I’m stephanie ramlogan
a Trinidadian millennial writing in NYC.
I write about Caribbean people and how our cultures adapt as we move beyond the region. I care more about how we see ourselves and less about how we are seen, and have found myself writing a lot about cuisine, food and eating to express this perspective.
The narratives in my fiction, essays, articles and social media are currently enjoying conversations about growing food at home, nourishing ourselves, finding pleasure in food, eating with friends, taking care with what we eat and most of all, pausing. Taking our time—liming as we Trinis say—feels blissfully rebellious today.
Essays, Articles and Stories
Fiction
Darkly hilarious narratives
A tired soucouyant, a red dress at a cremation, ghosts on the subway, suspicious missing eggs and more friendly freaks.
Non-Fiction
Essays and articles
Started with fashion and is now focused on people— their food, their passions and their risks.
Novel
“That Night at the Jubilee Hotel”
Represented by Jessica Spitz, Janklow and Nesbit Associates
I have an MFA in Creative Writing and teach undergraduate courses in creative and expository writing at the City University of New York.
Outside of the CUNY classrooms and the occasional panel, I offer consultations with content creators around their brand voice, and with creative writers developing their stories. I also lead online group journaling workshops and serve as a judge for accolades such as the James Beard Journalism Awards.
While I'm not the most active pitcher, I am always open to crafting essays and articles that complicate the existing conversations on culture. Some pieces can be found at ESSENCE, EATER and Forbes. My fiction has been awarded by The Iowa Review and the Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival among others.
My passion research project uses Doubles, the popular Trinbagonian street food, as a symbol to examine my people. I gather feedback and openly deliberate ideas through the IG page @thisisdoubles.
My first novel manuscript is in hand, and placed second for the First Pages Prize, judged by Edwidge Danticat. I am currently writing a second.
interviews, panels & Podcasts
BROOKLYN CARIBBEAN LITERARY FESTIVAL
I moderated a discussion titled “Sunday Lunch” on recipes becoming vessels of inheritance and adaptation, preserving culture while evolving through movement, scarcity, and contact with other worlds, with panelists Andre Fowles (chef/author), Brigid Washington (author/Chair of the James Beard Journalism Awards), Devonne Jackson Perez (Director of Brooklyn Supported Agriculture) and Marie Mitchell (chef/author).
INTERVIEW WITH EAT AH FOOD
I have collaborated many times with Eatahfood over the years, considering them kindred spirits. We all enjoy conversations about Caribbean culture through food histories and have been lucky enough to get some of these exchanges on camera for their Youtube Channel. Most recently we have posted The Impact of Social Media on Food. In collaboration with Visit Trinidad, we produced two features, The Spirit of Carnival and Tis the season: Trini Cristmas. In our most popular video, I make a pot of dhal on camera while discussing the role of ancestral memory and informal education in the kitchen.
NOT YOUR CULTURE PODCAST
On this episode of The Not Your Culture Podcast, I speak with the host and multidisciplinary artist, Jonathon Phillip, about observations I’ve made in moving from Trinidad to NYC, my writing and even some of my personal life.
BIRDS UNCAGED, CREATOR CONVO
I lent my story to this collection of original conversations that explore the stories beneath people's professional and personal journeys, hosted by Nikkia Reveillac (former corporate consumer insights and brand strategist at Twitter, and Netflix).
In collaboration with Eatahfood, I interviewed Pearl Eintou Springer and Attilah Springer at their Kambule rehearsal to learn about the history of the tradition and how its meaning transcends the evolution of Carnival in the Caribbean and worldwide. This work was part of a campaign that explored Christmas and Carnival traditions in Trinidad and Tobago. In a second interview, I spoke with Carlos Felician and Baidawi Assing about Trinidad and Tobago’s Christmas traditions.
VISIT TRINIDAD CAMPAIGN, “THE SPIRIT OF CARNIVAL” AND “TIS THE SEASON”
WI STYLE, CELEBRATING CARIBBEAN CREATIVES FOR NYFW
I led an onstage conversation with Jerome “Rome” Precilla and Wendy Fitzwilliam (Caribbean’s Next Top Model), co-producers of the fashion design reality show “Carnival Catwalk” on the Peacock network as part of Carib Biz Network’s Wi Style NYFW event.
