our accomplishments or contributions. Some interest was expressed begin-ning in the late 20th century and some studies have been done more recently, but they are the exception rather than the rule. Enslavement and African-descendancy are taboo subjects. Our contributions to our society have never been held in equal footing as European achievements.

As to the type of work that could be done, I believe serious historical inquiry and archeological studies would help remedy this vacuum. When I say serious, I mean not just depending on the written record of the enslavers, those who benefitted from the institution of slavery, but the study of oral his-tories and other sources from the point of view of Afro-descendants. Some scholars have begun compiling oral history accounts for some time. Addi-tionally, epigenetics, genealogy and the arts and literature of Afro-Puerto Ricans are other fields that would bring important information to the fore-ground. I noticed in my research that often scholars outside of the island ascribe more worth to our arts that our own scholars.

KRL: Where do you see your work in the Puerto Rican literary canon?

DLF: I think my work falls closest to the works of contemporary Afro-Boricua writers on the island: Yolanda Arroyo Pizarro, Mayra Santos Febres, and Yvonne Denis Rosario. Our styles are very different, but our themes are very similar. We are insistently grounded in our African roots and Afro-Boricua traditions. We need to give voice to those who have been rendered voiceless. We explore aspects of black womanhood that have been marginalized within the mainstream culture both in the U.S. and in PR.

KRL: What compelled you to write this story? Were there absence(s) in Puerto Rican literature, and maybe Caribbean or Latinx literature, that prompted you to write Daughters of the Stone? Did you feel represented in the literature(s)?

DLF: Not only did I not feel represented in the literatures of either Puerto Rico or the United States, I felt erased from the society as the only images of Puerto Ricans a) looked nothing like me b) were stereotypical and offensive. Those images bore no resemblance to the people in my life. I felt it was time to give a more inclusive face and more realistic words to the Puerto Rican portrayed in the media and on the page.