Guyana Archives - Kreolish

A gray-haired Black woman, seen from behind, stirs a pot on the stove in a small, dated New York kitchen with a window air conditioner.

The First Time I Cooked Pepper Pot

ByGillian November 11, 2026November 11, 2026

I have been cooking all my life. Yet several decades in, I could not make one of my homeland’s most iconic national dishes—Guyana’s pepper pot. The thought of replicating this dish, filled with memories of my childhood and my mom, overwhelmed me. I solicited input from friends and family to take on this task, only…

An abstract depiction of ocean, a kite, and a cottage.

Essays & Poetry

The Water Takes Me Home

ByGillian November 11, 2026November 11, 2026

Four linked haibun of a Guyanese childhood In a recurring dream, water offers an escape, and a passage home. These four linked haibun move through that doorway into childhood: Easter kites, a bucket of dung for my mother’s garden, and the rituals meant to keep us safe. In My Dream A shadow in a dour…

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