I was the editor of a children’s short story compilation called Volcano Stories: A collection of short stories written by children in Montserrat, W.I. published by the Seismic Research Center in Trinidad and the Montserrat Volcano Observatory.
Here is the introduction I wrote for the book.
Introduction
This book is a collection of stories and essays written by children in the Caribbean island of Montserrat. They were submitted to the Montserrat Volcano Observatory’s Creative Writing Competition in 2013 under the theme, “A Volcano’s Touch.” Out of the many wonderful submissions received, only the winning stories are featured here. At the time of the competition, the writers ranged in age from six to seventeen years old. Our young writers interpreted the theme in many different ways. As a result, you will find anything from essays to short science fiction stories, but they all make mention of the Soufrière Hills Volcano.
The volcano began to erupt in August 1995. It has since destroyed Montserrat’s capital Plymouth, and many villages in the south and east of the island. Two-thirds of the island are now uninhabited due to the forced evacuation of areas around the volcano. Massive immigration from the island has caused economic hardship and social upheaval. There have been several active phases throughout the course of the eruption distinguished by periods of dome collapse and resulting pyroclastic flows. Nineteen residents were tragically killed by a pyroclastic flow in June 1997.
At the time these stories were written, the volcano had been in a quiet phase for 3 years. It would stand mysteriously shrouded in gas and clouds for months on end, as if watching over its work on the ruins of Plymouth. Some of the authors were old enough to remember previous explosions and dome collapses, while others had no experience of more active times. The stories were therefore written with varied measures of experience, research, imagination; indeed in many cases, with heavy doses of imagination! However, all the children knew the Soufrière Hills Volcano as a constant of life, as dependable as the sunrise, yet capable of amazing and sometimes heart-wrenching transformation. These stories capture some of the ideas and imaginations of children who live with a volcano every day and they are brought to life with illustrations by some talented artists from around the Caribbean. They were edited very lightly to preserve the style of the authors as far as possible. We hope you will enjoy them.