Afro-Caribbean author Jamaica Kincaid was born in Antigua, an island in the Caribbean, in 1949. Her given name was Elaine Potter Richardson, though she would officially change her name in 1972 to provide herself with anonymity while she published her work. As a child, Kincaid excelled at her studies and attended a British secondary school. However, when Kincaid’s third brother was born (she had a total of three other siblings, all brothers), her mother took her out of school to help with the family and the house (“Jamaica Kincaid.” BBC World Service). Kincaid’s family was poor, and their small home in St. John had no electricity, running water, or bathroom.

In 1965, Kincaid left Antigua when she was barely 17 and moved to New York City. Her mother sent her there to work, though Kincaid did not send money home as her mother wished and cut off communication with her family. She worked as an au pair and studied photography on scholarship before she started working for The New Yorker in 1976. In addition to writing for The New Yorker, Kincaid also sent her work to other publications as well. She worked with The New Yorker until 1996 and currently works at Harvard University teaching in the English and African-American Studies departments.