Poets from Haiti Ferlinda Dort and Louis Bertony are spending a whole month at the writers’ residence in Vajszló. The duo is working on a joint poetry collection while also exploring Vajszló and its surroundings with the assistance of Mayor István Horváth.

Among the young artists, Bertony is working at the Department of Modern Literature and Linguistics at the University of Glasgow in Scotland through a one-year scholarship, while Ferlinda Dort works as an elementary school teacher in Haiti. As they recounted, although the distant country has been liberated from French colonial rule for two centuries, it remains one of the poorest and most dangerous places in terms of public security. As a result, many people, especially intellectuals and artists, leave their homeland and try their luck in neighboring Dominican Republic, Canada or the USA.

Their collection titled "Recovering the Horizons" will encompass approximately 60 poems addressing timely topics such as the protection of human rights, climate change and the prevalent negative practices observed in the world including war, violence and child abuse. Through their verses, they aim to draw attention to the acceptance of cultural diversity and the promotion of equality.

They consider their residency period in Hungary a great adventure and hope to derive inspiration not only for these few weeks but also for the future.