapters. Since I have radically restructured the manuscript, it will take me a year or two to finish the first draft.

In this book, I have three chapters on Jean-Jacques Dessalines, one on Toussaint, one on Haiti’s first Constitution, one on the concept of God in Haitian poetry, and two on contemporary Haitian women fiction. So half of the book is on the founder of the Haitian nation.

2. “For the sake of the world and for his people : An intellectual Biography of Jean Price-Mars” (Vanderbilt University Press)

Status: I finished writing this manuscript a year ago (July 2023) and sent it off to the publisher. I received good feedback from the editors and reviewers, and I am currently doing revisions. It is close to 600 pages.

This will be the first “intellectual biography” on Price-Mars in English. There are only two biographies on Price-Mars written in English, but they are not intellectual biographies in the sense of the word or concept.

3. “Apostle of Human Equality: An Intellectual Biography of Anténor Firmin” (SUNY Press)

Status: This book is halfway done. It is divided into six chapters. I have already written three of those chapters.

It will be the first intellectual biography in English on Firmin.

4. “Christ and the Lwa: Christian Theology and Haitian Vodou” (Orbis Books)

Status: This book is divided into seven chapters. I have written only one of the chapters and the rest is in my mind 😊

This will be the first monograph in the English language on this subject matter. This is the book I have always wanted to write✍️

5. “Christian Theology and Afro-Caribbean Religions: A Comparative Analysis” (pending book contract with one of my favorite academic presses. Willl let you know the name later)

Status:  This book contains six chapters. I wrote two of them, and the rest is in my big head 😊

This will be the first book in English on the subject matter. This is another book that I have always wanted to write.

Good People: If you see me disappear from social media engagement and if  I choose not to participate in future writing and academic commitments for a long time, you will have a sense of understanding of my justification. I need five to six years to finish writing all these books. In the meantime, I will keep writing poetry. lol

Last Saturday (October 26), a group of African brothers and sisters known as the Association of Brotherhood Academic Scholars-USA invited me to give a talk on Haitian Vodou. It is a Christian professional academic organization. The venue was inviting, intimate, and simply beautiful, and it was quite a relaxing atmosphere. The highlight of my conversation was my interaction with the audience and to be able to answer their questions (there were a lot of them. lol).

Because the audience was primarily Christian, in my explanation of Vodou as religion, I also used Christian concepts and comparative religious ideas (i.e. the Yoruba tradition) The President of the organization wrote this beautiful letter to me:

“To Dr. Celucien Joseph,
Head of the English Department
San Jacinto College, Pasadena, Texas,

Dear Dr. Celucian,

We wish to express our deep appreciation for your generous time and presence at our gathering on Saturday, the 26th of October, 2024. Your intellectual expertise, humanistic approach, insights on the African diaspora, and wisdom on the strengths of the black community were truly remarkable.

Your patient explanation of the concept of Voodoo and willingness to address our inquiries made the session truly exceptional, and your kind demeanor did not go unnoticed.

We also thank you for graciously accepting our gift of the Everlasting Gospel, trusting it will be a valuable addition to your collection of research materials.

May God continue to inspire and bless you as you share your scholarly knowledge with others. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

Sincerely,

Brother Aeroezona Obiadazie
Christ Ambassador
President
ABAS-USA
Oct. 28, 202”

Here are a few photos they sent me.

My new poem, titled “Torn Threads of Affection,” draws inspiration from two poignant sources. The first is Labrinth’s hauntingly beautiful song “Jealous,” which has the power to reshape our understanding of love, revealing the delicate balance between love and jealousy. I’ve listened to this song a million times and profoundly wondered about the meaning of its lyrics and the wild passions they evoke. 

The second inspiration comes from the dynamic between two high school students who are best friends; they share classes, lunch breaks, and spend quality time together. The young man’s deep affection for the girl is undeniable; yet it is his friend who receives her love, touch, and passion, creating a bittersweet tension in their relationship. The rest is a story untold, or a tapestry of moments yet to be revealed.😊

“Torn Threads of Affection”

Weighed down by the human hand,
That draws close to your body, 
Reaching deeper than my fingers ever could.
I lament how he shattered your garment, 
A place where my shadow has never tread.
In his grasp, your will was silenced.
He stole your essence in the darkest of nights.
It is his touch you idolize, his image you memorize.
Inside, I wither like a flower in winter’s grasp.

I’ve offered you treasures coming from undiscovered lands,
And guided you to untraveled paths.
I crafted memories that dance in your heart,
And to move the fabric of your soul.
I starved my desires so your hunger could fade,
And spilled my lifeblood so your heart would beat on.
It wounds my heart that my offerings go unseen.
The silent burdens I’ve carried for your sake
are buried in the shadows of your indifference.

I feel the sadness in the way you light up for him, 
Though I’ve given my all just to see you smile each day.
Consumed by jealousy as you text him endlessly,
At dawn when you rise, at midnight before sleep calls.
It stings to know you spend more time with him than with me, 
After all this love I’ve carried through the years.
He shattered your trust,
Leaving you to rebuild in the ruins of betrayal.
Where will you seek solace now?
Who will bring you comfort in a world where doubts bloom like wildflowers?

I envy the nights he shares with you, 
Every moment you lie beside him, 
Every smile you give that he takes for granted, 
Every breath exchanged while he’s unkind to your warmth.
He doesn’t treat you with the gentleness I offer.
I can’t help but wonder— is this love?
His heart lacks the depth of the love I hold for you.
Though you seek warmth in fleeting moments,
I hold the light of a love that is true.

I dedicate my new poem “The Weight of your Heart” to those who’ve experienced what I call a transient love, an ephemeral joy, and to the one who has been betrayed by love. The French translation, “Le poids de ton coeur,” is followed.

“The Weight of Your Heart”

I carry you in my heart, 
It’s over, but you linger, 
A ghostly touch that never fades, 
You left me without a final word, not even a text to remember.
Yet your heart, it still travels with me.
The moments we lost—could they be saved?
I could have held you tighter, 
So I would never miss you again.

You are my forever companion, unseen but near
A love that exploded in sight cannot be tamed. 
Nothing can hold back a woman in love.
But you don’t want it from me— 
Not the way I craved, 
Not the way my soul longs for you.
I stand in the naked distance of (your) love.

I don’t feel alone, 
But without you, the distance stretches, 
Like naked space, 
Peeling away layer by layer, 
Until only the lingerie of our feelings remain.

I miss you—come back to me, 
My window to the world is cold, 
I want you, not in  the way of flesh, 
But in the way of life—your hands on my face, 
Your breath on my neck, your lips on mine, 
Fingers tangled in your hair,
legs intertwined until the morning light.
I want to wake to your smile, 
To hold the moon with you. 

But you played with my feelings, 
And now you don’t care. 
So I began this love story,
but you were the one who wrote its end.
It’s from you that I learned the fire of love.
And from you I learned its burn.

I don’t need perfection, 
Just someone afraid to lose me, 
Someone who respects the fragility of what we had, 
But now, all that remains is fear— 
Fear of writing a love letter 
That will be met with rejection.

I can’t move on. 
No matter how you’ve torn me apart, 
A piece of you is forever stuck to me. 
You taught me love, 
Unconditional, sacrificial, 
But you also taught me pain, 
A lesson I never wanted, 
From the one who showed me what it means to love 
And to lose.

——
“Le Poids de ton Cœur”

Je te porte dans mon cœur, 
C’est fini, mais tu persistes, 
Un toucher fantomatique qui ne s’efface jamais, 
Tu es parti sans un dernier mot, même pas un texte pour m’en souvenir. 
Pourtant, ton cœur voyage encore avec moi. 
Les moments que nous avons perdus—pouvaient-ils être sauvés ? 
J’aurais pu te serrer plus fort, 
Pour ne plus jamais te manquer.

Tu es mon compagnon pour toujours, invisible mais proche, 
Un amour qui a explosé à vue ne peut être dompté. 
Rien ne peut retenir une femme amoureuse. 
Mais tu n’en veux pas de moi— 
Pas comme je le désirais, 
Pas comme mon âme te désire. 
Je me tiens dans la distance nue de (ton) amour.

Je ne me sens pas seule, 
Mais sans toi, la distance s’étire, 
Comme un espace nu, 
S’effeuillant couche après couche, 
Jusqu’à ce qu’il ne reste que la lingerie de nos sentiments.

Tu me manques—reviens-moi, 
Ma fenêtre sur le monde est froide, 
Je te veux, pas dans la chair, 
Mais dans la vie—tes mains sur mon visage, 
Ton souffle dans mon cou, tes lèvres sur les miennes, 
Doigts emmêlés dans tes cheveux, 
Jambes entrelacées jusqu’à la lumière du matin. 
Je veux me réveiller à ton sourire, 
Tenir la lune avec toi.

Mais tu as joué avec mes sentiments, 
Et maintenant tu t’en fiches. 
C’est moi qui ai commencé cette histoire d’amour, 
Mais c’est toi qui en as écrit la fin. 
C’est de toi que j’ai appris le feu de l’amour. 
Et de toi j’ai appris sa brûlure.

Je n’ai pas besoin de perfection, 
Juste de quelqu’un qui a peur de me perdre, 
Quelqu’un qui respecte la fragilité de ce que nous avions, 
Mais maintenant, il ne reste que la peur— 
La peur d’écrire une lettre d’amour 
Qui sera accueillie par un rejet.

Je ne peux pas passer à autre chose. 
Peu importe comment tu m’as déchirée, 
Un morceau de toi est à jamais collé à moi. 
Tu m’as appris l’amour, 
Inconditionnel, sacrificiel, 
Mais tu m’as aussi appris la douleur, 
Une leçon que je n’ai jamais voulue, 
De celui qui m’a montré ce que c’est d’aimer 
Et de perdre.

I call this new poem of mine “Unwritten Futures.” It is a story that revolves around a very attractive woman who is torn between two men. While she has strong feelings for both, her heart truly belongs to one, and she dreams of a life with him. Meanwhile, the other man remains unaware of her secret romance 🙂

“Unwritten Futures”

She stands at the crossroads, torn in two, 
With hearts entwined, yet mine feels blue. 
He came first, she whispers, eyes cast low, 
In love’s embrace, there’s room to grow.

But I can’t help but wonder—
what is the cost?
In her heart’s garden,
am I just a ghost?

In her gaze, I’m shadowed,
lost in his light.
She weighs my heart against his might.
She says, “He knows me whole, accepts my flaws,” 
Her daggered words, a silent war.
Each word reflects pain,
.Comparisons drown me like falling rain.
 
She weaves her tales,
a web of lies, only to be torn apart.
hiding the truth behind her eyes.
She whispered,
“He was here before you,
the first chapter of my story.’”
In his arms, her heart ignites,
While I’m but echoes of a fading name.

He knows nothing of my presence, 
the secret we weave in the dark, a stranger to the truth.
While I hold her close, 
lost in the moments he can’t see. 
She said, “He will never know about us,”
as if our moments are shadows,
fading at dawn.
Yet in the depths of her heart,
she dreams of a future with him,
of growing old,
while I hold her now,
just a fleeting whisper in her story.

A web of trust, then swiftly tore. 
Her laughter dances in another’s light, 
In every glance, her heart takes flight, 
For him she loves more, beyond my reach.

Her days are filled with his embrace, 
While I wait in empty space. 
In stolen moments, their laughter rings, 
And silence wraps my heart in strings.
I stand,
lost in fading night.