BORN and raised in Guyana, Jamella Chesney is an environmentalist, career coach, and poet who writes about women’s experiences and her West Indian identity.

“I’ve had a curiosity for storytelling since childhood. I remember staying up on school nights past my bedtime with a torchlight under the sheets, reading Nancy Drew, Animorphs, and other book series,” she said.

Chesney’s parents always encouraged reading from a young age. She would borrow novels from the library or purchase them from bookstores, and developed a habit of reading. She loved it; reading became her passion.