MERLE COLLINS was born in Aruba to Grenadian parents, who returned to Grenada soon after her birth. During the Grenada Revolution, she served as a coordinator for research on Latin America and the Caribbean for the Grenadian government before leaving the country in 1983. She is the author of three novels: Ocean Stirrings: A Work of Fiction in Tribute to Louise Langdon Norton Little, Working Mother and Activist, Mother of Malcolm X and Seven Siblings (Peepal Tree Press Ltd.), which was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize and the OCM Bocas Award for Caribbean Literature; Angel (Peepal Tree Press Ltd.); and The Colour of Forgetting (Peepal Tree Press Ltd.). She is also the author of the short story collection The Ladies are Upstairs (Peepal Tree Press Ltd.) and three critically acclaimed collections of poetry. Collins recently retired from teaching Caribbean literature at the University of Maryland.
